Tween Halloween Ideas: Holiday Fun for the 8-12 Crowd

For a tween, Halloween can be an uncomfortable holiday. For a burgeoning adolescent between eight and twelve years old, dressing up and trick-or-treating can feel childish and embarrassing. However, the social independence of high school is still on the horizon. They're not little kids anymore, but tweens can still use a little parental holiday help on the spookiest day of the year. These tween Halloween ideas will help you and your tween find a great way to spend the holiday that's comfortable for both of you. If you try out one of these ideas with your tween, Halloween can be a lot of fun, and confirm his or her growing independence.

Put Them In Charge
For a tween, Halloween is stressful in part because it feels like there's no defined role to take in the celebrations. The best solution to this dilemma is simple: make up a necessary role for your tween to take. One of the best tween Halloween ideas is helping younger kids have a great holiday by giving out candy at the door, or running a haunted house in your yard or basement. By giving your tween responsibility, you're showing them that you trust them, and it will make your tween feel confident about his or her emerging adult status to have a place in the Halloween hierarchy that is clearly above the younger children in the neighborhood.

Movie Party
If you're a sensitive or self-conscious tween, Halloween can be a stressful time to be out and about. For a tween who dresses up and head out, there's the risk of being mistaken for younger and offered candy by a well-meaning adult, which is awkward for a tween who is starting to want the world to take him or her more seriously. For a tween who doesn't dress up, there's a feeling of missing out on the fun, and of not being a part of the action. Either way, for a tween, Halloween costumes and whether or not to wear them out and about can be an awkward topic. Luckily, you can save your tween, and his or her friends, from having to deal with this issue by throwing a Halloween movie marathon at your house. Stock up on a variety of not-too-scary thrillers, like hokey old movies with ridiculously fake "monsters" but a definitely spooky theme, and then let your tween invite a bunch of friends over. If your kid is game, make it a movie-costume party, where everyone comes in costume as a favorite movie character; providing a theme makes it socially acceptable for everyone to dress up without being embarrassed. Pick up some snacks, turn on the tv and turn off the lights. For your tween, Halloween will feel festive and special but definitely not babyish. Plus, you'll be a big hit with other tween parents if you save them from tween Halloween drama by providing a safe and fun place for their kids!

Volunteer
For many a tween, Halloween becomes a night of pranking and mischief. Older children and young teens with nothing else to do on Halloween sometimes turn to petty vandalism. This comes from a healthy impulse to differentiate themselves from the little kids, who go trick-or treating, but it's not a healthy behavior. For your tween, Halloween can be a time when they mark their growing maturity in other ways. Consider spending your Halloween side by side with your tween volunteering at an organization that needs you. This will make the day feel special, and will make you both feel great. Plus, it shows that you think your tween is starting to be ready for the responsibilty of growing up.