Shirin YadegarBy Shirin Yadegar

Fall is in the air with pumpkin spice chai lattes and misty mornings, and the kids are consumed with halloween decorations and costume ideas.

Actually, the entire family is excited about dressing up and trick or treating. The challenge is what’s everyone going to dress up as?

My teens are too “big” for conventional costumes and my elementary school kids just want to purchase everything they set their eyes on. So where’s the balance?

For several years, we have turned halloween into a fun family project where we brainstorm and create our own original costumes. That means you don’t have to be someone famous or popular. You can be whoever you want to be.

This forces everyone to think outside the box and get creative. In the end, everyone feels empowered and original. The best part is that you don’t have to sew anything or reinvent the wheel.

Go on a field trip into your kids’ closets and browse around. Talk about the dream job they would want. Discuss people they admire and look up to. Once the conversations start, costume ideas just begin spilling out.

If you adopt this idea for your family, please post and tag us on social media @lamommagazine so we can see what creative ideas you came up with. Can’t wait to see all of your costumes. Hope you all have a spooky and safe halloween!

Shirin Yadegar is the creator of http://www.lamommagazine.com She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four daughters.