Hilltown Families 
Let Them Grow: Making Halloween a Thanksgiving
Making Halloween a Thanksgiving
This Halloween, kids can give back when receiving candy from their neighbors. Here are 4 easy handmade crafts kids can make before Halloween night to carry with them and to give back to neighbors.
It is Halloween, a time of year everyone dresses up! Young children especially love this time of year! For them, this their costumes and love for pretend play, it’s Halloween all year round. Finally everyone is playing along!
It is also a puzzling time for toddlers and preschoolers. When toddlers go door to door during Halloween it is exciting and mysterious. They knock on strangers’ doors and get candy for being brave, dressing up, and playing along. A fun way to make the whole experience more engaging and reciprocal is to give back to those neighbors, to the community, to the generous people behind the candy.
Here are a few easy crafts that you can carry along with your children the night of Halloween. Invite them to exchange their handmade craft with their neighbors giving out candy, strengthening community connections and allowing your kids to give back.
White paint on peanuts makes the cutest ghosts in town. Add two black dots with a maker for eyes after they dry.
Orange painted acorns are adorable mini pumpkins. These are easy to hand out and easy to hold. Having numerous things to paint offers young children a sensory and artistic experience; besides, they are adorable!
Punch Stickers
Stickers are easy to make by the dozen. Use sheets of sticker paper and Halloween themed colors. these can be made in any medium (paint, crayons, colored glue). Punch the stickers out after the sheets are colored and dry.
Mini pine cones are fun to handle and interesting to paint. Offer your child an array of fall themed colors. With mini brushes or Q-tips, these trees are adorable and creative.
Halloween can be such a great opportunity for your child to have fun in a magical way within their community. It is an experience of imagination and wonderment, making it an opportunity for thanksgiving just makes it that much better.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Candice Chouinard has worked with youth of all ages and backgrounds, creating and implementing programing for children. She revels in hand-on, long-term, messy projects that are both fun and educational. Candice comes from a background in creative writing, as well as, child development and psychology. She owns and operates a day care in Northampton, MA.
