Most children love Halloween! They dress up as a favorite character or person and literally spend the evening gathering candy to enjoy for days or even weeks to come. What could be better than that? Unfortunately because of COVID-19 trick-or-treating is unlikely to happen this year and many children will be devastated. How will you provide fun alternatives for your little ones? We have ideas for families to celebrate a socially-distanced Halloween.
A Costume Parade
What could be more fun than showing off your costume to the other kids in your neighborhood? A costume parade will give children the opportunity to wear their costumes with friends while also maintaining a safe distance. Invite friends to participate in the fun and urge everyone to wear masks. Children in the same family can stand closer together but children in different families should maintain a distance of at least six feet.
A Candy Hunt
Instead of an Easter egg hunt, organize a candy hunt. Siblings can search for candy outside in the yard or inside the house, depending on the weather. If you want to invite friends to an outdoor candy hunt, be sure everyone is wearing a mask and encourage them to search different areas in order to stay socially distanced. Once kids get home they can eat the candy with their family members.
Design your own Haunted House
Decorate your house or a few rooms in your house like a haunted house. Your children will enjoy exploring their own haunted house in a setting that they are familiar with. For younger children perhaps focus more on Halloween decorations and less on the scary aspect. If you have older children who have enjoyed haunted houses in the past, you could incorporate more “scary” elements such as pop-up creatures, animals that move, strobe lights, and even a fog machine. Add an incentive by scattering candy about for your children to collect as they make their way through the haunted house.
Trick-or-Treat with your Quaranteam
Some families have a “quaranteam,” or a small group of family or close friends that they’ve been seeing throughout Covid. If this is the case in your family, you could trick-or-treat at each other’s houses. It won’t be as exciting for kids as running to as many houses as possible before dark, but it could still be fun. Perhaps each family could give out a goody bag with lots of candies, giant candy bars, or another special treat.
Halloween during Covid
Don’t let COVID-19 ruin your child’s Halloween! Make alternate plans so they will still have fun on this special day. These are some of our ideas for a socially-distanced Halloween.
