Alternative ideas to make this Halloween sensory-friendly

Key points:

• Halloween often involves trick-or-treating, but making this celebration more accessible isn’t as tricky as it seems
• Being aware of sensory issues by creating different costumes and engaging in different activities could make this Halloween more enjoyable
• Arts and decorating Halloween events are being held around Australia including cookie decorating and painting classes, with spots filling quickly

Halloween will be celebrated across Australia in less than three days, giving you just enough time to create alternative and sensory-friendly activities for this spooky time of year.

Many Australians will decorate their houses with skeletons and spider webs in anticipation of trick-or-treaters walking their neighborhoods this Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Although trick-or-treating is often associated as the main activity on Halloween, different activities such as pumpkin carving or telling ghost stories can be adapted to suit younger Australians. 

More than one in 10 Australian children aged between five and 14 years old live with disability as per the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

Many costumes are available from specialty costume stores and large stores such as Big W and Kmart. However, some costumes are made mostly from polyester, a synthetic fabric that can cause skin irritation for some people with sensory issues. 

Costumes that are sensory-friendly can be made at home and this is easier than it seems. For some people with sensory problems, wearing anything other than comfortable clothing such as tracksuit pants or t-shirts can be unbearable.

Staple wardrobe items can be used as a base for the costume, without causing distress for the person with sensory problems, such as:

• a favourite character — print the character picture on an iron-on transfer and iron it onto a comfortable t-shirt;
• a cat — use the child’s favourite hoodie and attach cardboard ears with double-sided tape with face-painted whiskers; or
• onesies — these one-piece outfits come in many types, including monkeys, penguins, sharks and unicorns. However, some cheaper brands do not have an internal lining and the seams may cause frustration.

Wearing a mask can be a quick and easy idea for a costume, but having something on your face can be overstimulating for some children. However, these can be quickly removed if required. 

In addition to wearing certain costumes, trick-or-treating may be too stimulating for some children with disability as many houses may be decorated with bright lights, music and scary-looking decorations. 

Many alternative Halloween events for kids are being held all across Australia with places booking quickly, including:

• Creepy Cookie Decorating in West Lakes, South Australia on Thursday, October 31, 2024;
• Halloween kids’ art fun in the library in Williamstown, Victoria on Wednesday, October 30, 2024;
• Spooktacular Halloween Family Party in Mortdale, New South Wales on Thursday, October 31, 2024;
• Halloween Doughnut Decorating in Redbank Plains, Queensland on Thursday, October 31, 2024; 
• Ghostly garden painting class in Palmerston City, Northern Territory on Wednesday, October 30, 2024; and
• Halloween Cup Cake Decorating in Doubleview, Western Australia on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Check the individual event details to decide if the event is suitable for your child and their sensory needs.

Additionally, engaging in sensory-friendly activities at home allows children to participate in Halloween, without causing them or you additional stress, such as:

• playing with orange slime;
• watching child-friendly Halloween films;
• dancing to Halloween songs; and
• finger painting or painting pumpkins.

Sensory disability can impact a person in many ways including vision impairment, hearing impairment and autism spectrum disorder. The Disability Support Guide provides relevant information to help carers of people with sensory disability understand more in this guide: Sensory disabilities. 

A sensory disability affects one, some or all of a person’s senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. People with a sensory disability may feel sensory input more or less intensely than other people. 

This impacts a person’s ability to interact with different environments and perform daily activities, especially when those environments are not designed to be accessible or inclusive.

Although Halloween is celebrated widely as a fun night to gather with friends and go ‘trick-or-treating,’ the origin of this celebration is deeply rooted in history. 

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, was originally a day to remember the dead, however, nowadays, it’s mostly a non-religious celebration involving carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating, as per information on the Britannica website. 

What are you planning to do this Halloween?

Let the team at Talking Disability know on social media. 

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