Thursday, January 1, 2009

Teach Creativity by Making a Kids Halloween Costume

By Susan West

Halloween is a magical time when kids get to step out of their lives and become anyone they wish. The prelude to Halloween is just as fun as the night itself, and kids who want to be scary, creepy creatures should be encouraged to do so. After all, research shows that kids who pretend to be the ultimate in Halloween fright are less likely to be afraid of make pretend demons they encounter throughout the year. The perfect kids Halloween costume can set the night off with a bang.

Let's face it; life could get a bit hairy if Jr. or little Suzy was allowed to dress themselves every day. It takes practice to understand that "pants ARE important," or "one-armed monsters are not allowed at the dinner table." But on Halloween . . . a kid can truly be a kid. This does not mean that a kids Halloween costumes need to be obscene. There are many children's Halloween costumes that are "just scary enough." Just the option of choosing their very own costume will be exciting to Johnny or Suzy.

Children love make-believe and dress-up. What better time to enjoy this than at Halloween? Even though some have misgivings about the holiday, celebrate it for what it is; a time to pretend. If your child's Halloween costume choice is Count Dracula don't worry. Ignoring the notion of monsters or ghosts does not do your child any favors. Teach them that it's ok to face a monster. That monster could be either a kids Halloween costume or a personal fear. Addressing a fear is one thing, and celebrating it is another. It's widely debated whether participating with Halloween costumes is considered "celebrating." That decision is up to you. Regardless of your position, you have to admit that dress up is fun for children and that is exactly the purpose of a childs Halloween costume.

These days, popular movies like Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean are spawning a new industry derived of creating costumes from those movies. You can even accessorize creatively by getting a sibling to come along as another of the characters (or, in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, even as a parrot). Need to have a mate walk the plank? Mom or dad, go ahead and toil along behind Junior, the captain, on a rope as the prisoner just for the evening. Then your roles can go back to the ordinary and everyday parent-child setup right after the festivities are over.

With Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean running as some of the most popular costumes, it can be difficult to come up with new and improved creepy costumes for kids. Using siblings, parents, and very kindly and gently using pets, as additives for a costume get up can make a simple theme go much farther. There's nothing wrong with one child dressing up as a pirate while the other one dresses up as a complimentary parrot. A willing parent can dress up as a prisoner about to walk the plank in tow. All of this make pretend is healthy, and the more the family gets into together the more the kids are going to get out of it.

Of course you can decide to stay at home this Halloween. What ever you decide is entirely up to you. But, on the other hand, you can use this day to nurture and grow your child's creativity. Designing a child's Halloween costume is a fun thing for parents and children to do together. Of course you don't want to forget to carve the pumpkin!

After you and Johnny and little Suzy decide on a theme, search online together for child's costume ideas. Just go for it! The crazier the better! The kids will zigzag back and forth between costume ideas, but gently keep them headed in a direction. Allow plenty of time to create the kids Halloween costumes and this will be an activity everyone will always remember. Edited by Glinda Zuladra - 16492

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