What’s so hard about Halloween?

Free candy, dressing up, parties, parades – what’s so hard about that?

While this sounds amazing to a lot of people, it is important to understand that not all children enjoy the added excitement, costumes, and change of routine that this holiday brings. It can actually be the opposite of fun for them. Halloween is a time of great excitement for many children, but for highly sensitive kids, it can be extremely challenging.

Halloween children Both of my highly sensitive boys LOVE Halloween now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges that still come up. They both get overstimulated by all the costumes and celebrations of the day and my youngest still struggles with the “feel” of certain dress up clothes.

It can be hard for others without sensitive children to understand these Halloween challenges. In hopes of raising awareness and compassion, below are five reasons why Halloween can be difficult for highly sensitive children.

5 reasons why Halloween can be challenging for kids

1. Not all children like to dress up.

Do you have or know a child that is very particular about the texture of clothing they wear? Are they extremely sensitive to tags or a particular material/style of clothing – swooshy nylon clothes, shirts with collars, etc? Some children are very sensitive to how certain clothes and face paint feel. They may be a highly sensitive child (HSC) or have sensory processing disorder which can affect how they feel about costumes and face make up.

My oldest son refused to try on any Halloween costume when he was in preschool. He would throw a fit every time we came near him with one. When we finally convinced/bribed him to put on a construction costume for his preschool party, he immediately took it off when he got to school. We were frustrated and so was he! We had no idea what was going on. Eventually, when he could express himself better we began to realize that the struggle was with the texture and fit of the costumes.

As he grew older and could verbalize his frustration, things got easier. Once we realized what was going on, we were able to work with him to create costumes that were comfortable for him. It is so important not to assume anything and be accepting of children who do not wear costumes. There is probably a very good reason.

2. Not all children like to be the center of attention

boy hiding I used to think that all children loved being the center of attention, and then I had my own kids. It really should come as no surprise that my children do not like attention drawn to themselves, as both my husband and I are the same way; however this never crossed my mind in regards to Halloween until my son got upset about walking in his school’s Halloween parade.

He didn’t want everyone looking at him and I totally get that. When children wear a costume, they are going to receive extra attention and comments regarding what they are wearing. This can be very difficult for an introverted and/or highly sensitive child.

3. Not all children are verbal in unfamiliar situations

Does your HSC struggle with being able to speak up in new situations or with new people? Trick-or-treating involves communication with unknown people. My oldest trick or treating HSC was diagnosed with Selective Mutism (SM) at age 3 and I’ll never forget the time that a woman teased my son about not giving him candy until he said Trick-or-Treat. He could fully communicate in his home environment where he was comfortable. but was physically unable to speak outside of the home due to anxiety. Trick-or-Treating was a huge challenge, but no one knew that and I didn’t have time to educate each person who opened their door on Halloween. Please always remember to never assume things about the children who come to your door.

After receiving the proper therapy, he is now screaming trick-or-treat with the rest of them, but I am very aware of how hard this activity still is for so many children. If your child struggles with speaking up with people or has a disorder like SM, check out the free printables at the end of this post that could be given out to quickly inform and educate.

4. Not all children like a change in routine

On special holidays like Halloween, school days become much more unpredictable and chaotic. The routine is usually thrown off with a school party, games, parades and excited children running around. At home, things can be chaotic with the rush to eat and interruptions as people knock on the door for candy. If you’re child is more difficult than usual or has more meltdowns, the change in routine could be throwing them off.

Halloween party

5. Not all children enjoy being scared

scary pumpkin A lot of kids talk a good talk regarding the scary side of Halloween, but when it comes down to it, Halloween can be quite scary.

A combination of a dark night while trick-or-treating, masked faces, and decorations that pop out or startle with loud noises can be all too much for a highly sensitive child. Make sure that you don’t push an HSC to trick-or-treat at a house that is too scary for them and try to go before it gets dark.

Halloween Challenges Printables

I hope that you now have a better understanding of some of the challenges that can arise for your child on Halloween. If you have a kid who could relate to the challenges above, these FREE printables can help you spread awareness. I saw these sayings on a site last year and loved them! I created my own images and altered the wording a bit to fit more general needs. Click on either image to download these graphics with multiples on a sheet to cut out and distribute.