Creep it real - helping your little ones' feelings this Halloween

Wee Seeds' four top tips for navigating big feelings before and during Hallows Eve

Are your little ones scared by Halloween already?

There’s plenty of ghosts, vampires and zombies around, and we’ve not even got to the main event yet!

I don’t know about you but even I get scared by some of the Halloween decorations! Imagine how our youngest (and even our older kids) feel about all these scary outfits.

One of our neighbours had a motion-sensored Zombie a few years ago – my child, and many others on our street, were scared beyond words, hiding into parents’ legs as they passed.

So ahead of Halloween we wanted to give you FOUR top tips on helping your family navigate the depths of the spooky darkness, and all those ghosts and ghouls.

FOUR TIPS FOR NAVIGATING FEELINGS THIS HALLOWEEN

1. Pay attention - As a parent it’s easy to get caught up, especially if you’re organising parties, but pay some extra attention this weekend, especially with younger children, or wee ones you know are easily spooked!

2. Be their anchor - Support them if they’re feeling scared, rather than brushing it off. Let them know you sometimes feel scared too and that you’re here for them if they need a cuddle, or a break from the celebrations.

3. Be prepared – Have some calming tricks up your sleeve. Here’s some quick wins.

Pumpkin (Belly) Breathing. Try breathing deep down into your tummy and seeing you can make it blow up like a pumpkin. In and out three or four times.
Ghost Cuddles. Try giving each other a hug and focus on feeling your heartbeat together while you breathe together. Maybe imagine you’re both ghosts and can sink even further into each other and your hug.
Say Boo. Use the scary boo sound as their out breath. So take a big deep breath in and as you breath out say Boooooooo!

4. Stop – There’s no shame in giving up, especially if your child is upset. Talk to them beforehand about how they can tell you when they have had enough spooky fun and want to go home.

🎃👻 🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃

Fancy more activities to help manage your child's feelings? Check out our Wellbeing Toolbox by clicking this link, it's packed with activities inspired by mindfulness, meditation and movement to look after your little one's wellbeing.