Are you a Halloween lover? Often Halloween can cause some worry or anxiety for young children. Between the costumes, decorations, transitions, late night and candy choices there are a lot of things that can disrupt your child’s evening. The worry or fear that children may demonstrate during Halloween can often lead to parents or caregivers feel stressed or embarrassed. It’s important that we do not diminish the child’s feelings around Halloween festivities. Leading up to Halloween there are many things we can do to help support young children with the day and all it entails. Here are a few strategies below:
You can go costume shopping with your child – show them all the costumes (yes even the scary ones) and let them feel the fabric. This will help them make the connection that the costumes are not real but rather just material that someone puts on.
Talk to your kids about where Halloween originated from, include them in some research!
Does your child understand fantasy vs reality? Ask them and start that conversation.
Try to reduce other stressors – ensure the costume is ready to go the night before, enjoy a healthy dinner together before hand, try to ensure they get a good sleep the night before.
If loud noises are a trigger, you can play games and engage in activities with them prior to Halloween night with louder noises, or Halloween spooky noises.
You can read books with them, Halloween books, books with some suspense or ‘scare’ factor that are age appropriate of course or even books about how to manage worry or fear. (If you would like to borrow some books please reach out to Travelling Tales!)
Include the children in Halloween activities such as pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, decorating, baking or crafts. Don’t be afraid to start some Halloween traditions!
Of course, when the night comes and if your child is having a challenging time managing their fears and worries don’t be embarrassed. You can simply just say “my child is still learning about Halloween and all it entails, they are still building up their courage.”
Reference
Schafer, Alyson. 2017, October 17. How To Help Your Kids Overcome Fear and Anxiety Triggered By Halloween. Huffington Post. Retrieved from: How To Help Your Kids Overcome Fear And Anxiety Triggered By Halloween | HuffPost Parents on October 5th, 2022.
Early Learning Quality Initiative 