Halloween Alternatives

If you don’t feel comfortable taking your kids trick or treating, here are some fun alternatives to Halloween trick or treating they will enjoy!

Here are some great alternatives to trick or treating if you don't feel comfortable taking your kids to strangers' houses at Halloween. This is also great for young kids or if your kids are sick but still want to dress up and collect candy. Click here for the great ideas!

Halloween Alternatives
by Tawra Kellam

Here are some alternatives to trick or treating for those of you who don’t feel comfortable taking your kids to strangers’ houses at Halloween. This is also great for young kids or if your kids are sick but still want to dress up and collect candy. As usual, these are just ideas to fuel your imagination. Be creative and have fun!

Have the Great Pumpkin visit. After dinner put the kids in the tub. While they are bathing, hide candy all over the house or yard. Then you can leave a trail of leaves around leading to the candies. Light some candles and turn off the lights. After the bath, let them put on their costumes and hunt for the candy.

Try letting the kids trick or treat door to door in each room of your house. Let them put on their costumes and you and your husband or grandparents can hide behind the door and give out the candy. This works much easier with at least 2 adults giving out the candy so that one can give out candy while the next is going to the next room.

Halloween Hunt:

Using the same idea as an Easter Egg Hunt, hide little bags of candy corn, or other fun candy around the back yard. Set the kids loose and let them find the candy. Be sure to keep back some of the candy in case someone does poorly. That way you can give them a few more and keep it fun for everyone! You could also put the candy in color coded bags – red for Sally, blue for Bobby and that way they know the red is for them and the yellow is for someone else to find. This works especially well if you have children of different ages.

For another fun twist on this idea, hide mini pumpkins instead of candy. Let the kids find and decorate them with craft paint. Let small children attach construction paper cut-outs with glue sticks.

Guess How Many:

Fill a jar with candy corn or candy pumpkins and have guests guess how many are in the jar. (Don’t forget to count as you put them in the jar!) Place the jar near the door and hand each guest a 3×5 card to put their name, their guess and their favorite Halloween candy. Halfway through the party read them all off and announce the winner.

Halloween Memory Game:

Place a few theme items such as a candy corn, apple, mini pumpkin etc. on a tray. Show the tray to the guests for a few seconds, then have them write down (or call out) as many items as they remember.

How Many Words:

Hand each person a sheet of paper printed out with a Halloween word or phrase such as Haunted House, Trick or Treat, or Scarecrow. Do these on the computer so you can include some small Halloween Graphics. Ask each person to make as many words as they can out of the letters in the phrase or word you’ve given them!