My daughter likes to be involved in pretty much everything I do. From cooking to diapering the baby, she is always asking if she can help. The other evening we were walking by a house that was decorated for Halloween. She asked why there were spiders on the bushes. I told her that sometimes people put out spiders and webs for Halloween. Then, she said, "I want to decorate for Halloween." Here is how I involved her in the Halloween decorating.
Picking Out Decorations
First, decide if you want to decorate the interior or exterior of the house. Then, you can give your child a limit of how many decorations he or she can pick out. The Dollar Store and Target Dollar Spot have a great, cheap selection. We found glittery pumpkins, a cute doormat and door signs. There were also orange and black streamers and some Halloween inspired plastic tablecloths. We spent under ten dollars.
Jack-o-Lanterns
I bought a small pumpkin and a foam jack-o-lantern kit. My daughter made a sad face on the front and a happy face on the back. I like the idea that she could decorate the pumpkin completely on her own. When it gets closer to Halloween, we will go pick out some pumpkins to carve. Even if a two-year-old isn't going to be carving the pumpkin, at least he or she can pick out a stencil or the type of face to be used. Halloween just isn't the same without a few jack-o-lanterns.
Spiders
Webs are an easy decoration for kids to put out. They can stretch out cotton and spread it over bushes and even tape it onto windows. Then children can place plastic spiders onto the cotton for an instant spider web. Another simple idea is to tie a white string around a plastic spider ring and dangle it from the web. These are all inexpensive decorations too.
Ghosts
There are many different, kid-friendly ways to make ghosts. You can wad up a tissue, wrap another tissue around it and secure with a small string. A similar idea is to place a tissue over a round lollipop and tie a string around the base of the sucker. Make a face with a black marker and hang.
Glittery Halloween Signs
Some black card stock, glue and glitter can quickly be transformed into a Halloween sign. Parents can write out 'Happy Halloween' with white school glue. Other sign ideas are "Boo," "Trick-or-Treat," or "Knock….if you dare." Kids can shake orange, purple or white glitter onto the wet glue. Hang the sign in the window or on the door for a festive decoration. This craft is best done outside.
This Halloween, kids can take pride in knowing they helped decorate the house.
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