Seven tips to make your family’s Halloween a treat, not a trick

For families

29 Oct

Are your kids crazy for Halloween? It might be the joy of choosing a fab costume, or it might be the thought of all those lollies! If you’re a Halloween-loving family you probably look forward to hitting the streets for some trick-or-treating on October 31st. We’ve put together a few tips to help you do it safely and have fun along the way.

Seven tips to make Halloween a treat, not a trick

Make an effort - There’s nothing worse than opening the door on Halloween armed with lollies only to find a group of (usually older kids) dressed in their standard jeans and a hoodie. If you are going to roam the neighbourhood asking people for treats, then make the effort to put together a costume. It doesn’t have to be scary - princesses, superheroes, favourite book or film characters, animals - a costume can be anything. It doesn’t have to be expensive either - get creative with what you have at home.

Safety tip - make sure costumes are safe and aren’t going to impact your child’s vision too much or cause them to trip.

Remind your children of their manners - It’s easy to forget manners in the excitement, and possible sugar rush, so before you head out remind your children of a few simple rules.

Respect the fact that someone has a no trick or treat sign and don’t knock on the door
Knock or ring the doorbell once and if no one comes after a few minutes assume they are not offering treats and leave
When the door is opened speak politely to the home owner.
Take lollies nicely and remember to leave some for others.

Remember road safety - Make sure your children are safe when crossing the road - no one wants to get hit by a witch on a broomstick. Remind children to look both ways and try and cross in your group so no one gets left behind.

Send an adult along - If your younger children want to go trick or treating then they need to have an adult or a responsible older sibling with them. It’s a great idea to find a group of friends to go with. That way the kids can have fun and the adults have someone to talk to as they walk.

Set ground rules with older kids - While many children grow out of Halloween, some kids will still enjoy trick or treating and teenagers might find it fun to go out with their friends. Before they go set some ground rules such as which areas of the neighbourhood they can go to and what time they should be home.

Check your community pages for trick-or-treat routes - These days, many community groups like local Facebook groups publish lists or maps of homes that are happy to have trick-or-treaters visit. If your local area has one, then following the map and visiting the marked houses means you are less likely to call unwanted and more likely to get treats! If there’s no map then look out for houses that are decorated or have a trick-or-treaters welcome sign out and go to those.

Consider an alternative event - Instead of trick or treating around the streets, you could get a group of friends together and organise a Halloween hunt in your backyard along with other games and Halloween-themed food and drink. Many community groups organise events around Halloween so there might be something happening in your area.