You feel a dip in the temperature, you can smell the fall leaves, and you can see the colors on the trees changing. That’s right; it’s time to fill your yard with your favorite spooky decorations. If you’re tired of using the same ideas and carving a ton of stinky pumpkins, consider adding some skeletons to your yard.
This is a great way to include some thrilling decorations without spending a ton of money on various items or scaring the neighbors. Since they’re so versatile, you can use skeletons to be spooky or fun and cute.
They’re not gory or gross, so they won’t give the neighborhood kids nightmares, but they’re still festive and scream Halloween. Here are a few ideas to help you incorporate this fun idea into your yard!
1. Add a Family of Skeletons
Since they are so diverse and often easy to find, you can really have fun with this idea. Create an area of the yard and place several of them together. This can make it look like a family of skeletons which could even represent your family dynamic.
Displaying several of them together will make it seem like something spooky happened in the yard, and the kids will love it. You can have them sit on a bench or set them around a fire pit to add a bit of humor.
2. Make it Animal Themed
If you’re looking for a non-traditional route that will still emanate the holiday spirit, animal skeletons are the way to go. They still give off a spooky vibe without feeling too life-like or creepy.
It’s also a great way to add different levels to the yard. If you have a bunch of tall decorations, using something smaller and shorter, like animal skeletons, is a great way to draw your eyes down lower and create different dimensions.
3. Display Colors or Lights
Adding lights to your yard during the holiday season is functional and exciting. The additional light is great for guiding trick-or-treaters through your yard, and if you choose interesting colors, you can light up the skeletons.
Shining red, blue, green, or orange lights on the skeletons can make it seem like they’re different colors, making them stand out from one another. This is a great option if you have multiple ones you’d like to arrange in the yard because they each have the opportunity to shine.
4. Create Pirates or Other Halloween Characters
Though it may seem unnecessary, adding a costume or specific items to your Halloween skeletons could be the perfect addition. It will prepare your home for the holidays and give you a chance to really have fun with the yard.
It’s also a great chance to get the kids involved in setting up the yard and get creative. You can dress them up as pirates, cowboys, doctors, or anything else you’d like. Get creative and have fun with this opportunity!
5. Have Them Escaping the Graves
If you have headstones or graves set up in the yard for the Halloween season, you can get really creative and incorporate escaping skeletons. Having it look like they’re coming out of the grave is a good touch on a spooky idea. You can just stick a hand out or make it more realistic by leaving out the skull and other parts of the body.
Your neighbors will love this idea because it’s on par with the holiday spirit, but it’s not too creepy or gory. You can enhance this look by pointing a spotlight on the scene to really help it stand out.
6. Sitting on the Front Porch
Incorporating your rocking chairs or front porch furniture is a great way to include skeletons during Halloween. You can prop them up in the rocking chairs, on the porch swing, or have them sitting on the porch steps.
Adding them to the front porch is fun because trick-or-treaters will have to walk past them to get candy, and you can get more creative in this area. It’s a great opportunity to keep the decorations safe from rain during the holiday season.
7. Crawling on the Yard
Sometimes, it’s nice to have an extra touch that takes your yard to the next level during the Halloween season. If you’re going for a different approach and want to incorporate something a bit spookier than normal, you can make it look like there’s some sort of zombie attack on your house.
Making it look like they’re crawling through the yard toward the house can add a scary touch, but it keeps you away from gory or unnecessary decorations. You can use one or as many as you have to make it seem like your house is under attack.
8. Chopped Up
A great way to add a spooky touch to your home is with a pile of bones. You can use a fake ax and place it by the pile of bones to make it look like they were chopped up. If you’re trying to keep it PG, you can just use the fake ax and make a pile next to a gravestone or on the front porch.
If you want to make it a bit scarier, you can add some fake blood. Using fake blood will be a good addition, but it’s still not inappropriate for young trick-or-treaters.
9. Climbing the House
If you’re looking for something not typically seen to set your house apart, you can make it look like the skeletons are climbing up your house. This could be achieved by situating them to make it seem like they’re climbing or trying to pull themselves up on the roof.
Even if you only have one, this could be a great addition, and the trick-or-treaters will love the unique touch. If you have more than one, you can set up several on the side of the home or even make it look like they’re helping one another climb up the house.
10. Crime Scene
Though this might be a basic design, it’s still a fan favorite! Adding an area of the yard that’s roped off as a crime scene immediately screams Halloween. You can lay a skeleton in the middle of the caution tape and make it seem like a crime took place.
This is a cost-efficient option that you’ll love. The kids will enjoy helping you set it up, and once it’s finished, it will give your home that undeniable sign that it’s time for trick-or-treating.
