Talking about stranger danger in too much detail will make preschoolers feel scared to leave the house, but they must learn about the importance of staying with their guardians on Halloween night. Role-playing is an easy way to talk about this topic without frightening children. Pretend to be one preschooler’s parent while you pretend to trick-or-treat around the room. Another adult can walk up and try to convince the child to walk away from his “parent,” giving you the chance to talk about how important it is to stay together.
Although their parents buy the costumes, preschoolers must know how to stay safe once their costumes are on. Draw pictures of a child who’s wearing an unsafe costume such as a long, dark cape, sandals and a face mask and ask for suggestions of why this costume could be unsafe for a child to wear. Preschoolers can also think about their own costumes if they have them already. Ask each child to describe her costume and draw a picture of how she’ll keep her body safe while she wears it, like putting her mask up on her forehead so she can see or keeping her shoes tied.
When preschoolers get comfortable trick-or-treating, they may be so excited that they run ahead or run into the street without looking. In the dark, children can also trip over things or other people when they’re not paying attention. Make a pretend street and sidewalk in your classroom by arranging paper or lines of masking tape on the floor and help children practice using walking feet and staying on the sidewalk. Running up and down stairs can also cause small preschoolers to trip, so practice walking slowly up and down stairs.
Jack-o’-lanterns or costumed ghosts may look friendly and harmless to you, but these symbols of Halloween can be frightening to a young child. A scared child may turn and run or become so upset he falls down stairs, so preparing preschoolers for some of the things they’ll see while trick-or-treating can keep them safe. Read children books or show them magazines containing images of common holiday sights like popular costumes and scarecrows. Talk with children about the fact that they’ll see some of these objects, and explain that there’s nothing to be scared of.