Six ways to enjoy Halloween with a toddler

For very young children, Halloween can be overwhelming. It's more likely to be enjoyed by toddlers closer to 18 months old in age, although the older they are the better.

Keep the the scarier parts of Halloween for any older kids. For toddlers, it should all be about silly Halloween games and stories. Get our six top tips for throwing a Halloween party for small children.

1. Dressing up - toddlers may not understand why they are dressing up, but most will love silly costumes and seeing their little playmates dressed as spooky characters. Don’t splash out on expensive costumes - the chances are your toddler won't want to stay in the outfit for long! An an old white shirt or a small sheet can be customised to become a ghost, or an orange T-shirt padded with socks and green tights can become a pumpkin. Scary costumes can frighten young children, so why not suggest they come dressed in anything they want – even fairy princess costumes!

2. Halloween food - fussy toddlers beware! Halloween is the time when you can experiment with the strangest combinations of food. Try worm or eyeball jello (normal jello, but drop in candy shaped like worms and eyeballs before it sets). Jacket potatoes cut in half and covered in cheese can become a spooky face if you add eyes, nose and a mouth with vegetable pieces such as carrots or celery. Whether or not your kids understand what a spooky face is, they’ll enjoy seeing normal food turned into faces or patterns. Halloween needn’t always be about candy – try to make toddler’s food as healthy as possible.

3. Games - while older kids may enjoy apple bobbing or carving pumpkins, these kinds of activities can be a little too much for toddlers. Instead, try singing lots of action rhymes, like 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes' or 'Itsy bitsy spider'. If you know it, 'Sleeping lions' is always a good song to calm children down if they’ve become too excited, as it involves lying down and being still for a while. Dancing to music is something that most pre-schoolers love too, but why not put a Halloween twist on the day and let them dance to Thriller! You could try staging a puppet show from behind the sofa using soft toys, or tea towels with eyes to make ghosts.

4. Trick or treat - trick or treating should be reserved for older toddlers and children – babies may become confused or even frightened. Instead of going out, it’s a much better idea to play peek-a-boo behind the living room door with someone familiar dressed up. Another idea is to stage a trick or treat session in your home. Ask the kids if they’ll come and help you scare dad – you all creep up to him and when you get there say ‘boo’ (dad must act appropriately scared!).

5. Activities - toddlers love to scribble so buy some rolls of blank paper or cheap sheets of printer paper and set up some activity tables for them. Older children will enjoy drawing spooky pictures but for younger kids, just give them crayons and let them scribble away.

6. Story time - spooky stories might be too scary for preschoolers but if you search around there are plenty of ‘fun’ Halloween stories for small children. Failing that, reading some classic kids stories, especially if they involve some singing or action rhymes, will delight any child.

If your child is old enough to understand, it’s a good idea to tell him he might see people dressed as scary characters on Halloween. Let him know that they are other children playing dress-up and he doesn’t need to feel scared. In any case, hold his hand and reassure him if you pass anyone dressed up on Halloween.

Do you have any ideas for toddlers and Halloween? Let us know in our chat forum.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

Published October 2008

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Last Modified: 28/10/2008

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Halloween and toddlers