WEST MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) – Experts advise parents to prepare their children ahead of Halloween trick-or-treating.
According to psychology experts, young kids might have a hard understanding that the creepy sights and sounds they see on Halloween are fake.
“In developmental psychology, we talk a lot about preparing our children for experiences that might be more difficult, and spooky season can be difficult for some kids,” said Sarah Kollat, Ph. D., professor of developmental psychology at Pennsylvania State University.
Kollat said there are ways parents and caregivers can prepare children ahead of time, such as using visual techniques.
“There are books online, but also, parents can draw things specifically for their children, and just to talk about, ‘OK, so we’re in October now. You’re going to be seeing some scary things in people’s yards, but it’s all just pretend. It’s just for fun,’ and you can have them kind of picture this,” said Kollat.
She also said adults should talk to children about what to do when things start to feel scary, providing some ways to help kids through those big feelings.
“‘You’re going to take a deep breath,’ or, ‘You’re going to go and get a grown-up and tell them that you’re feeling scared’ depending on the age of the child,” said Kollat.
According to Kollat, some strategies ultimately come down to parents knowing their child and their limits.
There are plenty of spots in South Florida to take children trick-or-treating.
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