Since having kids, Halloween has become my very favorite holiday! I love the decorations, the festive parties, Hocus Pocus (obviously the best Halloween movie of all time!), the way it’s always cold and eerie on that night of the year, and of course the endless amounts of candy (pumpkin-shaped Reeses…yum!). And let’s not forget the best part: family Halloween costumes!
Every year for Halloween since my children were born I have forced everyone to wear family Halloween costumes. I don’t just mean my husband and kids, I am talking the WHOLE family; no one is safe (including the dog and cat). If I could’ve dressed up our pet fish I would have. It took some persuading to get my husband on board, but once I purchased his costumes, he had no choice other than to join in on the fun! As our kids have gotten older, the costumes have become more interactive and the next year’s planning has usually started before we are even out of our current costumes.
Brainstorming and Shopping
I will start off by saying that Amazon and thrift stores will be your best friend when it comes to a whole family collaboration. You can definitely hit up the Halloween stores around town, but if you shop early enough and online you will tend to get more for your money.
I first get the idea from my kids, then I go from there. I make sure there are enough characters for all the family members and search for my husband’s costume first. Finding adult costumes can sometimes be pretty tough, so if I can’t find something for him I usually move on to 
another idea.
From there I go down the line for the other family members; I don’t always look for “costumes” either. I want to get the most out of the pieces I purchase. So it is ideal if I can find articles of clothing that will work for everyday use as well. For example, one year we dressed up as the cast of Scooby Doo. Both my kids were able to add the pieces from their costume to their closets and continued to wear those items for a couple of years.
Plus, all of our family Halloween costumes have been added to the dress-up bin. They get put into use for playtime, impromptu plays, and concerts all year round!
Do-It-Yourself
Homemade costumes are also a great option! They are so fun to make, and super original! However, keep in mind sometimes making your own costumes is not always budget-friendly and can end up costing you a bit more than if you were to just buy the costume itself. They are also time-consuming to make. But I love me a good homemade costume. They are always my favorite!
Be Flexible and Have Fun
One year I had decided to do a theme based on the movie Up. Halfway through making all the scout badges for my son, my daughter decided she wanted to be a cat. So a cat she was and I a crazy cat lady. The dog, my husband and son went on with their homemade costumes as Up. It’s ok for everyone to not match! I always want my kids to be happy in what they are wearing. Halloween is the one night of year where you can be who you want to be. My hope for them is to have wonderful memories of us as a family on Halloween.
Family Costume Ideas
Like I said, I usually start with what my kids want to be, but if everyone is open to suggestions here are some great family Halloween costume ideas!
- Smurf Family (blue and white clothes and chefs hats could make this easily work!)
- Zoo Animals + a Zoo Keeper (try Amazon, thrift stores, and the Dollar Store to collect animal masks, face paint, tails, or headbands)
- Superheroes (Amazon, Target, or Wal-Mart will have plenty of these costumes, but a less-expensive route could be just wearing t-shirts and capes!)
- Minions (overalls, yellow shirts, and goggles)
- The Rainbow (just get clothes of each color, and a family member could even be covered in cotton balls as the clouds!)
- Scarecrows (flannels, jeans or overalls, straw hats, facepaint, and add some straw in there!)
- Luau party (check Dollar Tree or a local party or craft store for luau gear!)
- M&Ms (have each family member wear a different color clothing and add an “M” using white felt – stuff your bellies for the added “round” effect!)
- Where’s Waldo? (Red and white striped shirts, red and white hats, jeans, and glasses!)
I can’t wait to make more memories this coming Halloween with our next theme!
