Halloween is just days away and the countdown begins for children and parents. As the freaky night creeps upon us wound up children look ahead to bobbing for apples, decorating the lawn, cutting pumpkins, making costumes, trick-or-treating, telling ghost stories and visiting spooky houses. This Halloween, create memories that last a life time through simple play activities!
The parenting experts at Invest in Kids have some festive play activities for you and your baby, toddler or preschooler to enjoy. Playing is an aspect of Comfort, Play and Teach: A Positive Approach to Parenting™. This is a research-based approach to parenting that shows parents how they can have a positive influence on their child’s social, emotional and intellectual development by comforting, playing with and teaching their child through simple everyday activities. When you play with your child, he develops skills such as solving problems, thinking, sensing, talking and decision-making. Try these Halloween play activities suggested by Invest in Kids for a spooky good time!
Goblin Green, Pumpkin Orange, Blood Red, Cat Black & Witches Brew Brown
• Lay out seasonal coloured playdough or finger paints on the floor or table and together explore the colours and texture of the dough or paint. You could even find a recipe for making playdough or try combining paints to make new Halloween colours. What do the playdough and paints feel like on her hands? Can she point to the colours Orange, Red, Green, or Brown? Encourage her to experiment with cookie cutters, brushes, colours, cut out pictures and sparkles. These activities are great for your toddler or preschooler as they help her to develop her decision-making, creativity and motor skills.
• For your baby, recite familiar rhymes like Five Little Pumpkins, using animated facial expressions, performing the actions with your fingers, and varying the tone of your voice to include high and low sounds. When you talk and sing to your baby, he learns to listen to your voice and to pay attention to your different gestures and expressions.
Happy, Sad, Goofy, Scary and Colourful Pumpkin Face Puppets
• Halloween pumpkins have many different faces. Will your child give his pumpkin puppet a happy, sad, scary or silly expression? Using construction paper, collage materials and popsicle sticks, your toddler or preschooler can create his own pumpkin-face puppet. He will strengthen the small muscles in his hands and practice his decision-making skills. As you and your child make the puppets, enjoy the time you spend talking and making up your own silly Halloween stories.
• Babies are attracted to vibrant colours and enjoy looking at faces. Draw black details on a brightly coloured background to make a variety of different pumpkin faces for your baby to look at. Babies can see the vivid colours and will be encouraged to focus their attention on the details of the different faces.
Snuggle Up With a Spooky Book
• A great book for a toddler this Halloween is Where Is Baby’s Pumpkin by Karen Katz. This is a lift-the-flap book filled with bright colours and is a touch-and-feel adventure. As you and your toddler read the story, ask her, “What’s behind the door? Where do you think the pumpkin is hiding?” Your child is learning to listen, react and to interact as you read the story together. This book will also familiarize her with Halloween creatures and symbols.
• For your preschooler, a great book for Halloween is Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington. This is a story about planting a pumpkin seed and watching it grow. Ask your preschooler questions like, “How long do you think it will take for the pumpkin to grow? Will a big pumpkin or small pumpkin grow?” He will learn to listen and think about what is happening in the story while you read together. At the end of the story, plan to carve a pumpkin with him and let him decide what kind of face you should carve into the pumpkin. This will engage his creativity and decision-making skills.
