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in Blog on October 21, 2021 by Emily Roark

Five Festive Halloween Activities For Families With Little Kids

I had looked forward to celebrating the holidays as a mom long before I had my first child. I’d imagined pre-holiday shopping and picking out impractical, yet adorable and festive outfits. I’d imagined attending parties with a cute baby on my hip, and creating cozy traditions at home with my little family. But when it actually came time to celebrate my first holiday as a first-time mom, I found myself feeling confused when people asked, “Aren’t you excited for her to celebrate her first holiday season?” I mean, sure, I was excited to make memories as a family, but she was three months old and couldn’t even roll over yet. As much as I wanted to feel like I had a part in everything that comes with planning fun holiday magic as a mom, I knew that we weren’t going to be doing a ton of activities until we were a few years down the road.

Halloween is one of those holidays. It can feel as if there’s so much excitement surrounding the holiday as soon as the back-to-school items get swept off the shelves at Target, but if you are in a season of life where your kids are scared of the costumes, or too young to eat candy, it can feel like you’re missing out. Believe me, I have been there. This year, my oldest is in kindergarten, and I feel like this might be the first year that she really gets excited about celebrating the holiday once she hears others talking about it at school. This doesn’t mean we’ve just let Halloween pass us by for the past six years, though. We’ve found ways to create new family friendly traditions that are simple and allow the kids to go to bed at their usual time. No scary costumes required.

Here are some of our favorite Halloween activities as a family with little kids:

Costume Party At The Park

Gather a few friends, dress the kids up in cute costumes, and meet other families at the park so the kids can play while the adults socialize. When I was a first-time mom, I did this with a group of mom friends I’d met at baby story time at the library. It gave us a way to celebrate the holiday when our kids were too young to understand it.

Halloween Candy Hunt

Who says we have to save the hunting for Easter? In my home, this tradition was born out of the pandemic. Last year, in the thick of social distancing, my family opted for hunting for candy in the backyard in lieu of trick or treating. My kids and their cousins dressed up in costumes on a weekday afternoon, and searched for Halloween candy in the backyard. They loved it, and I loved that I didn’t have to take three kids five and under door to door.

Cookies And A Movie

This one is a twist on the classic Christmas tradition of baking cookies and watching movies. When my kids were three and one, we started a tradition of baking and decorating sugar cookies cut out in fun Halloween shapes, and then a viewing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” while eating them. We do this a little bit earlier in October, and I think it might be my favorite Halloween tradition. It’s a kick-off to the holiday season, and our home feels so cozy for fall.

Pass Out Candy, But Make It A Game

When my daughter was three, we realized that, for her, the whole trick-or-treating thing was a game. She began calling the trick-or-treaters her “customers,” and every time someone came to the door she turned into a little waitress, passing out candy. The best part was that we didn’t actually have to leave the house, and instead, we ate pumpkin-shaped pizza and watched TV on the couch while we waited for our customers.

Family-friendly Trick-Or-Treating

If you want a tried-and-true Halloween tradition but don’t want to upset your kids with scary costumes or spooky decorations, trick-or-treating at an organized event might be the way to go. My family has trick-or-treated at the zoo and at a local park, but you might also want to check out churches and libraries as well. The events are typically early in the evening and catered towards families with young children.

No matter what you do for Halloween, you are creating wonderful memories with your kids, and that’s what matters!

Related

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Halloween, holidays & celebrations, preschoolers, toddlers

About Emily Roark

Emily is a stay-at home/work-from-home mom living in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and three young kids. When she’s not filling milk cups or sweeping up Cheerios off of the floor, she works as a freelance editor. During her alone time, she enjoys working out, baking, and binging her favorite TV shows.

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Click this image at the link in our bio to get:
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New episode! Big black trash bag energy is in ful New episode!

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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
This recent picture of Eric and I adventuring in t This recent picture of Eric and I adventuring in the snow, well into our third year of dating, captures so much. 

But there's a lot it doesn't tell you, too. 

It doesn't tell you about the heartbreaking experience of watching my former marriage dissolve.

It doesn't tell you about the confusion and loneliness in the aftermath of my divorce six+ years ago.

It doesn't tell you about the time that, while driving home in the dark on a snowy evening, I reflected on the fact that nobody was expecting me to check in with them that night - that if I skidded into a ditch nobody would think to look for me for days.

It doesn't tell you about the twenty-five - yes, TWENTY-FIVE - first dates I went on prior to meeting Eric (the vast majority of those never turned into a second date.)

It doesn't tell you about the disappointments and doubts and tears leading up to finding my person.

And...

It also doesn't tell you about how much I (grudgingly) grew during that period of singleness. 

The strength and resourcefulness I discovered through having the space to run a household on my own and determine my own path in life. 

The peacefulness of a home run under my own steam, its rhythms based on my own values and priorities. 

The joy (and necessity) of getting back in touch with myself.

If you’re single and looking, I really do hope you find your person soon. I am so grateful for having found mine, and I know how hard it is to hear "your time will come, too" when you see no evidence of that on the horizon. (Especially going into February, right?)

But while you're waiting, there's another person (you) who deserves your attention...

and hard as it may be to see when you’re in the thick of doubt and disappointment…

that person is enough.
Looking for unique classroom valentines *and* a gr Looking for unique classroom valentines *and* a great deal? We love everything about @minted, from the high-quality paper and printing, to the ability to buy unique designs, freshly sourced from a community of independent artists. And right now, Minted has great deals on all things Valentine's Day!

(Pssst: they even have a Disney collection!)

Click this image at the link in our bio to get:
🎒 20% off Valentine photo cards, & classroom Valentines
🎁 20% off photo & stationery gifts on orders $250+
💕 15% off ALL orders with code BEMINE23.
🗓️ Sale ends Monday 1/30!

The Mom Hour is part of Minted's affiliate program, which means if you shop our links we'll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
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Want more help and tips, plus reassurance that you’re doing a great job? (You are.) Search for The Mom Hour in your favorite podcast app and hit subscribe!

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Since this week's podcast episode is all about kids and alone time, we thought we'd revisit this resource on the blog by Sandy Hsu:

👉 How To Encourage Independence In Preschoolers With A “Quiet Time” Routine. 👈 

Sandy (@hopefulsmiles) give tips for implementing a successful quiet time routine AND rounds up products and activities that help make independent play more likely - even in young preschoolers. Check it out by clicking this image at the link in our bio!

#quiettime #parentingtoddlers #parentingpreschoolers #momoflittles #stayathomemom #stayathomeparent #activitiesforpreschoolers #activitiesfortoddlers #threeyearolds #fouryearolds #fiveyearolds #momlife #sahm #sahmlife
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! With all the day-to-day planning requ New episode! With all the day-to-day planning required to run a household, it's easy to put longterm planning on the back burner. Today Meagan and Sarah share lessons we've learned (or are still learning) that help us look ahead at a whole year, quarter, or month at a time. From knowing ourselves and our seasonal rhythms to figuring out where they keep next year's school calendar, we've picked up a few things over the years, and we're ready to dive in for 2023. Join us! 

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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Shoutout to our NEW sponsors:
🍳 @caraway_home (10% off gorgeous, non-toxic cookware!)
💪 @futurefitapp (risk-free trial of 1-on-1 personal training!)
🔪 @prepdish (2 weeks free of healthy, prep-ahead meal plans!)
🎨 @minted (design marketplace with art, bags, gifts & more!)
📚 @chatbooks (deals on the easiest photo books ever!)
😍 @fabletics (2 stylish workout bottoms for $24!)

And welcome back . . . 
⭐️ @stitchfix ($20 off your 1st purchase!)
⭐️ @theessentialcalendar (10% off full-season calendars!)
⭐️ @hiyahealth (50% off 1st order!)
⭐️ @kiwico_inc (50% off your 1st mo!)
⭐️ @athleticgreens (1yr of Vit.D + 5 travel packs!)
⭐️ @vionicshoes (free shipping on cute, comfy shoes!)
Braces on, braces off. First phones, driver's ed, Braces on, braces off. First phones, driver's ed, high school registration. As we discussed in this week's episode, we still get all the feels when older kids meet cultural or developmental milestones - even if they cringe when we celebrate and share.

Would love to hear what you're celebrating about your older kids! Everything from learning a new skill to blossoming independence - leave us a comment! 

PS - Listen to the episode in your favorite podcast app, or by clicking this image at the link in our bio!

#parenting #parentingbigkids #parentingteens #parentingtweens #bigkidmilestone #teenagers #tweens #momoftweens #momofteens #momofteenagers
Turns out, when your last baby approaches double-d Turns out, when your last baby approaches double-digits, you find yourself staring a different milestone right in the (puffy) face:

It's been a decade since I was pregnant for the last time. 

This photo was taken the morning of my scheduled c-section, just a few hours before we'd meet our third and last babe. It's hard to remember, but I'm SURE I was ready to be done. Constant braxton-hicks, heartburn I hadn't experienced with the other two, food aversions that lasted the whole 39w5d, and physical exhaustion trying to keep up with a 2- and 4-year old: all part of an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy, but still nobody's idea of easy.

I don't miss it - being pregnant. Grateful to have had the experience, absolutely. But I've never really pined for another go-around, at least not seriously. Still, a whole decade removed feels as significant a milestone to me as does the notion that that double-dimpled babe will blow out ten candles this weekend.

Time, like, whoa. 

-Sarah

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