(Meredith) — The coronavirus is putting a new scare in Halloween this year, as parents look for fun ways to celebrate the spooky holiday while protecting their kids during the pandemic.
Even though traditional Halloween activities like trick-or-treating and costume parties are discouraged, there are plenty of creative ways to keep the spirit alive.
“I think it’s so important to tell our kids Halloween isn’t canceled, it’s just different this year,” said Julia Edelstein, editor-in-chief of Parents magazine. “We celebrate early, we celebrate at home, we celebrate outdoors with social distancing, and we make the most of it.”
Since traditional trick-or-treating is considered a high-risk activity, Edelstein recommends “the good kind of ghosting.”
Just ring the doorbell at a friend’s house, leave a bag full of goodies out front, and then run before anyone can get to the door. Don’t forget to tape a big sign to the bag that says, “You’ve been booed,” along with the recipient’s name and who left the sweet surprise.
A “twilight hunt” is another great alternative that involves only a little bit of prep. If you have an outdoor space, put glow-in-the-dark stickers on buckets of candy and hide them all over the backyard at dusk. Then, give each child a flashlight and send them in search of sweet treasure.
“It gets them outside, it adds a little bit of that spookiness to Halloween, and you get to do it all in the safety of your own backyard,” said Edelstein.
For more tips on how to have a fun and safe Halloween, watch the video above. You can also find more of these creative ideas in the October issue of Parents magazine, which is available at local stores now.
Parents magazine is owned by the same company that owns this news station, The Meredith Corporation.
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