10 lessons from Halloween That are weirdly relevant to helping kids learn
Halloween is pretty awesome fun with little kids
Boo! Halloween is here. Kids are plotting their paths around trick-or-treating routes to maximize their good candy haul. Grown-ups are plotting ways to make that haul disappear anywhere but into the kids’ mouths. All are looking forward to seeing others let out their inner villains, princesses, ghouls, superheroes, or personification of the latest cultural trend. Leaving candy battles aside, Halloween is pretty awesome fun with little kids.
Halloween works because we all understand the rules
It’s no surprise that Halloween calls for common sense rules. Afterall, kids are going outside of their homes and taking candy from strangers whilst dressed up and unrecognizable. As I was thinking through what to share in my own home, it struck me how weird it is that the lessons that make Halloween work are so relevant to the challenge of helping kids learn.
So this week, we’re sharing 10 lessons from Halloween that are somehow also genius guides for anyone who wants to make kids’ screen time educational, safe, and fun.
1. Remember the kid is good inside
Even when a kid is presenting as a ghoul or a scary villain, we all know that what we see does not define what is really happening and act accordingly. A wolf walking up onto a porch will surely be met with violent resistance. But a child dressed as a werewolf is invited onto the porch and offered candy!
So, the next time you are faced with a little ‘monster’ acting out and making everyone miserable, remember that what you see on the outside doesn’t define the kid. They are still good inside but just showing you something scarier at the moment. This particular bit of wisdom comes from the ‘Good Inside’ book, podcast, and Instagram stories by Dr. Becky Kennedy who has saved the sanity of many families. (It really should be required reading for every parent.)
2. Walk…don’t run
You don’t trick or treat by doing a trot. You do a purposeful and maybe brisk walk. Same with helping kids learn. Running is only going to get someone to trip over a dinosaur’s tail or spider’s leg and fall flat on their face. Nah-uh – you don’t want that. A steady pace is what gives you that perfect candy haul. Now that’s a metaphor for how to help kids learn.
3. Get an assortment of candy
Variety is the spice of life. No matter how much you love Reese’s, coming away with only Reese’s is disappointing. You want a starburst or skittles thrown in there. The same goes for helping the kids learn. Can’t be the same thing, the same way all the time. That will get old real quick. Jazz it up. A worksheet here, a game here, a video there, a puzzle there. You get the drift.
4. Know the good candy spots
Once you’ve been around the block a couple of times, you get to figure out the ‘good candy’ spots and avoid the dud homes. Same with screen time. Not all content made for kids is actually helpful for kids. Even some that call themselves edutainment are just plain mindless. You’ve got to go with those in the know to find helpful content.
5. Go with friends or a grown-up
This is probably the most basic rule. There is no way Halloween would be a fun family holiday if kids were let loose into neighborhoods all on their own. (Why do we do that when it comes to screen time?! )
This handy rule from Halloween shows you that with a friend or grown-up, what could be a dangerous journey becomes a stroll through the neighborhood. So when it comes to screen time, get a friend to help you. (Let me be clear, the friend you need to help with the screen time is Aneta – don’t get lost in the imagery.)
6. Be gracious and say thank you no matter what
We prepare the kids for homes where they’ll get no candy, or candied apples (eww) or toothbrushes or raisins. We tell them that it is for their own good and ask them to be respectful and grateful. Screen time will present kids with many equivalents of toothbrushes when they want candy. We ought to prepare kids for those times and ask them to take it graciously. It’s for their own good.
7. Be prepared
Picking out your costume day on Halloween is not a winning plan. That’s how you end up with bedsheet ghosts or shoebox head robots. All self-respecting trick-or-treaters know you need to plan ahead. Costume – check. Bowl for candy – check. Good candy route – check. The same goes for giving the kids screen time that you end up feeling good about. There is some planning and making use of the thoughtfulness that someone else, if not you, has put into making a journey that is productive. It is not effortless to be delightful AND educational.
8: Check the candy from strangers
Once the Halloween haul is home, a grown-up typically looks through to make sure there is no funny business. The search for the candy can be less prominent if the candy comes from known sources. When putting digital content for a kid to consume, the same diligence must come into play.
9. Don’t eat all your candy at once
Not only will that make you sick but it will also just mean you don’t have any candy left to enjoy later. So if you have some screen time treats for your little one, spread them out, like the way you make them spread out eating their Halloween candy.
10. Have fun with it
Why go through all the trouble to dress up and go trick or treating and not have fun?! It would seem preposterous. Why then don’t we always keep fun at the center of learning. As rewarding as learning is, making it fun is most of the journey. If kids got candy at the end (the reward) but were made miserable the entire time they were trick or treating, Halloween would die out. Making the journey fun as the destination is the trick that Halloween gets right. Let Aneta help you do the same for learning.
