As far as most children understand, Halloween is all about dressing up and getting candy. But there are so many other ways you can immerse into the Halloween season. Here are some ways to ensure your child is able to better understand and enjoy Halloween.

Make your own Halloween décor and costumes with your child.

There are a few reasons to go DIY with some of your Halloween decorations and costumes rather than buy all of them from the store. First, making your own costumes and décor can spark your child’s creativity and give them a sense of accomplishment. Second, the act of making these Halloween staples can also help your child better understand the differences between pretend and reality. This experience is especially important for young children who could easily be traumatized by spooky Halloween imagery. Lastly, the bonding opportunities that arise from doing these unique activities together are sure to provide memories that both you and your child will cherish for the rest of your lives.

Give them a Halloween coloring book.

Coloring books have recently experienced a surge in popularity, thanks to the numerous benefits they have for both children and adults. In children, coloring can help improve motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. Themed coloring books can also be invaluable teaching tools for helping kids know more about day-to-day life and special events like Halloween.

Decorate the house together

I can say from personal experience that I sometimes have a difficult time with this one! We all want that picture perfect setup in our home, decorations laid out and strategically placed like the many gorgeous photos you find on social media. The older I get the more I realize just how silly that is. My kids won’t remember how perfect the decorations looked, but they will remember how much fun they had together setting them up.

Don’t be spooked by the possibility of losing items

As a mother of four kids and three of them in school, we attend a lot of Halloween themed activities and events throughout the month of October. Many of these items include kids dressing up and such. There is always that possibility of a child misplacing and losing their candy bag… losing the hat to their costume… the list goes on! My best advice is to get labels for your kid’s Halloween items, that way they can easily be returned to you. Name Bubbles has a huge selection of customizable stick on and iron on name labels. These are not only great for the Halloween season… but the entire year! I have labels from them that I stuck on all of my children’s sweatshirts, coats and other school items. The sweatshirts get washed frequently and they never fall off. There are so many great styles and selections to choose from.

We hope enjoy these ideas and wish you a very spooky and frightful Halloween!