A Scare-free Halloween
Halloween can be a great time of year with dressing up in scary outfits and an endless amount of sweets.

However, the reality for children who have experienced developmental trauma or have additional needs can be very different.
The scary side of Halloween can cause distress and anxiety.
Even the thought of dressing up and going to strangers’ houses can seem daunting and totally out of routine.
So here are some tips and ideas to have a low-key Halloween with minimal scare.
- Pumpkin Picking – there are lots of farms and venues that let families pick pumpkins. Getting outside in nature is a great chance to destress, make sure you wrap up warm!
- Watch Halloween Movies – some of the favourites are Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, Casper or Scooby Doo.
- Painting or carving a pumpkin – choose whatever is easier and get started on creating the best pumpkin!
- Play games – Apple bobbing or hanging sweeties from a string could keep them entertained for at least 10 minutes!
- Treasure hunt – hide some sweets around the house with riddles or clues to find the next one.
- Dress up – it doesn’t have to be a scary fancy dress, any dress-up outfit is acceptable on Halloween.
Whatever you end up doing, we hope its spook free!