Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s brilliant. You get to choose who you’re going to be, put on a costume to show the world who you are, and then encourage people to give you stuff.
I think Halloween is a great training ground for kids. Why? Well, first, see what costume a child chooses. It will give you a hint into how they see themselves in relation to the world. If their costume is scary, ask them what is it about this character that they may enjoy being? See why they choose what they choose, and this is also an opportunity where they can NOT be wrong!
Next, I think encouraging children to talk to strangers in a controlled environment is a great idea. It’s not possible to make new friends without talking to strangers. So the idea of kids going and talking to strangers will give them access and practice of the gut feeling they get from each person. And if a parent is standing 20 feet away, then the child can have the experience and then the parent can take the opportunity to talk to the child about what they felt from that person, helping to fine-tune intuition.
And lastly, Halloween is a holiday that’s not “religion” based, and it’s all about candy, what could be bad? Once in a while, having some sweets, some candy, is fine… and fun! Anything in moderation is good. So, I wish everyone a Happy, Safe, Fun, Halloween. Go talk to strangers and eat some candy!