A New Version Of Halloween?

Most young children cannot wait for Halloween and Christmas. But, unfortunately, this Halloween may be a little (or a lot) different. Since we are not able to be around a large group of people, that leaves out going to pumpkin patches, special Halloween carnivals, hayrides, community and church celebrations, and going out to special houses and yelling “trick or treat” like normal. It does not sound like much fun – you could equate it to having a bicycle without wheels. The holiday is October 31st, but you cannot celebrate it. How do you explain that to a little one, after so much has already been taken away from them since March? Well, maybe you do not have to spread the bad news – instead, have your own celebrations during the month of October. You can make an advent calendar for Halloween. An easy way to make one is to take a poster board and mark it off into squares like a calendar. Then, glue pieces of candy for each day of the month and decorate it with seasonal stickers. If you have more than one child, make it a contest – the first one up in the morning gets the candy for that day. Have them put their initials in the square, and then at the end of the month, see who has the most squares and give them an additional special treat. Another way to enjoy the month it to set aside a weekend for baking pumpkin flavored items like cookies, breads, pies, cakes, or candies. Children love to bake, and if there are enough of you, then baking in teams is fun, too. Another easy and inexpensive way to have some fun is to gather some crayons, tape, glue, string, yarn, and construction paper, pick out a spot in their room, and have them decorate the area for Halloween. Tell them the string and yarn can be used for spider webs. Now that you have their creative juices pumping, tell them that they have to make a Halloween costume from what they can find in the house, including your closet. When the 31st finally comes around, have them put together their costume and go around the house looking for Halloween treats. There are many positive sides to staying home, as you are able to enjoy your family on a different level. In spite of the restrictions during this pandemic, this may be one of their favorite Halloweens. Even though it takes some work for the adults, you may enjoy it the most, too. Be safe and have a Happy Halloween celebration!