As I’m sure we have all seen on social media, there are millions of different seasonal activities, crafts, treats to make with your kids! I have always enjoyed a themed activity and Halloween is no exception. My daughter will now ask me “What project do we have today?” :) I’ve purchased little craft kits from the dollar section at Target before and they have been a big hit with my kids. I also enjoy finding new treats to bake and include my children in the process- making the grocery list, going to the grocery store, measuring, mixing, and decorating.

I had every intention of creating a post about a simple Halloween craft with ways to support your child’s executive functioning skills (e.g., planning, organizing, time management, grit) and language skills (e.g., colors, shapes, following multi-step directions). I found a craft with would not require a lot of prep or materials that would be difficult to come across - handprint monsters! Plus, it can double as a cute Halloween decoration if framed or turned into a Halloween card. Here is a picture of what I had in mind:

My plan was to modify slightly - we were going to trace our hand, color in with crayons & markers rather than cut out, and then glue on googly eyes. I told my daughter what we were going to make and this is where her creativity led her:

While it may not be the “Done” picture I had in planned, here are some of my take aways from our Halloween activity:

• It’s okay to have a game plan and then show flexibility when it doesn’t go exactly as you had hoped.

• There are many times when our kids do have to follow directions exactly how we lay them out but this was not one of those times. There was no real need to me to “stick firm” with the Halloween craft.

• I could have stopped her and made her create the hand monster as I had envisioned but instead I allowed her creative side to shine and let her led in how the project would ultimately turn out.

• I also could have stepped in and “showed her what to do”, which basically means I could have done the project for her :) but I imagine that would have let to us both being frustrated and her giving up on the craft all together.

• Her final project may have have been as “cute” as the hand monsters I found on Pinterest but my daughter was very proud of her “Googly Eye Sun” aka the cluster of googly eyes at the top of the page :) Seeing her proud of her work gave me an opportunity to support her growth mindset by commenting on how hard she had worked on creating it.

So while we post and share activities for you to do with your kids, just know that those are always suggestions for how the “done” project turns out! The ultimate goal for those activities is to engage with your kids in a fun activity that you both can enjoy together! Remember, the process (e.g., talking with your kids, being present, laughing, making memories, creating traditions, engaging in their many questions, seeing their creativity shine) is way more important for our parent-child relationships rather than creating that picture perfect art project!

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!