Spooktacular Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating for Kids

Bewitching Halloween Fun for Kids

Looking for fun, simple ways to celebrate Halloween without the traditional door-to-door candy collection?

Here are 10 spooktacular ideas for Halloween fun with children, whether it be with neighbors, schools, groups or just family. 🎃👻

• Indoor "Door-to-Door" Fun: 

  • Have family members (or neighbors/teachers in separate classrooms or a gymnasium) man different rooms or decorated stations inside your house or school/community center, and let the kids "trick-or-treat" from room to room. 🚪🍬

• The Great Candy Hunt: 

  • Hide candy and small toys around your house or yard and give the kids clues for a fun, spooky scavenger hunt, like a Halloween-themed Easter Egg hunt. 🔎🍭

• Costume Dance Party: 

  • Put on some spooky tunes (like the Monster Mash!) and let the kids show off their costumes with a glow-stick dance party. Don't forget the fun, age-appropriate lighting. 🕺💡

• "Trunk-or-Treat" Event: 

  • Get a few friends, neighbors, school or community group together to decorate the trunks of their cars in a parking lot and hand out treats. It keeps everyone in one location. 🚗🌟

• Halloween Movie Marathon: 

  • Snuggle up in costumes with popcorn, spooky snacks, and a pile of blankets for a night of classic Halloween movies. 📽️🍿

• DIY Haunted House/Fort: 

  • Turn a room or even a big cardboard box into a simple, kid-friendly haunted fort using blankets, cobwebs, and flashlights. 🕸️🔦

• DIY Haunted Halloween Maze:

  • Using lots of haystacks piled high, create a spooky halloween maze decorated with cobwebs, spiders and ghosts for kids to walk through.

    • Tip #1: Get a group to pitch in for the cost and building of the maze.

    • Tip #2: Run a Halloween Bake Sale with Halloween decorated cakes, pies and cupcakes to raise money for the haystacks. Teamwork is the best work!

    • Tip #3: Draw and map out the haystack maze before you start building it!

    • Tip #4: Reward children with trick or treat bags for completing the maze.

• Pumpkin Decorating & Craft Night: 

  • Skip the carving mess and decorate mini pumpkins with paint, glitter, and stickers, or make simple Halloween crafts like paper plate ghosts. Get out your fake Christmas Tree and decorate the tree with Halloween ornaments the kids make. 🎨✂️

• Costume Dinner Party: 

  • Make a festive Halloween-themed dinner (think "Mummy Hummus Wraps" or "Spiderweb Soups") and have the kids wear their costumes to the table. 🍕🕷️

• "Boo" Your Neighbors: 

  • Prepare goodie bags and secretively leave them on the doorsteps of neighbors, ringing the bell and running away! Include a note that says, "You've Been Boo'd! Trick AND Treat!" 🎁🤫

• Themed Game Night: 

  • Break out a board game, or play simple Halloween games like "Pin the Boo on the Ghost," or a round of spooky-themed charades. 🎲🎯