Halloween—equal parts spooky and sweet—is one of our favorite times of the year! The costumes and candy have a way of bringing out our inner kid, and there’s nothing like watching your children anticipate the seasonal excitement. While school and social gatherings are slowly returning to normal in many places, safety is still top of mind for parents. Here are our top ten ways to carefully celebrate spooky season!
1. Head to the pumpkin patch
Road trip! This seasonal activity is a great way to get outside as a family, plus many pumpkin patches have safety modifications in place including physical distancing, hand sanitizing and face masks.
2. Plan a Halloween movie night
Gather up the family, pop some popcorn and settle in for some scary (or not-so-scary) movies. Searching for age-appropriate Halloween movies? Check out this handy guide from Common Sense Media.
3. Create a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt
Hide some candies around your house or neighborhood with clues for kids. If you have older kids, help them imagine and create a scavenger hunt for the younger ones.
4. Host a virtual pumpkin carving contest
Recruit some family and friends to carve pumpkins on the same day—and share a picture in a group message where you can vote on the winner. If you want to get really serious, challenge everyone to carve a similar image like a black cat or Dracula.
5. Drop off Halloween care packages to friends and family
Put together some of your favorite candies in a goodie bag and drop them off to family and friends. You can even incorporate a little surprise by dropping off packages, ringing the doorbell and running away!
6. Give out candy (safely) to your neighbors
Weather permitting, set up outside your home with some Halloween candy pre-portioned into individual bags. You can set them on a table (or a coffin) and neighbors can grab a treat without reaching into a communal bowl.
7. Look for drive through Halloween events in your community
From drive-in movies, to drive-through haunted houses, there are plenty of creative events happening in communities everywhere. You’ll enjoy some spine-chilling events from the warmth of your own vehicle.
8. Put together a digital costume contest
Why not show off your fabulous costumes on a video call with your friends or family from around the world? It’s a nice way to connect with family and friends who might not normally get to experience Halloween with you. You can even create a Halloween-themed catwalk and blast The Monster Mash while people strut their spooky stuff.
9. Make some spooky Halloween treats as a family
Spend some time as a family making some homemade Halloween-themed snacks and sweets. Let kids get creative by icing Jack-O-Lantern cookies with unique faces, or decorating a monster face on a cake by adding one candy at a time.
10. Engage in with your senses
It’s the perfect season for hair-raising fun that engages kids with sensory activities. Think spaghetti brains, grape eyeballs, and all things that squish, slime or fizz! Sensory activities help kids with their language learning by allowing them to experience new feelings they may not yet have words for, and they also help with the development of motor skills.
Happy Halloween!
With a little imagination and a bit of planning, Halloween can still be a special day to look forward to. Wishing you and your family a Halloween that strikes the perfect balance of spooky and safe!
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