Halloween is such a fun holiday for kids. It’s also such a joy for parents to watch their kids enjoy this American tradition dressed up in adorable costumes. There are plenty of options to make Halloween safe and still fun for everyone. This year really forces us to be creative in order to make sure Halloween isn’t cancelled! First, everyone should continue to do what they are already doing: wearing masks, avoiding big crowds, and maintaining social distancing. Halloween is an outdoor holiday, making it so much easier to manage, but you never know what safety precautions the person answering the door is taking. Will he be wearing a mask? Here are some ideas for alternatives to trick-or-treating

1. Scavenger hunt in the backyard  - hide candy and either give your kids clues or have them hunt to earn their treats
2. Decorate together - carve or paint pumpkins, hang up some fun Halloween themed decorations, make your own costumes
3. Watch spooky movies together
4. Zoom Halloween party with friends
5. Create a new holiday tradition

If you are going trick or treating, remember:

1. Costume masks do not replace the masks made for safety that your children regularly wear to school.
2. Children should not huddle into a doorway and should avoid putting their hands into a bowl or touching doorbells like they usually do during Halloween.
3. Some communities have come up with creative ways around these issues, such as handing out bags of candy from a table in their front yard, spreading candy out on their front lawn, and having signs up to instruct whether a home is welcoming trick or treaters or not
4. Sanitize hands and wrappers of the candy you get before opening and eating - we are still not sure about how infective COVID may be on items you touch, so better to play it safe
5. Giving out non-edible treats
6. Wash hands frequently

Halloween this year presents a great opportunity to teach your children how to adapt to new things, how to take care of themselves, and how to take care of others. This will be a memorable experience and hopefully still a positive and magical one.