Halloween in 2020 Toolkit
Halloween Toolkit
This year has tested us in many ways. We’ve seen so many cherished and treasured events get crossed off our calendars. And even though we had hoped life would be back to “normal” this fall to celebrate Halloween with a bang, rising COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin mean that our Halloween traditions might need to change too.
If you’re looking for alternative ways to celebrate Halloween this year, first we want to mention that it’s okay to feel disappointed, sad, and even a little grief over the loss of tradition. Allow yourself to respond with emotion, and allow your children to express their feelings too. After having a healthy & honest discussion about everyone’s feelings, you can guide your family through re-imagining the possibilities to come up with a new exciting plan that will bring everyone something to look forward to!
The Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin offers this toolkit as a resource as you think about how Halloween might look for your family. If you’re like us, we’ve had a lot of questions. How can we plan a safe, enjoyable and memorable Halloween? How can we cope with all of the not-so-welcome changes? And how can we help our children and loved ones cope? This toolkit includes ideas to help you plan a Halloween to remember, along with resources to support loved ones with any potential changes.
Use this Halloween Choice Board as a resource for brainstorming Halloween celebration ideas, inspiration, and/or as a visual for talking through options with your family.
Join our Halloween Facebook Party for an online Halloween celebration! We’ll post activities, ideas, and resources here to help you have a fun and memorable Halloween! Follow along, participate, connect, and share (we may even give out a prize or two!)
Visual Supports
A general social narrative about Halloween in 2020.
A story for teachers and families about celebrating Halloween at school.
A visual about what might be the same and different for Halloween this year.
A visual outlining what might be safe and unsafe for Halloween this year.
We recognize that there may be a wide variation in how you celebrate Halloween based on your local community. If you would like to personalize any of these resources, you can make your own copy of this document by following THIS LINK! Click on Make a Copy.
Thank you for checking out this toolkit. At the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin, our goal is to provide grassroots support. This toolkit was developed in partnership with our Autism Friendly Communities Initiative.
Note: The CDC has put together information about celebrating Halloween During COVID-19 which may be helpful as you navigate these changes with your family.
We would love to hear to hear your feedback or ideas for future topics or toolkits! Send feedback to info@autismgreaterwi.org.
