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Health & Fitness

Not Too Eager to Celebrate Halloween?

Halloween should be all about doing what's developmentally appropriate for youngsters, while still making the most of an opportunity for having fun!

Some people REALLY love all those scary Halloween costumes and decorations!  But, Halloween can also be a frightening time for infants, toddlers and the rest of the preschool crowd.  It doesn’t really have to be all about those frightening things that go bump in the dark!

Most early-education advocates believe it should be all about doing what’s developmentally appropriate for youngsters, while still making the most of an opportunity for having fun! The hardest thing about celebrating Halloween in preschool is just deciding exactly what to do!   We really do prefer to celebrate with a happy (and safe) day for all of our children. 

As parents and grandparents, we should all try to focus on the 'fun' aspects of the day. Don't get into the scary aspects of the day or even discuss witches, goblins or
spirits.  Why expose children to that, when they really don't comprehend it?

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While we respect that some families choose NOT to celebrate Halloween, most of us really do love our parties and celebrations!

Our "Autumn Celebration" can be just as much fun as some other parties – and maybe more meaningful.  How much *fun learning* takes place at the typical Halloween fete?  This year, try doing a parent/child evening with games, activities and some treats as an alternative. Most parents do NOT want their young children going door-to-dooranymore, and they really look forward to creative alternative activities..

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So, if you MUST -- grab your broom and set your cauldron to boil!  Or you can just join with a costume for the the fun , as we *Howl at the Moon* to celebrate *Black and Orange* Day.  It’s  all so exciting, we could just scream with delight !!!

  • We advise parents to stay away from any type of "scary", gruesome, or
    ugly costumes, or decorations as well, as these can be frightening for some of our young children. Please respect childrens’ fears.
  • Think instead about a theme to assist in fostering appropriate costumes. Parents can dress children as characters from stories, so they can relate the experience to literacy and reading, the fun of books.
  • We encourage all parents to serve only nutritious snacks and treats. Limit what your children can eat, and be aware of how much sugar they might be ingesting.
  • Parents need to mindful of the types of candy young children can choke on. DON’T serve anything that you would not normally serve at home.
  • Less can be more. So, keep it simple. We don’t need to over stimulate and overwhelm the children with this type of event.

Let the children really enjoy this time of year.

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