Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year for children of all ages. Because Halloween celebrations are centered on costumes and spooky decorations, it may be difficult for blind or visually impaired children to feel included in the festivities. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of fun Halloween craft and costume ideas that are tactile in nature and well-suited for blind and visually impaired children. Click the title of each project for detailed instructions!
Autumn wreath art project
This is a fun, two-part tactile project for visually impaired children. Collecting the materials outdoors and using them to create a wreath is a fun way for your child to enjoy the scents and textures of fall.
Sensory “coloring” project
This great craft project allows your children to “color” using their senses. The puff paint helps them feel the outline of the drawing, and autumn-scented potpourri allows them to “color” with their sense of smell.
Cotton ball ghosts
This is a fun project that can be adapted by using puff paint to draw the outline of a ghost out on construction paper.
Tactile spider web
This tactile project uses yarn, Styrofoam, pipe cleaners and pompoms to create a three-dimensional spider web that’s fun to touch.
Tactile pumpkin decorating
This is a fun way for visually impaired children to participate in pumpkin decorating. Provide your child with items in a variety of textures that your child can use to decorate their pumpkin. Use SKILCRAFT® double-sided tape to affix the items to your pumpkin.
Candy apples
This one might get a little messy, but it’s a fun and safe way to get your kids involved in making treats. Provide a variety of toppings such as nuts, Oreo crumbs, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. for your child to sprinkle over their caramel apples.
Spooky sensory experience
A fun way to get blind children involved in the spooky side of Halloween is by filling your SKILCRAFT food storage containers with creepy objects for your child to feel. The link above provides ideas that are likely better suited for older children. For little ones, consider using funny objects such as slime, pumpkin guts or faux spider webs.
Homemade costume ideas
Giving your blind or visually impaired child the opportunity to make their costume can be more exciting for them than simply purchasing one. A standard paper bag costume can act as a great base for them to decorate. Use your imagination – there are many costume ideas that can be modified as tactile art projects. For example, the cotton ball ghost project listed in #3 can easily be adapted into a fun ghost costume, or faux fur can be used for animal-themed costumes.
Non-toxic slime
This is a fun, simple project that your kids will enjoy both making and playing with. This recipe that uses only two ingredients – Metamucil and water – making it a safer alternative for very young children.
Creepy skeleton
Create a creepy Halloween skeleton with your child using dry pasta! The project linked above can be modified for visually impaired children simply by using puff paint to draw a stick figure for your child to use as a guide. Not only is this project fun, but you can make it educational by talking about the skeleton’s various bones and their functionality.
When purchasing your supplies for these projects, don’t forget to check out Blind-Made.com! We offer a variety of household and office products as well as hand-crafted soy candles in a variety of fall scents. Remember – every purchase made through Blind-Made.com helps support Industry for the Blind – Milwaukee’s missionto provide employment opportunities to blind professionals!
