116 HAWAII PARENT September/October 2025 Painting pumpkins lets kids show off their creativity and enjoy a hands-on Halloween tradition—no carving tools needed! Elementary School Kids (6-10) By elementary school, Halloween excitement is at a whole new level. Kids start to choose and develop favorite holiday songs, movies, and activities. They also have more independence in costume selection. And most important? Trick or treating! Whether it be school friends, neighborhood kids, or siblings, kids look forward to scouring the streets with their spooky bunch. This is the golden age of trick or treating. Parents can trail behind and let the kids do most of the work, running up and down doorsteps carrying pillowcases and plastic pumpkins. As kids go through elementary school, parents may even choose to opt out of the sugar high powered block walk and let another trusted adult accompany them. If your kids are at a friend’s house for Halloween or you’re not up for the walk, how do you stay involved during this holiday? There are plenty of other ways that you can share this holiday with your child of this age. Although Safeway might be the easiest option, research pumpkin patches nearby. Choosing a pumpkin from the field is much more rewarding for your child than selecting one from the vegetable aisle. Pumpkin patches also often have other events such as corn mazes and petting zoos, so you can really make a day out of it. They may even be old enough to carve their own pumpkin this year! Celebrating with Tweens (11-14) The transition period from childhood into teenhood is big and there are a lot of changes; the holiday season is no different for these tweens. The holiday that was once all about candy and pumpkins is now more about costumes and parties. This is a very social period for adolescents as they start to experiment with independence. Your child may be more interested in group costumes and sleepovers than the family events you once all enjoyed. This doesn’t mean that there still aren’t plenty of ways to celebrate Halloween together. You can still do some of the traditions that your family has established, such as movie nights, pumpkin carving, and fairs, but try to get their friends involved. Ask your child if their friends would like to participate. If your child still wants to trick or treat and they don’t think it’s “for babies” or “lame” yet, let them go with just their friends. This, of course, depends on the area you are in and your comfort level. This may even be a good age to introduce your child to some of the spookier aspects of Halloween. If they’re up for it “Elementary school is the golden age of trick-or-treating —kids dash between doorsteps with pillowcases and pumpkins, while parents follow behind.”
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