How to Organize a Halloween Costume Swap

Halloween costumes can be prohibitively expensive and they just aren't in the budget for many parents. Most parents, however, still want their children to have a costume and enjoy the holiday. A costume swap is one way to accomplish both goals. Trading costumes with friends and family members is an economical way to ensure that your child still has a costume he's excited about and to keep a little money in your savings account.

Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a date to hold your costume swap. Select a date that falls one or two weeks before Halloween so the children are excited about trick-or-treating and ready to settle on a costume.

    • 2

      Select a place, such as your living room or a friend's backyard, to hold your costume swap.

    • 3

      Advertise the costume swap to friends, family members and other parents in your community. Ask anyone interested in participating to gather any old Halloween costumes they have and bring them to the swap.

    • 4

      Set up several large tables or clothing racks to display the costumes. Invite participants to place their costumes on the tables or racks so that others can "shop" for their new gear. Your swap might also include small tables to hold costume accessories, such as masks, jewelry, headbands and footwear.

    • 5

      Invite costume swap participants to browse the costumes and select one for each of their children. Remind participants to take the same number of costumes as they donated, so if they brought one costume to swap, they should leave with just one costume. This ensures that there are enough costumes for everyone participating.

    • 6

      Provide entertainment for the children who attend the swap with their parents. Supply Halloween-themed coloring sheets and crayons, as well as snacks such as pumpkin cookies and fresh fruit. This will help keep the children occupied so their parents can find the perfect Halloween costume for each of them.

    • 7

      Offer any costumes not taken during the swap to populations of underserved children, such as those who are victims of natural disasters or house fires. This will spread the joy of Halloween to other children, which can help your children feel good about doing something nice for someone else.

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