In Australia, interest in Halloween has spiked! While our Spring is more sun-kissed than pumpkin-spiced, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the spooky season. For many years, Halloween was little more than an excuse to watch scary movies and chow down on lollies. Now we have pumpkins and parties, parades, trick or treating, decorations and costumes creeping across the country. For those of us who didn’t grow up with Halloween it can be difficult to create spell-binding experiences for our children – simply because we never had them ourselves. If you’re not into trick or treating, there are still ways to embrace the -day at home. While monsters might be scary, you don’t have to fear because we have compiled some ideas to get you into the spirit.
Halloween food
An easy way to scare your little monsters could be to just skip your morning coffee, but let’s be serious! Embed a little of the holiday into your mealtime routine by whipping up some healthy Halloween treats. Something as simple as drawing scary faces on boiled eggshells or carving jack-o-lanterns out of oranges will have even your picky eaters ready to devour their food.
Halloween costumes
While they’re still small enough not to object, a costume is a great way to get your children Halloween ready. Spending the day as someone or something else is liberating. For children, there is the added bonus of the educational benefits! Theatrical concepts are great for children’s social skills as it allows them to experience another perspective. Scour the internet for DIY costumes or instructions for a couple of licks of face paint accompanied by fluffy ears. Whether you’re looking to go all out or go to the trusty Elsa dress, your little ones will relish taking on their alter-ego.
Halloween books
Any opportunity to read books is a good one! Choose a classic story or look out for specialised Halloween books created for the holiday. These books present the chance to discuss new concepts within your favourites that align with Halloween. For example:
Where the Wild Things Are – the “Wild Things” might look scary, very much like people do in their Halloween costumes, but they are actually sweet and kind.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – shows your children that it can be exciting to do things that scare us.
You can learn more about reading comprehension in our blog here!
Scary movies
While they’re young it might be worth subbing Saw out for Monsters Inc, but regardless of the genre you can’t go past a scary movie night. Get some bonus cuddles from the little ones and embrace the holiday with some family friendly Halloween flicks. With plenty of collections available online and through your favourite streaming service (or a VHS if you want bonus points for uncovering ancient, mysterious relics), it’s a stress-free way to finish off fright night.
If you’re new to the spooky season of even looking for easy ways to celebrate it at home, we’ve got you covered. Following DayScare centres on social media – like MindChamps – can also give you inspiration for fun activities you can do with your little ones at home.