Halloween can be a fun-filled time of year for children of all ages. However, when the ghouls and goblins abound this October 31, how will you explain Halloween to your preschooler? After all, they will see pumpkins and candy mixed with frightful masks and people shouting "Boo!," parents can be sure the Halloween festivities are lighthearted and full of good memories if they keep them simple and safe.

Keep It Fun
"I integrate the concepts of make-believe and reality," says Ana Hernandez, a preschool teacher in Fontana, Calif. "Children are already familiar with these concepts, so explain that a person's scary mask is make-believe – but there's a real person underneath it." Hernandez says that this will help ease the shock and confusion some preschoolers may encounter on Halloween, due to the wide variety of costumes they will see that night.

"Our family focuses on the 'fun' aspect of Halloween," says Michele McNally, mother of three in West Chester, Ohio. "We don't go into the historical details of the holiday and discuss all the facets of ghosts and spirits, etc. Why expose my kids to that when they won't comprehend it and let their imaginations run wild?"

"I haven't even explained Halloween to my preschooler yet," says Kendra Lutz, mother of four in Miamisburg, Ohio. "She's too young to understand the 'good vs. evil' debate surrounding the holiday. She just knows that she gets to dress up and get candy. I'm getting a kick out of her costume dilemma: Cinderella or a ghost?"

Keep It Safe
A big concern for parents on Halloween, of course, is safety. Hernandez says she uses the illustration of Hansel and Gretel to teach her students the importance of adhering to safety rules set by their parents during trick-or-treating. The basics of the fable are that a young boy and girl, Hansel and Gretel, are taking a walk when they notice a trail of candy. They follow the trail, which leads to a beautiful house completely made out of candy. The children go up to the door, and a pretty, kind woman invites them in for more candy. After they're inside, the pretty woman locks the door and turns into an ugly, mean witch. Now the kids are trapped, and the witch plans on keeping the kids for herself.

Hernandez says that when she shares this story with her students, they become wide-eyed and full of questions. This is an opportunity to teach the kids all about trick-or-treating safety, as well as the notion of things not being always as they appear.

Keep It Light If your kids do go trick-or-treating, what about all If your kids do go trick-or-treating, what about all that candy? The loot bag alone could initiate a sugar high that lasts till next Halloween! Try this clever idea shared by McNally:

Explain to your preschooler about the friendly Halloween Witch. She is a friendly helper to all the children who didn't get any candy on Halloween. Children who went trick-or-treating should pick 10 pieces of candy for themselves and then leave the rest in a bowl outside their front door. While the children are asleep, the Halloween Witch comes to their house, takes the candy from the bowl and leaves a surprise for the child who lives there. (The surprise can be anything from a new book or video to a new toy car or doll.) The friendly Halloween Witch then takes all the collected candy and leaves it on the front porches of those children who didn't get any candy on Halloween.

McNally says that this teaches young children about the concept of sharing, helping those less fortunate and waiting for a reward. For the parents, this activity dispels ideas about witches being scary and evil – and best of all, it gets rid of all that candy!

Some parents opt to avoid trick-or-treating all together and head to fright-free environments. "My husband and I decided to take our kids to a harvest festival in our area, instead of getting involved with trick-or-treating," says Rhonda Wallace, mother of three in Chino Hills, Calif. "We also go to a local pumpkin patch and the city zoo when it's decorated for the fall."

Preschools typically offer Halloween parties as well. "We have an alternative to Halloween parties called Hallelujah parties," says Kimberly Mueller, a preschool teacher at Friendship Christian Preschool and Kindergarten in Ontario, Calif. "The students are still allowed to dress up, but not in any scary costumes. During the party, we play games, decorate cookies, sing songs and pass out candy. We purposely stay away from the dark side of Halloween. Our school celebration focuses on thanking God for our blessings in a unique way."

The preschool that McNally's children attend also stays on the light side of Halloween. "I am helping put together the Halloween activities at my children's preschool," she says. "Some of the things we plan on doing are a field trip to a pumpkin patch and a Dad's Night at the school to carve pumpkins. Dad's Night will be a neat time for the kids to share their school environment with their dads."

However you choose to explain and celebrate Halloween, try to keep the explanations simple and the festivities safe.

Want to see more?

• Halloween Headquarters
• The Ghost on Elm Street
• Twinkles, Our Favorite Ghost
• Halloween Nightmares in Disguise
• Have a funny Halloween story? Share it at iParentingStories.com!
• Talk about it!