6 Halloween Traditions to Start with Your Kids
Halloween means pumpkin carving, costumes and trick-or-treating. Try some of these ideas for making family memories and creating new Halloween traditions with your kids.
Ready, Set, Decorate!
The kids will need something to collect all that candy in; try decorating your own bucket, bag or pillowcase for trick-or-treating. Kids could use the same one in the future and enjoy looking back on what they created when they were younger, or make a new one each year.
Prepare for trick-or-treaters by setting up a spooky atmosphere. Get the kids involved in decorating both inside and outside the house before Halloween. Concentrate on your front door; change the light bulbs to purple or orange and hang up homemade or store-bought decorations.
Pumpkin Time
Once you have your pumpkins picked out (visit a local pumpkin patch if you can) and it is time to do the carving, make things more interesting by coming up with an original theme each year. Some ideas include sports, cartoon characters, animals, words or traditional spooky faces. Many ideas and templates can be found online to get you started.
Fun and Games
Play Halloween-themed music while you carve your pumpkins, bob for apples and create some holiday-themed treats, such as mummy hot dogs, witch finger pretzels, pumpkin shaped pizza or caramel apples. Try using squash or small pumpkins to bowl, use toilet paper to make friends and family into mummies or play pin the hat on the witch.
A Spooky Story
Choose age-appropriate movies or books to get the kids in the mood for Halloween. Make up your own stories and share them by candlelight. You can host a spooky movie night for your family or allow kids to invite a few friends over to celebrate with a frightfully fun sleepover.
Give Back
Parents can use the holiday as an opportunity to give back to the community. Try participating in a trunk-or-treat in the area; participants decorate the trunk of their cars and hand out candy to families who attend. You could also do a “trick-or-treat for hunger” on or around Halloween. Ask neighbors for non-perishable food donations to give to a local food pantry.
Be Inclusive
Many families also participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project by offering allergen-free treats or small toys so that kids with food allergies can safely participate in Halloween activities. Visit foodallergy.org for more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project.
Family traditions are easy to start and worthwhile to keep. As your children grow, they may not remember everything you hope they will, but the traditions that you return to, year after year, will create lasting memories that they will treasure for years to come.
-Sarah Lyons
