Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is one of the special days that most children and their parents look forward to each year with excitement, anticipation and sometimes nervousness. Kids will plan their perfect costume months in advance, think long and hard about how they will carve their pumpkin, and dream about the “load” of Halloween candy they will “trick or treat” for. Parents are the nervous ones. They want to make sure their children have an awesome, yet safe Halloween. Parents, this article is for you. Check out these ways to make sure children stay safe during this Spooktacular holiday.

Pumpkins and Carving

1. Make sure you carve your pumpkin in a clean, dry, well-lit area. When hands, tables and knives are wet, they can be slippery and dangerous.
   
2. Always make sure an adult is supervising.
   
3. Let children draw a picture on the pumpkin and also clean out the pumpkin guts, but have
   an adult do the carving.
   
4. Use a pumpkin carving kit. The small knives that come with these are not sharp enough
   to cause deep serious injuries.
   
5. Use a “fake” candle to light the pumpkin up instead of a real one.
   

Costume Planning

1. Make sure costumes are reflective and choose lighter colors if possible.
   
2. Use face paints and makeup versus masks. You want your child to be able to see well
   and masks can obstruct their vision.
   
3. Make sure your child has a flashlight or glow sticks so that they are more visible.
   

Trick or Treating

1. Make sure you have a reminder talk about Stranger Danger with your children before Halloween night.
   
2. Kids have a habit of getting excited and trying to go quickly from one house to another. Have set rules that they must abide by and understand before you go out Trick or Treating.
   
3. Kids under 12 should not be out alone at night without an adult. If they are over 12, they should trick or treat in large groups and never by themselves.
   
4. Always walk on sidewalks or trails. If there are neither available, be sure to walk in the street against traffic.
   
5. Always cross the street at corners and never dart out in the middle of the street or come out onto the street between parked cars.
   

6. Be sure to inspect the candy before consuming it. If there are any unwrapped pieces or homemade goodies, discard and do not eat. While some may consider that over cautious, let’s face it- the world is just not as safe as it used to be and it’s always better to be SAFE.
Your children learn about various subjects such as Self-Discipline, Self-Control, Anti-Bullying as well as Self-Defense in their training at the United States Karate Academy. One of the most important subjects we teach our students is about “Stranger Danger”. Keep an eye out for our next community seminar that will be on “Stranger Danger” awareness coming soon!
We at the United States Karate Academy want to wish you and your family an Amazing, Safe, Happy & Spooktacular Halloween. We have included 2 buddy passes below that you can share with a friend. See you in the dojo!