Friday, January 2, 2009

Scary Kids Halloween Costumes to Go Trick-or-Treating In

By Susan West

For children, Halloween is a magical time because they get to take what may be their favorite pastime of fantasy and turn it into an all-day event. What comes before the Halloween night is just as much fun as trick-or-treating itself. For children who would like to be scary creatures, this is one time when they can be encouraged to do so. You might not know that research has shown that children who pretend to be the scariest of Halloween creatures are far less likely to be afraid of imaginary monsters they encounter. So find that perfect Halloween costume for your child and start the night off with a magical tone.

Halloween is the one night of year when you can see Frankenstein lumbering along the sidewalk alongside Cinderella, hand-in-hand. Perhaps more than any other holiday besides Christmas, Halloween is the perfect holiday for children. In addition, Halloween can be rewarding for parents, too. After all, this is the one night of year when parents, too, can break out of their mold and become whomever they wish for just one night.

Children love make-believe and dress-up. What better time to enjoy this than at Halloween? Even though some have misgivings about the holiday, celebrate it for what it is; a time to pretend. If your child's Halloween costume choice is Count Dracula don't worry. Ignoring the notion of monsters or ghosts does not do your child any favors. Teach them that it's ok to face a monster. That monster could be either a kids Halloween costume or a personal fear. Addressing a fear is one thing, and celebrating it is another. It's widely debated whether participating with Halloween costumes is considered "celebrating." That decision is up to you. Regardless of your position, you have to admit that dress up is fun for children and that is exactly the purpose of a childs Halloween costume.

These days, popular movies like Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean are spawning a new industry derived of creating costumes from those movies. You can even accessorize creatively by getting a sibling to come along as another of the characters (or, in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, even as a parrot). Need to have a mate walk the plank? Mom or dad, go ahead and toil along behind Junior, the captain, on a rope as the prisoner just for the evening. Then your roles can go back to the ordinary and everyday parent-child setup right after the festivities are over.

With Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean running as some of the most popular costumes, it can be difficult to come up with new and improved creepy costumes for kids. Using siblings, parents, and very kindly and gently using pets, as additives for a costume get up can make a simple theme go much farther. There's nothing wrong with one child dressing up as a pirate while the other one dresses up as a complimentary parrot. A willing parent can dress up as a prisoner about to walk the plank in tow. All of this make pretend is healthy, and the more the family gets into together the more the kids are going to get out of it.

Trick or Treat is a tradition that for a number of years has fallen to the wayside. Accusations about its immorality have haunted even the most active Halloween towns. Despite these attacks, bloody bats and buzzing bumble bees still parade down the street every October 31st in celebration of the day that has been modified from three other religious beliefs.

After you and Johnny and little Suzy decide on a theme, search online together for child's costume ideas. Just go for it! The crazier the better! The kids will zigzag back and forth between costume ideas, but gently keep them headed in a direction. Allow plenty of time to create the kids Halloween costumes and this will be an activity everyone will always remember. Edited by Glinda Zuladra - 15432

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