Reviewed by Kate Brough, MS, Head of Occupational Therapy Services at Soar Autism Center
Halloween doesn’t have to happen out on a crowded sidewalk or trunk-or-treat event. A night in at home can still be full of costumes, treats, and play, where your child can set the pace.
If your family is opting to stay home this Halloween, our occupational therapists (OTs), speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) have come up with some of their favorite Halloween sensory activities for children with autism that can keep the Halloween spirit alive without ever venturing out.
Signs your child might have more fun staying home
Your child might have more fun at home this year if loud sounds, flashing lights, or crowds tend to feel like a lot, or if new places and late afternoons or evenings are hard. Some children love pumpkins, costumes, and treats but aren’t interested in going door to door, and that’s OK. A night in is also a great fit for a child who does best with one grown-up or is still on the younger side and tires out by dinnertime. Staying in gives your child the parts of Halloween they love, at their own pace.
Still deciding? Our sensory-friendly Halloween guide has a chart to help, plus tips for trick-or-treating.
At-home sensory-friendly Halloween ideas
A little planning helps the night feel fun from start to finish. Most of these Halloween activities for preschoolers work for toddlers, too, with a grown-up close by.
- Let your child pick. Offer two or three activities from this list and let them choose.
- Keep it short. Two or three activities is plenty for one evening.
- Make a visual schedule. Line up a few photos or drawings in order, like a pumpkin, sensory bin, movie, and bed, so your child can see what comes next and when the night ends.
- Include siblings. Brothers and sisters get a say, too. Ask what they’re looking forward to, and plan a piece of the night that’s just for them. They can also run the pretend trick-or-treat, help hand out treats, or join the dance party. If a sibling wants to go out, one grown-up can take them while the rest of the family stays in.
Hand out treats together
Your child can choose their job: holding the bowl, opening the door, or waving from the window. When your child is done with visitors and ringing doorbells for the evening, turn off the porch light and move on to the next activity.
Offer non-food treats, like stickers, glow sticks, or small toys, and your house becomes a teal pumpkin stop. That symbol, from the Teal Pumpkin Project run by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), tells families that children with food allergies can join in.
Trick-or-treat at home
Turn bedroom doors into “houses.” Siblings, grown-ups, or stuffed animals wait behind each door with a treat. Your child knocks, gets a treat, and moves on to the next “house.”
Keep it silly and short. Take turns being the one behind the door. Wear costumes, or don’t. Pajamas count.
Make a Halloween sensory bin
A sensory bin is a tub filled with something to scoop, pour, and dig through, plus a few things to find. It’s a chance for your child to explore new textures on their own terms, and scooping, pouring, and grabbing build the same hand skills your child uses to get dressed and feed themselves.
Pick a base:
- Dry pasta or rice, dyed orange, green, purple and/or black with food coloring
- Cooked, cooled spaghetti for a slimy “monster guts” bin
- Water with a few drops of orange food coloring
- Crinkled orange and black tissue paper, for a child who prefers dry, light textures
- Cornmeal with unsweetened Kool-Aid packets for color to make taste-safe sand
Add things to find and use:
- Plastic spiders, bats, or toy pumpkins
- Scoops, measuring cups, funnels, and kitchen tongs
- A few of your child’s favorite toys dressed up for Halloween
Keep it safe and easy:
- Stay close. For children under 3, or any child who still puts things in their mouth, skip small items like dry beans, rice, and small toys and opt for a taste-safe base.
- Skip water beads, which are a swallowing hazard for young children.
- Put a towel or shower curtain under the bin for easy cleanup.
If your child doesn’t like messy hands, that’s OK. Offer spoons, scoops, or gloves, or let them watch you play first. They can join in whenever they’re ready, or not at all.
Halloween movie night
Build a blanket fort, pick a favorite kid friendly Halloween movie, and serve a snack your child already enjoys. Costumes are optional. Cozy is the goal.
More sensory Halloween activities
- Pumpkin guts bag. Scoop pumpkin seeds and pulp into a zip-top bag, seal it with tape, and let your child squish it. All the fun of a pumpkin, lots of sensory play, none of the mess.
- Decorate a pumpkin. With little hands, there is no carving needed. Use stickers, paint, markers, or washi tape. All can help little hands work on the fine motor skills they’re building up.
- Glow-stick dance party. Turn down the lights, crack some glow sticks, and put on your child’s favorite songs. Freeze when the music stops.
- Flashlight hunt. Hide small toys around the house or backyard and search for them together with a flashlight.
- Monster rescue. Freeze small plastic toys in a container of water the day before. Your child uses warm water, spoons, and squirt bottles to free them. This can even be used at bathtime to make a daily “chore” more fun and enjoyable. Plus, it’s a moment of connection and learning you can share in together.
- Halloween playdough. Make or buy orange and purple playdough and add cookie cutters, googly eyes, or plastic spiders. Playing with the dough helps build hand strength and is just overall fun!
Building the perfect Halloween night
The right Halloween activities for your family are dependent on your children, their ages, their likes and dislikes. And what is fun for everyone this Halloween may not be fun next year. Kids aged 18 months through 6 years old are often very excited to participate in the holiday, but they’re also very young, so finding the best way for them to celebrate will make it memorable for both you and them.
Want help with the hard parts of everyday routines, not just Halloween? If clothing, sounds, or crowds make ordinary days tough for your child, our care team can talk through what support could look like. Schedule a call
FAQs
What are some sensory Halloween activities for toddlers and preschoolers?
Halloween sensory bins, a pumpkin-guts squish bag, pumpkin decorating with stickers or paint, a glow-stick dance party, a flashlight hunt, and Halloween playdough are all easy Halloween activities at home. Let your child choose one or two, and keep each activity short.
What do you put in a Halloween sensory bin?
Start with a base to scoop and pour, like dry pasta, rice, cooked spaghetti, water, or tissue paper. Add Halloween toys to find, like plastic spiders or pumpkins, and tools like scoops, funnels, and tongs. For children under 3, or any child who still puts things in their mouth, skip small items and stay close.
Is it OK to skip trick-or-treating?
Yes. Staying in is a great way to celebrate, not a lesser one. Many families find that a night of play at home lets their child enjoy the parts of Halloween they love most.
What are some alternatives to trick-or-treating?
Handing out treats from your doorstep, a pretend trick-or-treat at home using bedroom doors, a Halloween movie night, a daytime trunk-or-treat, or a sensory-friendly event at a local library or museum. Choose what your child is excited about.
How can we include siblings who want to go trick-or-treating?
Split the night. One grown-up takes siblings out while your child stays in, then everyone meets up to sort treats together. Siblings can also run the pretend trick-or-treat at home before or after they go out.
