Make Halloween Fun by Adapting the Experience to Your Child’s Needs
For parents of medically fragile children, Halloween can be tough. Though trick-or-treating is the popular activity for kids to partake in on Halloween night, the holiday is full of many other opportunities for your family to make memories.
Choosing to celebrate the holiday in other ways helps you, as the caretaker, to avoid situations that could potentially put your child at risk.
Children with physical disabilities, sensory processing disorders, and other medical conditions can still participate in the Halloween fun! Check out our Halloween activity list below.
Halloween Activities for Children with Physical Disabilities
Paint Pumpkins
If carving pumpkins is too troublesome, consider painting pumpkins with your child. The calming activity will help children with disabilities to express their creativity and participate in a common and well-loved Halloween project. Bonus points if you use puffy paint!
Taste Test Halloween Treats
If your child is able to help with certain tasks in the kitchen or has a particular sweet tooth, then your child may enjoy making and taste testing Halloween treats with you. In fact, this is an activity that the whole family can enjoy. You may even be able to make a fun game out of it, like a cookie decorating contest.
Play a Fall Themed Guessing Game
One of the most enjoyable parts of the fall time are the delectable Autumn scents. If your child tolerates scents, it may be fun for your child to guess the different scents of fall candles or kitchen spices like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
You can also play a guessing game with different shapes. With your child’s eyes closed, place a Halloween item in your child’s hand and have them guess what it is. It could be a miniature pumpkin, a toy spider, an Autumn leaf, or something else in line with the fall theme.
Halloween Family Movie Night
Children and adults of all walks of life usually look forward to watching their favorite Halloween movie(s) every year. If you’re staying in on Halloween night, consider gathering the family together for a movie night. Take the festivities a step further with fun snacks or drinks or festive blankets.
Halloween Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorders
Make Halloween Slime
If your child is a fan of sensory activities and enjoys playing with slime, then Halloween slime may be a great activity for your child to partake in this season. There are numerous recipes online for how to make both edible and non-edible “spooky” slime.
Before you start this activity though, please read the recipe instructions carefully. Some recipes note that slime with food coloring may stain surfaces. Other than that, happy slime making and slime squishing!
Play with Pumpkin Guts
Another great sensory activity for kids is playing with pumpkin guts. We recommend putting the innards of the pumpkin in a plastic sandwich bag to make this activity mess free.
Your child will love exploring the different textures of the pumpkin guts and seeds. Festive, easy and fun!
Paper Plate Spiders and Paper Bag Monsters
We got these Halloween craft ideas from iHeartCraftyThings, which the American Autism Association also posted about. The paper plate spiders with pipe cleaner legs and googly eyes will be fun for your child to make, and this craft will serve as an awesome bedroom wall decoration.
American Autism Association also posted about paper bag monsters, which we think are adorable! These not so scary monsters are a great way for your child to express their creativity and to get their “spook” on!
Other Halloween Activity Ideas
Participate in a Community “Trunk-or-Treat”
Trunk-or-treating is a low-key, yet fun alternative to trick-or-treating. If you’ve never been to a trunk-or-treat before, it’s where families park their cars in a parking lot, decorate their trunks, and pass out candy.
These events may be easier for children with physical disabilities to take part in, and children with sensory processing disorders may find this trick-or-treating alternative easier to navigate.
Check out your community news sources to see if your community will have a trunk-or-treat event.
Decorate Your Child’s Room with Halloween Themed Items
If your child has a medical condition that is restrictive or is bedridden, then your child may really enjoy having their room decorated for the Halloween season.
Consider pumpkin themed pillows and blankets, bats hanging from the ceiling, or festive curtains.
Reverse Trick-or-Treat and Have Your Child Pass Out Candy
This alternative to trick-or-treating is a great way to expose your child to the popular activity without leaving the comfort of your home. Having your child hand out candy at the door or at the end of the driveway will be a great way for them to see the creative costumes, enjoy some candy, and hone their social skills.
Halloween is More Than Trick-or-Treating
There are so many exciting ways that families can celebrate Halloween besides trick-or-treating. We hope that no matter what the holiday looks like for you and your family this year, that it’s the best Halloween, yet! At the end of the day, Halloween is what you make it- make the most of it!
Happy Halloween from the Optimum Pediatrics Family!
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