Instead of Trick-or-Treating for Kids Who Are Scared of Halloween

Ghosts and goblins walk the street. Witches and ghouls ring your doorbell and shriek at you. Your best friends and family turn into scary monsters. And as if it couldn't get any worse, the person that you trust most in the whole, wide world is trying to turn YOU into a scary monster, too! When you think about Halloween through the eyes of a child, is it any wonder that so many young children are afraid of the holiday? Young children still have a hard time telling the difference between pretend and reality. According to childhood experts over at Disney's Family.com, "Monsters, ghosts and other such creatures can seem very real to children during playtime. But they are especially vivid when the lights go out at night." On Halloween, those scary monsters literally take over the streets - and we try to force them out - in the dark! - to face them. The good news is that most kids will outgrow the fears of scary Halloween monsters as they develop an understanding of the difference between make-believe and real. Until then, there are lots of Halloween activities that are fun for your whole family, including the kids that are scared of Halloween.

1. Put the focus on other aspects of Halloween by attending a pumpkin festival. Many cities and towns have festivals devoted to showing off the skills of local pumpkin carvers. It can be a fun family outing for kids of all ages.

2. Hold a pumpkin-carving party for the neighborhood. For the younger set, stop in at the local supermarket and pick up a mini pumpkin for each child. Lay out washable markers, construction paper, glue, glitter and fabric scraps so that each party invitee can customize a pumpkin to take home.

3. Check with local colleges, churches and shopping malls for kid-friendly Halloween activities. Many hold Halloween parties that specifically ban scary costumes so that young children can feel safe and join in the fun.

4. Organize an Early Trick or Treat Hour in your neighborhood. Get together with parents of other pre-schoolers in your neighborhood and set up a trick-or-treat parade just for the young ones. By organizing an early trick-or-treat, you'll be able to eliminate most of the things that kids fear about Halloween (the dark, the scary costumes and going to strangers' houses) and still allow them to enjoy the fun part of the holiday.

5. Talk to your child's preschool to find out what activities the teachers and staff may have planned for Halloween, and ask how you can help out.

6. Have a Halloween movie and story night and invite all your child's friends. There are many Halloween books and movies that deal with children's fears about the scary monsters and ghosts outside, from the classic "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" to Halloween specials featuring current kid faves like Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants.

7. If your child isn't too afraid, you can turn him or her into a Halloween Helper, stuffing goodie bags and giving them out at the door.

Sources:
Jeffrey L. Brown, MD
No More Bogeyman
FamilyFun.com