Simple but Fun Alternatives to Trick or Treating for Halloween
When you cut out food dyes it may go well for a while but then Halloween rolls in and Trick-or-Treating becomes an issue. After giving up artificial food dyes we had to deal with most of the treats the children would get Trick-or-Treating were not an option for the kids. Something a 1-year-old boy with a red sucker in his hand can’t understand. Then we moved to a place where Trick-or-Treating was not an option while my husband was in school on Halloween night. That forced us to find alternatives for trick-or-treating for Halloween.
Alternates to trick or treating
That first year while he was in school at night we started our new tradition. Our favorite of the many alternatives to trick or treating is to stay home and watch Halloween movies. We order a pizza or make our own, grab a couple bags of mixed candy bars that are food dye-free for the kids to pig out on and I spend the night with them enjoying quality time.
Have a fall festival with friends and family. It doesn’t cost much to have a little Halloween fun for everyone. Plan some fun yard games, make some homemade face paint and some pumpkin goodie bags and gather around for some good clean fun.
Celebrate Halloween with some spooky fun in the backyard. Dress up in costumes and play flashlight tag. Buy bulk glow stick bracelets and have fun making shapes or play a game of glow stick laser tag int he dark. Halloween can be loads of fun without trick or treating. if you take the time to find fun alternatives.
Head down to your local library for some fun new books perfect for Halloween. We love to look for fun monster, ghost, and witch-themed children’s books for spend Halloween morning cuddled in bed reading. It is a great way to stay warm on a cold morning.
Room on the BroomThe Itsy Bitsy PumpkinLittle Blue Truck’s HalloweenTen Timid Ghosts (Read With Me Paperbacks)It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Peanuts)Goodnight Goon: a Petrifying ParodyThe Night Before HalloweenPinkalicious: Pink or Treat!Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey’s HalloweenThe Biggest Pumpkin EverOne, Two…Boo!The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of AnythingSkeleton HiccupsHalloween HustleLittle Critter: Happy Halloween, Little Critter!
Other great alternatives to trick or treating we enjoy include lots of pumpkin pie sensory activities, Sometimes I mix a little school in with pumpkin crafts and printables for the kids. And perhaps the most exciting way to spend Halloween is to take the kids out to the local pumpkin patch for one last hayride, and corn maze trip for the year while the sun is high.
Alternatives to trick or treating door to door
Trick or treating can be a fun and memorable experience for kids. It can also be scary depending on how over the top your neighborhood goes. These alternatives to trick-or-treating door-to-door can help you enjoy a non-scary Halloween. Not only can trick or treating door to door be scary it can also be dangerous. For many that live in poor neighborhoods, it is the perfect example of giving human traffickers an open opportunity. The good news is there are a lot of great alternatives.
Trick or treat events
Check out your local mall, zoo, or science center for fun trick-or-treat events you can take your child to. These enclosed events are a great alternative to door-to-door trick or treating and can give you peace of mind.
Look to see if local towns are hosting a trick-or-treat event with stores downtown. One of our favorite trick-or-treat events when the kids were young was when the next town over, hosted a trick-or-treat event on the main street downtown. Not only did the kids have a great time but we had the opportunity to discover a lot of cool mom-and-pop places we never noticed just driving down the street. And the best part? It was held during the day when it is easier to see the kids and they are awake without being cranky.
Trunk or treats are a great alternative to door-to-door trick or treating. My husband’s unit in the Army would host one for all of the kids. That was pretty cool. A lot of churches are adopting this activity to allow the children in their communities to have a safe place for trick or treating.