A Safe and Simple Halloween

Tips for Celebrating the Holiday With Preschoolers

By Jill Eggleton Brett

McNally says that this teaches young children about the concept of sharing, helping those less fortunate and waiting for a reward. For the parents, this activity dispels ideas about witches being scary and evil and best of all, it gets rid of all that candy!

Some parents opt to avoid trick-or-treating altogether and head to fright-free environments. "My husband and I decided to take our kids to a harvest festival in our area, instead of getting involved with trick-or-treating," says Rhonda Wallace, mother of three in Chino Hills, Calif. "We also go to a local pumpkin patch and the city zoo when it's decorated for the fall."

Preschools typically offer Halloween parties as well. "We have an alternative to Halloween parties called Hallelujah parties," says Kimberly Mueller, a preschool teacher at Friendship Christian Preschool and Kindergarten in Ontario, Calif. "The students are still allowed to dress up, but not in any scary costumes. During the party, we play games, decorate cookies, sing songs and pass out candy. We purposely stay away from the dark side of Halloween. Our school celebration focuses on thanking God for our blessings in a unique way."

The preschool that McNally's children attend also stays on the light side of Halloween. "I am helping put together the Halloween activities at my children's preschool," she says. "Some of the things we plan on doing are a field trip to a pumpkin patch and a Dad's Night at the school to carve pumpkins. Dad's Night will be a neat time for the kids to share their school environment with their dads."

However you choose to explain and celebrate Halloween, try to keep the explanations simple and the festivities safe.