Trick-or-treating around Grand Lake is one of the best nights of the year. Porches glow along the side streets off Grand Ave and Lakeshore, and the sidewalks fill with superheroes, princesses and more than a few ninjas. It’s also a night when kids are out after dark, in a crowd, with a bag full of candy and a lot of excitement.
At Bay Area Martial Arts, safety is something we teach every week, not just on October 31. Here are eight habits we practice with our students that you can go over at the dinner table before Saturday night.
1. Buddy up, every time
Nobody walks alone. Younger kids stay with a trusted adult, and older kids who trick-or-treat with friends go in a group of three or more. Agree on the rule before you leave: if your buddy stops, you stop. If your buddy turns back, you turn back together.
2. Pick a “home base” before you head out
Choose one easy meeting spot, like a specific corner, a porch with a big pumpkin or a well-lit storefront, and make sure everyone can say it out loud. If the group gets separated, everyone goes straight to home base and waits there.
3. Be seen after dark
It’s dark soon after 6 PM on Halloween. Add glow sticks, reflective tape or a small flashlight to every costume, and choose face paint over masks when you can so kids can see clearly in every direction. Watch the busy crossings at Grand Ave, Lakeshore Ave and around the lake, where drivers are looking for parking, not small pirates.
4. Eyes up, phone down
Awareness is the first line of self-defense. Teach kids to look up, notice who and what is around them, and cross only at corners. That goes for older kids and grown-ups too: put the phone away while you’re walking and use it for photos once you’ve stopped.
5. Know the “never” rules about strangers
Most people out on Halloween are friendly neighbors. Kids still need a few clear rules they never break:
- Stay on the porch. Never go inside a house or an apartment lobby.
- Never get into a car or walk over to one, even if someone says they know you.
- If an adult asks you to keep a secret or come with them, say no and tell your grown-up right away.
6. Practice a loud, clear “NO!”
Boundaries are a skill, and skills need practice. In class, our students practice standing tall, making eye contact and saying “NO! BACK AWAY!” in a big voice. Try it at home. A child who has said it out loud a dozen times is far more likely to use it when it counts, and it tells every adult nearby that something is wrong.
7. Have a plan if you get lost
Getting separated is scary, and a plan keeps kids calm. Teach them to:
- Stop and stay where they are, or go to home base if it’s close.
- Find a safe helper: a mom or dad with kids, or a worker inside an open store.
- Say their name and a parent’s phone number. Write the number on their arm or on a card in their pocket if they haven’t memorized it yet.
8. Trust your gut, then check the candy
If a house, a person or a street feels off, skip it. There is always another porch. Back at home, a grown-up checks the candy before anyone eats it, and anything unwrapped or homemade from a stranger goes in the trash.
How BAMA teaches these skills in class
At Bay Area Martial Arts, we teach kids by their stage of development, using martial arts as the vehicle to build Confident, Focused Leaders. Safety lessons are built into our SKILLZ programs and grow with your child:
- Basic SKILLZ (ages 4–6): listening, staying with the group, a loud “NO!” and knowing a grown-up’s name and number.
- Core SKILLZ (ages 7–9): awareness drills, stranger-safety role-play and how to find a safe helper.
- Extreme SKILLZ (ages 10–15): setting boundaries with peers, walking away with confidence and making smart choices when parents aren’t around.
Every class also builds the focus, respect and self-control that make these habits stick long after the candy is gone.
Try a class this fall
If you’d like your child to practice these skills every week, start with our 2 Week Trial Program: $69.95 (plus a $2.65 admin fee) for 4 group classes and a BAMA T-shirt. Classes for ages 4–15 run Monday through Thursday afternoons at 3719 Grand Ave.
Start your 2 Week Trial or call us at (510) 839-1814.
Have a safe and happy Halloween, Oakland. We’ll see you on the mat. 🥋🎃
Bay Area Martial Arts has served Oakland, Piedmont and East Bay families since 1998, and has been on Grand Ave since 2007.