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Halloween is just around the corner, and kids all over are excitedly anticipating the possibility of treats, costumes, special gatherings, and spooky surprises that are just-right scary – not TOO scary!
Nothing takes the fun out of Halloween like illness, injuries, and safety problems – but the good news is that most of these are preventable with a little bit of safety planning.
If your family celebrates Halloween, these 9 tips from Kidpower can help you plan for more fun and fewer problems. You can find them all in Halloween Safety: The Kidpower Way! – which is also available in Spanish! Or, click on the topic that interests you most to jump right to that topic in the article!
- Stay focused on your children’s needs – which often means making things simpler and separating adult celebrations from children’s celebrations.
- Be aware of costume safety – we’ve collected quite a few examples lots of parents wish they had thought about before the big day!
- Watch out for cars – drivers are distracted or rushing, kids are likely to behave unpredictably, and the sun is probably going down!
- Keep cats and dogs inside and OUT of the action – because even calm animals who are normally very friendly can get upset because people are looking and acting differently.
- Take extra precautions to avoid getting lost – because the fear that can happen when we get separated on Halloween is NEVER fun. even if it’s brief!
- Review stranger safety rules – because on this day, children are encouraged to talk to strangers and take candy from them! This could be confusing – but a few words from you can clarify things and make these unusual activities consistent with your Kidpower safety rules!
- Avoid a Halloween meltdown – because, let’s face it, even adults can feel overwhelmed on Halloween!
- Make a plan about the treats – to avoid disappointment, upset stomachs, and arguments!
- Plan for your family’s and your community’s protection from infectious illness, including COVID – Keep your family members home if they have symptoms of a contagious disease and ask others to do the same. Just like families have different boundaries around food and online activities, families have different boundaries related to other safety measures.
All of us at Kidpower want everyone celebrating Halloween to have a joyful time – so please forward this list or share the links with others in your neighborhood, school, or workplace!
Published: October 25, 2022 | Last Updated: October 25, 2022
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.