Going out for trick-or-treating is fun for many children and adults. The evening is often filled with tromping around the neighborhood in costume, getting candy and treats from all the neighbors, and going home to over indulge in the sweet delight of the evening’s bounty.  Preparing for many Halloween visitors can be an difficult task if you have not had the experience before. People who live in a cul-de-sac often have more guest than those who live on the end of a street or near a busy intersection. Safety is a concern for many parents and staying in well lit areas with fewer cars is essential to keep children safe and sound. Here are a few tips to make Halloween night a fun event for all and tips to help you prepare for all of the trick-or-treaters.

Preparing for Halloween

Step 1: Light up your house. If you are planning on giving out treats you should have your porch light on. This lets others know you are participating in the holiday. If the weather is nice you may want to plan to sit outside to welcome visitors as they trek around the neighborhood. Adding additional lighting to make a safe and welcome environment for children as darkness falls is also helpful.

Step 2: Have plenty of treats. Candy is typical of what is handed out, but you can also hand out trinkets such as plastic Halloween rings, pencils, cards, money, or stickers. Other items we have received include crackers, pretzels, nuts, raisins, popcorn balls, and Play-Doh. Full size candy bars are fun, but not necessary. You can purchase inexpensive items to hand out from Meijer or Shindigz.

Step 3: Decorate your home and yard. Decorating adds to the excitement of the night. Fake gravestones, scary dummies, and jack-o-lanterns are all perfect for the holiday. Other things you can do to add excitement include building a fake coffin and have a person lay inside of it dressed up as Dracula. As trick-or-treaters come close have the person sit up and scare the children and other unexpected “scary” decorations.

Step 4: Plan to have someone at your home to hand out candy. If you have small children you may not be able to walk a far distance, but if your children are older you may be out longer. Plan to have one of the family members stay home to pass out candy while the other person walks around with the trick-or-treaters. You can also invite grandparents or other relatives to come over to hand out candy at your house while you take your children out.

Step 5: Practice your trick-or-treat route. Starting a week or two before Halloween, start walking around your neighborhood. Determine how far your child can walk and how long it will take. Then you can plan on handing out candy for the first hour and then walking for the second hour on the evening your community host trick-or-treat. This will allow both parents to go trick-or-treating and still hand out candy.

Have fun handing out treats to the little pirates, princesses, and goblins. Providing options can help those who cannot eat certain items such as peanuts to have fun on this evening of ghoulish fun by receiving non edible items.

Happy Halloween!!