A Sensory-Friendly & Safe Halloween!
Halloween is one of the most fun days of the year for many children. The excitement of picking their costume, trick-or-treating with family and friends, spooky decorations, and bags full of treats! That said, children with sensory issues can find this a challenging day, and COVID-19 will impact Halloween celebrations this year as it has impacted most other areas of our lives.
KEEPING SENSORY FRIENDLY
Halloween presents a number of challenges to children with sensory issues - especially their senses of sight, sound and touch. Think of the decorations, strobe lights, fog machines, costumes, doorbells ringing, calls of ‘trick-or-treat’, ‘noisy’ decorations and costumes/masks that can be downright hot, scratchy and uncomfortable. Here are some tips to consider:
Have your child try on their costume before Halloween. If they find it uncomfortable, discuss why. Perhaps you can make modifications to the costume, or you many find your child can tolerate wearing it for longer periods of time over the weeks before Halloween.
Consider costumes that fit over their clothes or other materials that provide comforting sensory input (e.g. spandex, spio items)
Practice trick-or-treating with your child before Halloween. Discuss what the day will look like, show them pictures, practice saying ‘trick-or-treat’ and ‘thank you’ when they receive goodies. This will make it all feel more comfortable and familiar to them on the day.
Take pictures on the day. These can be used next year to prepare your child for the day’s events in 2021!
You know your child best. Be flexible, stay within their comfort zone and enjoy the festivities.
KEEPING SAFE
The CDC has provided guidance to help you decide how spend this day with your child/children. Click here for their full list of recommendations. See below for some of their suggestions, and links to additional resources.
LOWER RISK ACTIVITIES
Carve pumpkins with members of your household
Carve pumpkins outside, with friends and neighbors, maintaining social distancing guidelines
Have a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt in your neighborhood, while admiring decorated houses.
Host a virtual Halloween costume contest
Enjoy a Halloween movie night with members of your household - click here for a list of 41 kid-friendly movies!
Work on your little one’s vocabulary, concepts and ability to follow directions with this worksheet.
MODERATE RISK ACTIVITIES
Participate in one-way trick-or-treating where goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go
Have a small group, outdoor costume parade while maintaining social distancing
Attend an outdoor costume party, wearing protective masks, and maintain social distance
IMPORTANT - per the CDC:
A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Costume masks should not be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
HIGHER RISK ACTIVITIES
The CDC recommends avoiding the following activities to avoid spreading COVID-19:
Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO, BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
