Halloween Traditions

I love traditions. Traditions can really help a child feel like they are part of something. The exact importance of traditions varies from person to person. You might think young children aren't capable of remember if anything is a tradition or not. You will be surprised at how much your child remembers from year to year. Of course, a new tradition can be started any time :) I thought it would be fun for everyone to share their favorite Halloween traditions to do with your family. Then we can get ideas! Here are our traditions:

PAPER CHAIN
We make a paper chain to count down to Halloween. Here is my post about it.

CORN MAZE/STRAW MAZE
We have a lot of corn mazes around us. Every October, we go to a corn maze. They also have a straw fort (which the kids love). This is one of their favorite activities of the year.

PUMPKIN WALK
One town in our area does what they call a pumpkin walk. Local people create elaborate scenes using painted pumpkins. The kids have a lot of fun going to this--and it is free! Look into what your area has locally that is kid friendly.

CHURCH PARTY
Our church has a party every year. We dress up, share soup, and have some games for the kids.

FAMILY PARTY
My husband's family does a party every year. We have fun games we play each year. One game is where we draw names. We then go to a pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin. We then paint a scene on our pumpkin to represent the name we drew. Then we all guess which pumpkin represents each person.

CARVE/PAINT PUMPKINS
Each year, we carve and paint pumpkins as a family. We involve our children from baby age. As a baby, they can play with the guts. None of my babies have had a special thrill over this. Their interest in it doesn't last long, but I love the initial look on their face.

The next year, they can paint a little pumpkin.

Then they can continue painting. If they want to carve, they can draw the face with a crayon and Daddy carves it.

This year, Brayden carved most of his pumpkin by himself (age four).

DRESS UP
Everyone in our family dresses up. So far, we have chosen a theme and each person is a character in that theme. It is a lot of fun.

SOUP
Halloween night, my parents come trick-or-treating with us. We go to a few houses in our neighborhood. Then we come home and eat soup and visit with each other.

Feel free to comment with the traditions your family enjoys!