Explaining Halloween to Young Children

Read Scary Halloween Costumes with your 3-7 year old.

Halloween can be a fun time of the year for everyone, if we understand how to meet young children at their developmental level.  Haunted houses, dark and bloody ghouls, and ominous lighting can trigger young children. Let's delve deeper to understand their fear and make Halloween fun for everyone.

Maria Montessori, a child development expert, explains that young children from one to six years old have trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality.  She firmly believed that children should have a solid foundation in reality before introducing them to imaginary or fantasy concepts. 
Keeping this developmental stage in mind, adults need to understand that young children under the age of five, who are still developing their sense of security and safety in the world around them, should not be exposed to the gory or horrific images that accompany Halloween.  

Image from book: Scary Halloween Costumes by Veronica Stanley-Hooper

Here are some fun ways young children can enjoy Halloween!

Image from book: Scary Halloween Costumes by Veronica Stanley-Hooper

Dress-up with Costumes

Dress-up is a fun way to have fun with young children during the Halloween season. Cute, funny, and creative costumes that you make or find can be a great way to celebrate. Allow children to explore your clothes and shoes and pretend they are mommy, daddy, grandma, or grandpa. Find thrifted items to play dress-up with and pretend to be a firefighter or a tennis player. Make costumes by painting boxes to be Minecraft characters, a robot, or a car. Keep the costumes out in a bin or container so children can pretend play all season long.

Age Appropriate Activities

Use golf tees and a plastic toy hammer to tap the tees into a small pumpkin. This activity practices hand/eye coordination and muscle development in hands and arms.

In a sensory table or plastic tub, put a small bowl and spoon and allow your child to explore the texture of the inside strings and seeds of a pumpkin. Encourage them to scoop and stir with the spoon. Pretend to make a pumpkin pie.

Download this FREE Print and Color Sheet

Read Themed Books

Read age appropriate picture books about Halloween and fall. Make reading a part of play time. Go to the library and explore books about this fun season.  The book Scary Halloween Costumes is a funny book that tells the story of Halloween from a child's perspective. The main characters, Jack and Millie, are looking for  the perfect costumes. Millie is older and she understands Halloween, but Jack doesn't understand scary. He thinks about all of the things that frighten the people around him. Millie screams every time she sees a worm and Mom shrieks when she sees the laundry room. But when Jack dresses up as a worm  and a washing machine, Millie says he doesn't understand scary. This book meets children 3-7 right at their developmental level.

Download this fun Coloring Page

Comment below with your favorite child-friendly Halloween activity.