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Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday throughout the United States, where children dress up in their favorite costume, head out on October 31st and repeatedly say, “Trick or Treat!” to participating neighbors. The Halloween holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III decided November 1st would be a time to honor the saints, which became All Saints Day. The evening before All Saints Day was then known as All Hallows Eve, and later, as we know it today, Halloween!
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Trick-or-treat!
There are also several theories on the origins of trick-or-treating, but there are three main ones that people tend to believe. The first is that during Samhain, Celtic people would leave food out to appease the spirits traveling the Earth at night. The second theory says that during the Middle Ages, children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. And the third theory suggests that modern American trick-or-treating stems from “belsnickeling”, a German American Christmas tradition where children would dress in costume and ask their neighbors if they could guess their identities.[1]
Halloween activities and play
Halloween continues to foster a sense of community by bringing people together for various activities and allows for parents and children to express their creativity through costume design and crafts. It’s a time when families come together, parents take their kids trick-or-treating, and children enjoy the thrill of dressing up and collecting their sweet treats.
This spooky season is a great way to connect with children and have them get in touch with the four main types of play, which are:
- Physical play, which encourages movement, such as dancing, walking through a scavenger hunt or visiting the playground.
- Constructive play, which allows children to experiment with drawing, music and carving pumpkins.
- Fantasy play, which lets children use their imagination with or without costumes and other props (but Halloween is the perfect time for costumes!)
- Games with rules, such as board, card, or trivia games, which teach children about patience, sharing, and fairness.
Now that we remember the four types of play, here are a few different creative ideas to incorporate Halloween fun into play this year:
1. Pumpkin Carving
The tradition of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns originated in Ireland (using turnips instead of pumpkins), where locals would begin carving scary faces into their own turnips to frighten away evil spirits.
Nowadays, pumpkin carving is a fun, creative way for kids to use their motor skills and constructive play to design their own pumpkin. Host a pumpkin carving party with friends or family a few days before Halloween. You can also try carving intricate designs instead of the traditional Jack-o’-lantern face for an increased level of creativity and challenge for older kids. Nervous about smaller children using a knife to cut? Help them out or grab a few glitter pens and other craft materials and have them stick stickers and glitter on their pumpkin.
2. Spooky Halloween Games
Games are a fantastic way for children to use rule-based play, which gives them structure and helps them learn patience and fairness. Dust off some old board games and host a game night filled with different Halloween themed games. Kids can go bobbing for apples outside in the backyard or participate in a pumpkin ring toss tournament.
Need an indoor activity? Have Halloween themed BINGO or trivia quizzes at the ready to encourage learning while having fun. There are plenty of templates online to use to get started.
3. Halloween-themed Scavenger Hunt
Organize a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt with clues and riddles leading to hidden treats or surprises, like mini-pumpkins or caramel apples.
Some of the clues and riddles used can be how Halloween originated, where trick-or-treating came from, why we give out candy instead of other items, and why the traditional Halloween colors of black and orange exist.
Divide the neighborhood kids up into teams and send them on their way through the neighborhood to look for the hidden prizes. Encourage the children to name their team something Halloween related and work together as a team to complete their tasks.
4. Scary Movie Marathon
Weather not cooperating? Kids too excited to go to bed post trick-or-treating? Host a scary movie night with classic horror films or Halloween-themed movies and have your kids write down which scary movie they want to watch and draw from a hat. Don’t forget the popcorn, candy and “witch’s brew” (which can just be fruit-flavored punch)! Snuggle up on the couch and enjoy the movie marathon.
Halloween is a time for you and your family to embrace the spooky and mysterious – get started with these creative ideas and continue to make fun memories for your children.
