29th October, 2024
Halloween is often an exciting time of year for young people, it’s the chance to dress up, eat their body weight in treats and, of course, go trick or treating. But as parents and guardians it can be a worry how to do this safely.
That’s why we reached out to the team to give their advice on how to have a fun Halloween as well as a safe one.
Manager, Bev is all for embracing the spooky season. “Get dressed up and go with them! It’s good fun. If your children are on the younger side or are a bit nervous, go to an organised Halloween party or host one yourself. That way, they get to take part without being in the thick of it.”
Eating sweets is synonymous with the spooky season, but Bev also gave this great piece of advice. “Make your Halloween treats at home. You know what’s in them plus it’s a fun activity to do together.”
Area Family Matching Manager, Sarah also gave a brilliant bit of wisdom for making Trick or Treating run as smoothly as possible. “When my children were little, our top tip was to only allow trick or treating on a house that was decorated with a pumpkin or Halloween decorations. If the house didn’t have anything to signal they were happy for a knock on the door, then we wouldn’t allow them to knock. We didn’t want to disturb or upset people who weren’t in the spooky spirit.”
We also loved the advice given by Senior Practitioner, Laura who wanted to give some tips to those opening their doors this Halloween. “Please keep in mind the different kinds of children who are taking part in their own way this Halloween. A child who is grabbing more than one treat might have poor fine motor skills. Be aware that the child who doesn’t say ‘trick or treat’ might be non-verbal but still want to be included. The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl might have an allergy. If a child isn’t wearing a costume they might have Autism or a sensory processing disorder. The young person who looks too old to be trick or treating could be developmentally delayed.”
Let’s all aim to be inclusive and accepting this Halloween. Everyone should be allowed a slice of the fun.
Of course, the most important thing is to adapt the approach to suit the child. As Family Matching Administrator, Tanya so correctly pointed out. “My two were scared of people in costumes, so they would dress up indoors and knock on our kitchen door and I would give them sweets. That way they didn’t feel left out. We always put a sign on the front door saying no trick or treaters as seeing people dressed up caused my boys too much anxiety. Plus, we always keep our carved pumpkins indoors with a battery tea light as one-year vandals destroyed the pumpkins, and it devastated the boys.”
We agree, it’s so important to protect our children during spooky season while allowing them to be part of it. Happy Halloween!
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