Hallowe'en And Creative Preschoolers

Hallowe'en And Creative Preschoolers

Hallowe'en is exciting for preschoolers! The holiday's sights, sounds, rituals, experiences and,of course the special treats,are all intensely enjoyed by them! Enthusiasm for this season abounds in this age group. What a wonderful opportunity this is for parents, daycare providers and teachers! When the autumn leaves are directly at your feet, so too is this great outlet to promote creativity among preschoolers. There are chances here to develop creativity in design, in reading and writing, in artistic expression even as it extends to culinary expression.

Creative Costumes

Many Hallowe'en costumes are bought from the department stores during this season. Preschoolers are,of course,influenced by popular culture and motivated to follow their friend's paths. Many children will ask for the mass produced costumes. I see no problem with this wish as long as the costume does not interfere with their safety in any way.This is a holiday which is extremely focused on children so I believe we should help them to enjoy it as much as possible. There are lots of opportunities during the Hallowe'en holiday to foster creativity. If a child is not happy in a costume (even if you have spent countless hours creating the masterpiece) the chance for the season to be happy, productive and creative then completely disappears. You can,however,guide the child in his costume selection. If their choice is a cartoon character costume, you can suggest that instead of having a costume similar to others, the possibility exists to have a costume unique to themselves. If this approach is to be successful, however, you must produce a definite plan. Preschoolers will be wary of a general offer to produce a homemade costume. If you explain all the different methods you can use to reproduce the character then you triple your chances that the suggestion will be accepted. Don't forget to emphasize the fun that everybody will have while creating the costume.Many of the store variety Hallowe'en costumes contain masks which lead to instant identification of the particular character.Most homemade costumes do not have masks as part of the ensemble. This is certainly a more safer costume option! (although department store costumes sans masks are becoming more the norm - especially in the preschool age group).Creativity in both the parent and child will be challenged in the creation of the homemade Hallowe'en costume. More effort is required to portray the character without one instant identifying feature.This is not to be Mom's or Dad's venture but rather it is to be a family effort. Welcome your child's ideas and ensure that they are involved in the shopping for and the creation of the costume! There are many age appropriate tasks that a preschooler can perform in costume creation. The end result should be the same one which hopefully follows all learning experiences.The child has concrete evidence of their accomplishments and more importantly an inward sense of self - esteem. Homemade costumes are talked about and remembered for years after the particular Hallowe'en passes! It is not the costume quality that holds the memory but the family experience itself!

CREATIVE SKILLS

Hallowe'en is supposed to be fun and even some parents may be reluctant to acquaint reading and writing skills with the holiday.

We must remember, however, that the best learning comes from enthusiastic desire. I don't think we can dispute the children's enthusiasm at this time of year so why not capitalize on it! Some teachers probably do ask their students to draw or write about their Hallowe'en.I feel we have equally as good a chance of getting enthusiastic response prior to the holiday. The child's enthusiasm is so intense at that point that it is an open resource waiting to be tapped.Parents can even use their computers to foster their child's creativity. Help them develop their own Hallowe'en page with all their likes and wishes of the season. Let them pick some Hallowe'en graphics for their page. Placing them on the page helps them learn about space and how items fit. They may try to duplicate graphics using their artistic expression. Have them display family Hallowe'en pictures and they can help name them. Collect alphabet clipart for their page name or they can key in the letters themselves. Find links for online Hallowe'en games on quality children's sites so that the activities will most likely be designed for fun but will also contain comprehension or recognition skillls.Seasonal children's stories can also be located online at top ranked children sites. To encourage preschoolers to develop a love of reading I began CHILDREN'S PERSONALIZED E STORIES!

I decided to offer children personalized e stories which are unique to each child. In honour of Hallowe'en, I created a Hallowe'en E Story.Each story is based on 8 - 12 elements of a child's life in regards to Hallowe'en from the simple - favourite Hallowe'en costume - to the more complex - favourite Hallowe'en memory. Each e story is as individual as each child! Any incentive which encourages preschoolers to develop a love of reading has to be positive! I also use CHILDREN'S PERSONALIZED E STORIES as a vehicle to encourage children to write their own stories. Parents are invited to submit their child's own story and the child receives a book icon displaying their name placed on the page with their story and a general (or personalized,if preferred) story review from SANTA and EASTER BUNNY. Preschoolers must be encouraged to express their own ideas and feel good about that expression. Writing stories fosters literary skills in children but the elevated sense of self - esteem that it fostered is equally valuable. I try to promote the joy of reading and writing through CHILDREN"S PERSONALIZED E STORIES and with my articles. Each of us can find our own way to instill a joy of reading and writing in our children. Our success will depend on our committment to that cause and the importance that we attach to its outcome.

CREATIVE TREATS

Sweet treats are a top attraction of Hallowe'en. The best times in children's lives are the quality times spent with the people they love. Hallowe'en treats may be sweet but not as sweet as the memories of family holiday preparations. Children gain much from holiday traditions. The preparations for Hallowe'en snacks, family meals or parties involve crafts for table and room decorations and place settings as well as food preparation. Children should be allowed and encouraged to participate in these activities to the best of their ability. Besides artistic expression, skills such as counting, hand and eye co-ordination, and matching are all experienced through those activities. Hallowe'en treats are even more special if the child helps make them. Our aim here should be for involvement on their part. We should not look for or expect our standards to be always met in the finished product. At CHILDREN'S PERSONALIZED E STORIES I urge parents not to edit their children's stories for submission to THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY Age appropriate is the key phrase!

"I have a pet. HIs name is Spot," is a quite acceptable for a preschooler's story! Their culinary adventures should likewise be expected to produce results appropriate to their age level.

I believe that personalization is an effective tool in culinary presentations. Children especially love personalized treats as they make them feel very special. I realize the popularity of personalized stories and other personalizaed products so I provide at CHILDREN'S PERSONALIZED E STORIES personalization tips for children's treats in general as well as Hallowe'en personalized treats. Edible orange meringue place cards, lollipop pumpkin cookies, Hallowe'en cake "picture frames" and cake "pumpkin" circles or blocks are featured and are quite appealing to the Hallowe'en enthusiast. Children can help write names or make features on cookies and not realize that they are practising their writing and reading and counting skills. They experience the joy of seeing people appreciate their creations and they will feel the happiness that comes from doing for and sharing with others.Skill development is neccesary in preschoolers but it is pretty sterile without the addition of a balanced social sense as well.

CREATIVE HALLOWE'EN

Let's wish that all our children have a safe and happy Hallowe'en! Hopefully all parents and daycare providers and teachers will get into the spirit of Hallowe'en as well! Amid the enthusiasm and celebrations,there is a great opportunity to foster creativity among our children. Let's not waste it! An enthusiastic mind is one that is wide open to learning! Let's say" BOO" at Hallowe'en -but not " BOO HOO, I MISSED THAT OPPORTUNITY! " Have a Creative Hallowe'en everyone!