(Toronto, October 20th, 2008) - Halloween is fast approaching and children across Canada are picking out their costumes and dreaming about bags overflowing with candy treats. For parents with young children, however, Halloween can bring mixed emotions. Young children are sometimes fearful or shy, especially when confronted with scary costumes or decorations. There are many things that parents can do leading up to the 31st to help their children feel at ease and encourage their healthy social, emotional and intellectual development. To help support parents, Invest in Kids, a national charity that helps parents become the parents they want to be, has created two resources with Comfort, Play & Teach™ ideas and activities to help make Halloween fun for even the littlest revelers.

Comfort, Play & Teach™ is a thorough, research-informed approach that transforms everyday parent-child routines and activities into teachable moments that actively support a child’s healthy social, emotional and intellectual development.

Comfort:

Remember that your child's fear is very real to her, even if you don't really understand what she is afraid of, or you don't believe that something like trick or treating should frighten a child. Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it. Telling your child, "Don't be so silly, that's only a person dressed up like a monster," won't be helpful. Listen carefully, acknowledge the worry or fear and find a way to reduce the anxiety, for example, reading a picture book on the topic. She will receive a gentle introduction to Halloween creatures and be reassured by you if she talks about any fears she may have.

Play:

Enjoy activities like tracing the outline of your child’s body on paper so he can decorate it using his own costume ideas. He will explore different art techniques such as painting, colouring and collage while developing his creativity and demonstrating his abilities.

Teach:

Turn the candy and treats bag into a sorting game. Youngsters are overwhelmed by the amount and variety of treats. You can help by asking your child to sort or group the treats. For example, all the chocolate bars in one pile, the lollipops in another, the chips in a third and so on. Older preschoolers may want to create their own category (soft, hard, crunchy or drinkable). They can then indulge according to the guidelines you set, for example, one item from the pile of hard candy and one from the soft.

Halloween provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to spend some Comfort, Play & Teach™ moments with their child. Parents will find even more Halloween tips and activities to provide fun family moments while supporting their child’s healthy development at www.investinkids.ca/tips.

Invest in Kids is a national charity dedicated to helping parents become the parents they want to be. By translating the science of parenting and child development into engaging, easy-to-understand, relevant resources for parents and professionals, Invest in Kids aims to strengthen the parenting knowledge, skills and confidence of all those who touch the lives of our youngest children to ensure the healthy social, emotional and intellectual development of children from birth to age five. For additional information, visit www.investinkids.ca.

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Media contact:
Krista Lamb
Invest in Kids
Manager, Media Relations and Publicity
1-877-583-5437 or (416) 977-1222 ext. 224 
[email protected]