Can you feel the excitement? The moon has been growing fuller night by night and now it’s shining its brightest. Every 27 days, the moon completes a lunar cycle and shines at its fullest, lighting up the sky, controlling the tides and stirring up all kinds of energy and excitement. Each full moon is another opportunity for heightened energy and activity that – with a little imagination – can lead to a lot of family fun. Let your toes start twitching, feel the goosebumps arise on your skin, and let loose the howl that is surfacing from deep within you! Here are the best full moon activities for kids to embrace your inner werewolves, harness the energy of the full moon and celebrate it.
You can’t have a list of full moon activities for kids without throwing some ghosts in there. Gather some logs, gather some friends and gather around the fire pit for a chilling, thrilling night of ghost stories. There’s nothing like a full moon in the sky to create the perfect atmosphere for some hair-raising tales from the other side. You may want to consider the age of your audience before going all out creepy. Take a look at this selection of kid friendly ghost tales.
Did you know that the moon is the easiest celestial body in the night sky to observe with the naked eye? Because the surface of the moon is covered with massive craters and inactive volcanoes, it’s easy to distinguish the complexities of its surface. If you have a telescope or binoculars, it’s even more interesting to explore and chart the cool features of the moon. For more fun lunar facts and answers to questions like “How was the moon formed?” and “How big is the moon?” visit Nat Geo Kids.
A full moon is the creepiest time to pull out your fangs, fake blood and green face paint and take a Zombie Walk through your neighborhood. Invite some friends and neighbors to dress up like their favorite monster or scary movie character and then take your party crew on a zombie parade under the moon. You can turn any traditional costume like a baseball player, nurse, or cowboy into a gory zombie by adding some torn clothes and blood, or you can choose some of your crew to dress like “the living” and then let the zombies chase them down your street. Plus, you probably already have the ingredients you need to make fake blood.
If you’re looking for a party activity that your guests will die for, host a Full Moon Murder Mystery. You can create your own murder mystery theme with this beginner’s guide to planning a murder mystery. Or you can shop online for downloadable kid friendly mystery party games with all kinds of fun themes and virtual non-murder mysteries here. Whether you plan your own or download a game, customize the theme, storyline, and decor to include mentions and references to the full moon.
Harness the full energy from the moon by meditating with your family under its lunar light. It’s a fun and easy way to teach your kids the power of meditation. First, find a place where the moonlight is completely visible either outside or by a window. Next, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Then, let your body feel the luminous beams of the full moon. Take several deep slow breaths and concentrate on the moonlight and its cleansing effect on your mind and body.
There are so many fascinating things to hear and see on a moonlit family hike. Find a path or trail that you are familiar with, bring flashlights or headlamps and wear reflective clothing. Listen for signs of nature that you can’t experience during the day like the hoots of an owl or the chirping of crickets. Look for bats and lighting bugs and other nocturnal creatures. And, let the full moon help guide your way to a fun family full moon memory.
As the full moon creeps near, organize some friends for a fun night of glow-in-the-dark games under its lunar light. For a pulse-pounding outdoor glow game that’s a combination of hide and seek, tag and scavenger hunts, check out Wizards and Werewolves.
It’s is an exciting backyard team competition of speed, skill and wits that pits two mythical forces against each other. Play as a wizard and embark on a perilous journey to capture glowing magical crystals. Or bare your teeth and howl as you join the werewolves, stalking prey, guarding the crystals and hunting down wizards.The game offers three levels of play ranging from beginner to highly strategic advanced game play and is the perfect game to play under a full moon.
Next time the moon is bright in the sky, try some of these full moon activities with your kids!