Autism Friendly & Sensory Friendly Halloween Ideas
October is here and Autumn is in full swing – crispy and rainy weather, shorter days and colourful landscapes. Halloween may be spooky for some, but we’ve put together some sensory Halloween activities that will be sure to be treats, not tricks. It is the ideal season for your loved ones to explore different shapes, sizes, textures and colours with all their senses. With Halloween around the corner, pumpkin patches are the perfect places where your child or loved ones can have fun pumpkin sensory-friendly activities.
Pumpkin Picking
From picking the perfect pumpkin to transforming it into a spooky or fun creature, it promises a great time for the whole family.
Pumpkin fields offer plenty of colours, textures and shapes to be explored – let your child explore the pumpkins on offer. Some farms provide fun activities like face painting, playgrounds, corn mazes, carving areas, farm yard animals, tractor rides, etc. along with food and beverages – something for everyone to guarantee you a great family time.
To make the most of your day, plan ahead to avoid any bumps in your pumpkin adventure:
- Choose a quieter time to visit to avoid crowded places and loud noises – find out which places will be best to avoid triggering anxiety or feeling overwhelmed.
- Consider bringing a change of clothes and shoes – mud can be uncomfortable so a fresh set of safe clothes may be sensible if things get too wet.
- Check with the venue if there are any scary surprises – some venues may offer just the pumpkin-picking experience whilst some might have some scarier elements like jumpscares, especially in mazes.
Pumpkin Decorating
Once you’ve picked the perfect pumpkin, it’s time to decorate it. Some children may be happy to try pumpkin carving (with help from an adult of course) – the slimy insides of a pumpkin can provide lots of new sensations along with the bumpy and grooved pumpkin rind.
Don’t want sharp tools around? Why not decorate the outside of the pumpkin? Use markers to draw a spooky (or friendly face) and glue fun craft materials like feathers, sequins and sponges to make a really unique Halloween decoration.
Image by Freepik
Autumn Collage
If you’ve carved a pumpkin, why not use the seeds and some autumn leaves to create art pieces? Get a piece of paper, glue, leaves and seeds and explore your creativity while touching different textures of the leaves and raw/roasted seeds.
Apple Stamping
Apple bobbing might not be for everyone, but why not try apple stamping? Simply slice an apple in half and dry them with a paper towel. Then you add paint to the fleshy side of the apple and press onto paper to create some fun designs. Try mixing different colours to create some fun pop art. If you use orange paint and add some green leaves on top, you can easily make some Halloween pumpkin designs!
Note – you can also try this activity with potatoes instead of apples, or even pieces of cut out pumpkin!
Papier Mache Crafts
Why not try to make your own pumpkin using papier mache? This is a fun messy sensory Halloween activity that will encourage lots of creativity. Here are some easy steps:
- Mix together roughly equal amounts of plain flour and warm water – this should make a smooth paste with no lumps. If your mixture is too lumpy some more water, if it’s too runny add more flour.
- Cut some old newspaper into strips.
- Get something to use as a base – you could use an inflated balloon, cardboard like an old cereal box or eggbox, or even fruit like pumpkin, apples or pears.
- Use the paste to “glue” the newspaper strips in layers. Now leave it to dry completely (this might take a few days)
- Once completely dry remove the papeir mache shell from the balloon or fruit and decorate with fun colours and textures!
Baking pumpkin treats
Did you know that you can use the flesh of pumpkins and pumpkin seeds to make some yummy recipes? Why not bake some delicious treats together and enjoy eating them with a fun movie? Here’s some of our favourites:
Pumpkin Seed Cookies (Source: BBC Good Food)
Pumpkin Cake (Source: BBC Good Food)
Pumpkin Muffins (Source: BBC Good Food)
Pumpkin Pie (Source: BBC Good Food)
What are your favourite sensory Halloween activities? Let us know and tag us in your creations on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!
