Recognising or celebrating Halloween isn’t common in Australia. Until recently that is. There are products, decorations and lollies galore in the stores this year.
They haven’t gone unnoticed by Cam either. She’s been asking lots of questions about Halloween.
Cam learnt about Trick-or-Treating by reading And Then Comes Halloween
This is her favourite page and she’s just crazy about the idea of lollies (candy).
She’s been asking every day if we can go trick-or-treating on Halloween. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s not common in Australia and she’s also a little too young. So, I decided to create a game for her to play instead, TRICK-OR-TREAT ROLL. It’s a great alternative to trick-or-treating for young children.
TRICK-OR-TREAT ROLL
You will need:
- A Trick-or-Treat Die (Dice)
I asked hubby for an off-cut of timber. (But you could make a cube out of a heavy-stock card). I painted the cube and labelled each side with a word (either ‘trick’ or ‘treat’) and a matching image.
- A bag or basket of treats (These do not have to be lollies. I added a few cheap items to our basket that I found at the variety store, plus a handful of lollies)
- Some tricks
I found this great set at Aldi (It is a science kit for kids aged 8+ but it includes some props we could use: a fake spider, severed finger trick, prankster dice etc.)
Some other trick ideas:
-Buzzing handshake
-Mini water gun
-Popping Candy or War Heads
How to Play
1) Dressing up in Halloween costumes is optional (but it will get kids into the trick-or-treating spirit)
2) Ask your child to roll the die (dice)
3) If the die (dice) lands on ‘treat’, they can choose a treat from the Halloween basket
4) If the die (dice) lands on ‘trick’, you have to perform a magic trick for them
5) Take it in turns until every family member has had a turn.
I’ve introduced the game to Cam. On Halloween, we are going to visit her grandparents so she can ask them (and her aunties) to play the game with her (She then has a chance to trick-or-treat others, and she can practise her magic tricks).
Understanding Tricks
We have been reading Hedgehog’s Magic Tricks to Cam to help her understand the notion of a magic trick or prank.
Book Review:
This sweet story is perfect for introducing children to the notion of magic tricks.
Hedgehog attempts to perform a magic show for his friends. He thinks that by saying ‘abracadabra’ and waving his magic wand he can make Mouse disappear and pull Rabbit out of a hat. He gets a little upset when his tricks don’t work.
Hedgehog’s friends play a trick of their own by making a cake magically appear and then disappear. But their best trick of all is making Hedgehog feel like it was all his doing.
By looking carefully at the delightful illustrations, children can learn that magic tricks are planned and set up behind the scenes.
Book Details:
Hedgehog’s Magic Tricks
ISBN: 978-1921977688
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Walker Books, September 2012
Suitable for ages: 2+
