Make Halloween less scary for kids

Halloween is coming and my three-year-old has reached the “scary” awareness stage. Here's how I'm making the occasion less frightening.

Halloween is coming and my three-year-old has reached the “scary” awareness stage. He can’t really say why he’s scared (and I can’t talk him out of being scared). With stores full of Halloween gear and TV showing horror movies now in theatres – we are surrounded by the sights and sounds of Halloween. Here are a few ways I’m making Halloween less scary for my son:

  1. Yes, I’m censoring Halloween (and my big kids are helping). When a commercial for a horror movie comes on TV, we switch channels. Actually, my big kids started doing this on their own because they said, “That is too scary for him.” I love that they are looking out for their little brother. Also, being older, they know the difference between what is scary and what is not.
  1. Explain Halloween. We talk about trick-or-treating. We talk about costumes. We go through the “experience” of Halloween and what he will be doing on October 31.
  1. Customize Halloween visuals. We are making age-appropriate Halloween crafts like these Ghost Footprints to decorate our walls. We are borrowing Halloween picture books from the library. We are watching Halloween DVDs (which I know are age-appropriate because I bought them!).
  1. Note school policy. Our school has a “no skull and crossbones” policy all the time (and it’s amazing how many everyday boy clothing apparel has skulls and crossbones). At Halloween, our school has a “no weapon” policy for costumes. That means when my son starts talking about being a pirate I’ll have to remember not to send a sword.

And one last tip – which happens to be a true life story – don’t be afraid to unmask Halloween. When trick-or-treating with my oldest daughter when she was little, a masked man jumped out of a bush to scare her. He thought it was hilarious. Hilarious. Now, I can appreciate a Halloween scare as much as the next person… but not to a little kid. I respectfully, but pretty firmly, asked him to take off his mask and show my daughter he was, in fact, a human and not a zombie (because I was the one who was going to have to deal with weeks upon weeks of nightmares due to the undead guy on Halloween).

Halloween is a fun holiday, but we have to remember little kids are frightened easily. Focus on the “un-scary” parts of Halloween (jack-o-lanterns, creative costumes, and of course…the trick-or-treating). It can be a great whole family experience when you prep the kids for fun!

Caroline Fernandez shares family-friendly activities and tips on her site Parent Club (Twitter: @ParentClub). Her first book Boredom Busters (Cico Books, 2014) is now available in stores.