Halloween is not all hocus pocus and scary nonsense.
Aside from Christmas, it is possibly the kids other most favourite holiday event of the year!
Some parents do not condone the celebration of Halloween due to its pagan origin to worship real Witches. But for the kids, it is simply a day of tremendous fun; dressing up as ghosts, goblins or witches on broomsticks and collecting as much sweets and candies as they possibly can in the ‘trick or treat’ tradition. Not to mention the fun of carving pumpkins, side-stepping spiderwebs and dodging creepy looking adults all in the name of fun.
If you have never participated in Halloween before, it’s never too late to start, especially if you have kids. Although a word of caution, do exercise your parental common sense and shield your young ones from anything that may give them nightmares.
Here are 5 Halloween things to put on your check list to help you through your first session:
1. Buy or make a Spooky Costume – for the younger ones (two years old and below), just get them cute ones like little pumpkins, fairies or witchy-outfits in not-so-scary colours.
2. Adorn your home or doorway with Scary Decorations – spiderweb, cauldrons, skulls and skeletons usually work well. Dim the lights and scatter some creepy crawlies around the doorway of your home for full effect.
3. Place one or more Sinister-looking Jack-O-Lanterns – Prop it up on a stick or place it on stools or ledge to lend a forbidding aura to your doorway. Trust me, the more daunting the atmosphere, the more attractive it is for the kids. Learn how to carve a pumpkin or just buy a ready-made one from the store. Mine was bought from Isetan department store (S$9.90) and it makes its disturbing presence felt once a year during Halloween.
4. Play Eerie Music to create the spine-chilling effect. And if you are game, get a smoke-machine to complete the chilling atmosphere in your home.
5. Lots of Halloween Candies when the kids come a-knocking – chocolates, lollipops, anything sweet and candy-ish will do. Or you may want to offer some alternative choices to these tooth-decaying sweets.
Both my kids love the “Trick or Treat” journey. Here are some of our learning experiences:
- When you take your wee ones out to “Trick or Treat”, make sure to bring along some water to keep them hydrated.
- Do set some boundaries before you start the “Trick or Treat” journey. It is easier to remind your sugar-high preschoolers of the rules than to set them there and then. For the younger ones, keep the “Trick or Treat” session to 30 minutes. Any longer and you may have a real devil child to deal with. For the older ones who are going on the journey with their friends, remind them of the perimeters they could go and the time they have to be home.
- Have a trick or two up your sleeve.
- Finally, bring along big bag, basket, or cauldron to hold your “spoils” and just have some fun!
