• Before deciding on a costume and what events your child will take part in, think about your child’s age, personality and temperament. Many children are frightened—not in a fun way—by aspects of Halloween. Take some time to talk to your children about what they might expect from their Halloween experience.
• To avoid having your children go door-to-door “trick or treating” consider holding a Halloween party at your home or taking your child to a Halloween party at a friend’s home, their school, community center, etc. Some neighborhoods even hold Halloween parades!
• Make sure children’s clothing fits properly and they can walk without tripping. If your child is wearing a mask make sure your child can both breathe and see through it—better yet, paint your child’s face with face paint to avoid any potential problems your child may have with a mask. Clothing should be flame resistant. If children are heading out when it is dark, make sure they can be seen. Wearing reflective clothing and/or carrying a glow stick may help car drivers see children.
• If your children do go door-to-door “trick or treating” don’t allow them to go alone. Younger children should be accompanied by an adult, and older children should always take along a friend. Only allow children to go to the houses of people you are familiar with. Walk with young children up to the door of every house they approach. Older children should be taught not to approach homes that aren’t well lit or have a porch light on. Children should know to never go into a home without your permission.
• Teach children to stay away from vehicles, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent. If someone your child doesn’t know tries to approach or grab them children should be taught to scream, make a scene and run the other direction.
• Teach your children not to eat any of the treats they receive until you have had a chance to look them over and make sure they are safe. Throw away any treats that look like they have been tampered with or are not wrapped.
• After the Halloween celebration take some time to talk to your child about how they felt about their experience. Many children enjoy the “spookiness” of Halloween, but some don’t. In particular, if a child has experienced any sort of trauma, he or she may have difficulties dealing with their experience of Halloween.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all scary—it can be fun and safe. Happy Halloween!

Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin is a statewide, nonprofit organization that builds community resources, provides training and public awareness, and carries out advocacy activities in order to strengthen child abuse prevention efforts in Wisconsin. Founded in 1978, Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin is a state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. For more information, please call 1-800-CHILDREN or visit www.preventchildabusewi.org.