Halloween can be a tricky holiday for teens; they often feel too old to dress up and go trick-or-treating but not old enough to celebrate in other ways. We are all about creating memorable moments for young people from foster care, especially to honor and celebrate special days and times of the year. This helps create and enhance traditions while providing normalcy experiences for our youth.
Our recent Harvest Picnic meetUP was a fun way to celebrate this season! Mentoring Matches met at a local park for lunch and pumpkin carving. It was a beautiful Sacramento fall day — chilly yet sunny, which made it a perfect outdoor event where Matches could social distance while still enjoying time together as a group.
Upon arrival, the teens selected a large pumpkin and received a small decorated bucket filled with a carving kit and a surprise goodie bag that included festive socks and candy. A hearty lunch of fresh sandwiches with chips was made complete by adorable and very tasty monster cookies, thanks to our friends at Cake4Kids.
Youth and mentors worked side-by-side to create their unique jack-o’-lanterns. Most Matches freehanded their pumpkin designs while others used patterns from their carving kits. All of the jack-o’-lanterns came out great, and it was wonderful to celebrate together!
We encourage all caring adults to help teens in your life enjoy Halloween in a way that makes them comfortable. Check out our fun suggestions*:
- Let them eat candy! If you’re passing out candy, please share with teens — even if they don’t say “trick or treat” or aren’t in (elaborate) costumes.
- Help them dress up. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Dressing up can be done with minimal accessories, simple hair/makeup and everyday clothes. We also like these fun and affordable costume ideas curated by Fabulessly Frugal.
- Order tasty takeout – several pizza chains offer jack-o’-lantern-shaped pizza. You can also check out tasty deals (shared by TODAY) from national restaurants, like Krispy Kreme, Wendy’s and more.
- Have a movie marathon — depending on your teen’s preference, you can stream Halloween-inspired movies from a spooky, horror, vintage or comedy genre.
- Bake or decorate a fun seasonal treat, like one of these easy recipes from Insanely Good.
- Of course, pumpkin carving is a great activity — you can make it a contest and give a prize.
We hope these tips* encourage you to do something fun with the teens in your life. A signature part of our program is to provide positive recreation to youth from foster care. We are proud to offer these age-appropriate activities and love seeing our young people enjoy traditions with their mentors.
We hope you enjoy a safe and happy Halloween!
*This content is NOT sponsored. These are original ideas from Aging UP staff and any companies mentioned are simply noted for inspiration.
