Halloween costumes are a fun way to help children build their describing and language skills! Whether your child is dressing up as a superhero, an animal, or a favorite character, costumes provide a natural opportunity to practice using specific words to describe what they see.

Ask Questions About the Costume

Encourage your child to describe a costume by asking questions such as:

• What is the costume?
• What color is it?
• What does it look like?
• What does it feel like?
• What parts does it have?
• Where would you find this character or animal? 
• What does it do?

Try to encourage complete sentences rather than one-word answers. For example, instead of “a witch,” encourage “It is a witch costume with a black hat and a purple cape.”

Play “Guess The Costume”

Take turns describing a costume without saying its name. Give clues about its color, size, parts, category, or what it does, and see if your child can guess the costume. For example: “It is an animal. It has four legs, a long tail, and pointy ears. What is it?” This activity works on both expressive language and listening comprehension.

Expand Your Child’s Vocabulary

Halloween is also a great time to introduce new descriptive words such as spooky, sparkly, fuzzy, striped, scary, shiny, soft, and enormous. When your child uses a basic word, try expanding it with a more specific description. Instead of simply saying “mask,” you might say, “Yes! It’s a scary, plastic mask.” Talking about costumes while shopping, looking at pictures, attending a Halloween event, or getting ready for trick-or-treating can all become opportunities to practice describing.

Most importantly, keep the conversation fun and follow your child’s interests. A few minutes of playful conversation can provide valuable opportunities to build vocabulary, formulate sentences, and improve overall communication skills.

Happy Halloween, and happy describing!