Hallowe’en is just around the corner! Here are some suggestions for reducing barriers and making celebrations more inclusive:
- Keep walkways clear, and offer treats from a spot that’s accessible to children with mobility aids. On a related note, ideas for walker- and wheelchair-friendly costumes can be found at https://www.walkinrollin.org/.
- Be patient. Children may communicate non-verbally, require extra time to pick a treat, or be less comfortable with costumes, lights, or sound displays.
- Options such as stickers and bubbles may be appreciated by children who have food allergies, or who feed by g-tube instead of orally.
- Visit https://www.treataccessibly.com/register-for-a-free-lawn-sign to register for or download an “Accessible Trick or Treating” sign.
Families and community groups sometimes look for alternatives to traditional trick-or-treating, and enjoy activities such as costume parades, “Trunk or Treat” meet-ups, or spooky story time instead.
There are also various ways to decorate if your family likes jack-o’-lanterns…but not the carving or hollowing out processes!
- Embellish with flat, puffy, or glow-in-the-dark paint: create dot motifs, draw a picture, or cover the entire surface!
- Fashion facial features out of felt backed with Velcro dots. The jack-o’-lantern’s expressions can be changed multiple times before October 31st arrives.
- Include mini Lite-Brite bulbs in your design.
- Build a sensory bin with small pumpkins or gourds, along with cinnamon, cloves, fake tarantulas and spiderwebs, etc.
Have a safe and spook-tacular Hallowe’en!
Article by Leigh Wood
Military Family Navigator (bilingual)