We imagine Halloween to be fun and exciting for our children, as most children love dressing up, going door to door to get sweets and decorating the house. However, Halloween can also present unique challenges for some children.
Bright lights, loud noises, unfamiliar dress-ups and face masks, and unexpected interactions may cause anxiety or sensory overload. And while some children eagerly anticipate Halloween, not every child enjoys it.
If you have a child like David who doesn’t find Halloween a treat, I’d like to share a few things that I did.
The main one is that I had to tone down my expectations 😊 it’s incredible how you imagine your children will like the same things as you!!! I used to love Halloween.
David finds imagination hard. He couldn’t pretend to be a character, didn’t like face masks on himself, and couldn’t understand why anyone would do it. The explanation on my part went on forever; the teachers also tried, but it was of no avail. I suppose I learned a lot from this experience with David.
Even to this day, role-play is hard for David.
David would never eat current bread, but when he heard there was a ring in a barmbrack, he had to eat the biggest slice. Even today, David has to get the ring and has them all hidden in his bedroom locker as if they were the crown jewels.
Here are some tips that I eventually learned that helped me, and I hope they may help you prepare for Halloween if you have a child similar to mine.
Ask your child who they would like to dress up as. Look at their favourite book or movie. For David, it was Thomas the Tank Engine. David decorated his wheelchair rather than himself, which was okay, too. He also preferred staying home and answering the door rather than going from house to house.
David liked a few games at home, so that’s what we did. You can find lots of Halloween games to play at home. He loved seeing his brother, sister, and me getting messy with flour and apples, but he preferred to watch rather than join in.
If your child likes to go trick-or-treating, plan your route with your child in mind and role-play the experience in advance. Visit only familiar houses or plan to go out during quieter times. Alternatively, some community centres have Halloween parties, which might work better.
It’s important to respect your child’s boundaries and comfort level when it comes to Halloween. Some children may enjoy only parts of the holiday—like dressing up but not trick-or-treating. Others may prefer to avoid it altogether, and that’s perfectly fine.
Halloween can be fun, but it doesn’t need to be stressful. Once I tuned in to David and tailored the experience to fit his way of seeing the world, Halloween was so much more enjoyable.