This year has been a crazy one and so many plans have been cancelled or changed. With Halloween right around the corner many familys are trying to make plans while staying safe! If you are not comfortable with trick or treating this year here are some great ideas that are fun alternatives!
2020 has thrown us a lot of curves, and if you’re anything like me you were sure that by now the world would be back to normal… yet here we are!
I know a lot of people who are feeling conflicted about Halloween, is trick or treating ok? Do we want our kids to miss out on yet another fun thing? Is our town even going to have trick or treating?
There are so many questions it is hard to make a plan! We want our kids to have fun, we want candy to snitch out of their bags, and we want to make memories despite the upheaval in the world!
That’s why I’ve gathered together some fun ideas that will make great alternatives to traditional trick or treating! They are sure to create great memories with your family all while you feel safe and comfortable celebrating!
I’ve tried to include activities would be fun with your immediate family, a few close friends or family members, or can be done virtualy. Most of these would be fun with a large group too so if you’re comfortable with more people around these would work for you!
Most of these ideas include candy, however you could easily swap it out for small toys, or a bigger present, so that they have the fun without all the sugar!
So, without further ado- here are some super fun trick or treating alternatives!
Have a family Halloween party-
You may not be having a typical big party this year but there is no reason that you can’t have a Halloween party with just your family (or a few close friends) Go all out with fun Halloween themed snacks, spooky drinks, decorations, games and of course costumes!!
Just because it isn’t a huge gathering doesn’t mean that it can’t be super fun. Come up with fun family themed costumes, or get out old costumes and make up new ones! Take pictures, play music, and party like rockstars!
You can even incorporate some of these other ideas in your party to make it even more fun!
Have a candy hunt-
We’re all used to Easter egg hunts so why not do the same thing with Halloween candy?
Hide your child’s favorite candy around your house or yard and let them dress up in their costume and hunt them with their trick or treat bag.
You could make it more challenging (or spooky) by hunting at night, adding a fog machiene or strobe light, and playing some spooky music or sound effects.
If you have multiple children and want it to be fair you could pick a couple of their favoirte candies and have them only hunt for them, or tell each child how many pieces of each they are allowed to keep when they find them.
Have a treasure hunt-
If you don’t like the idea of hunting for individual pieces of candy then you could fill your child’s trick or treat bag with candy (or small toys) and hide it!
For a treasure hunt you could make a map for them to follow or write out clues and leave them around for your kids to find. Here is a set of printable treasure hunt clues that are pretty universal!
Like the candy hunt you can make this more Halloween-y by adding costumes, spooky music, or doing it in the dark.
Have a Zoom costume show with friends
If your kids are anything like mine their favorite part of Halloween is coming up with their costume (and having me make it of course!)
My boys have always been crazy creative when it comes to Halloween costumes and they love showing them off to everyone. We often try to do more than one Halloween event so that they can get more use out of them.
So why not organize a virtual costume show? Contact the parents of your child’s friends and find a time where everyone can hop on and show each other their favorite costumes! You could even organize voting for spookiest, funniest, most creative etc. and award prizes!
Go for a walk wearing costumes-
If Zoom isn’t your thing and your child wants to show off their costume then let them dress up and take a walk around your neighborhood or local park.
If the whole family has costumes have everyone dress up and then strut your stuff for the world to see! It may feel a little crazy at first when you are the only ones out in costumes but it is sure to be a ton of fun! Withouth all the other kids out your child will stand out and feel excited to get the attention people are bound to give them! (Believe me, I once let my son wear his costume to Walmart, he had a blast!)
Have a Halloween movie night –
There are so many fun Halloween movies! Whether you’re looking for something family friendly or you want to be scared with a good old fashioned horror movie, movie night is a great way to have a ton of family fun!
Take it up a notch with Halloween themed snacks, or candy alongside your popcorn, wear costumes or even have movie night outside!
Exchange Halloween care packages with friends-
Have friends who are also skipping trick or treat this year? Team up with them and exchange Halloween care packages. Load them up with home baked treats, candy, small toys, or costumes.
This can be super fun because there is the element of suprise, when the package arrives your child will be delighted to dig in and see what they’ve gotten. You can drop them off in person or send them through the mail so this is a great activity for family and friends who are far away!
Break a Pinata full of candy-
Pinatas are such a fun way to get candy but they’re not usually used for Halloween!
But why not fill a pinata, let your kids break it open, and catch the candy! They can wear their costumes and use their treat bags to gather the candy.
This one is super easy to put together too, just hop over to Amazon and pick out a Halloween pinata and some fun toys and candy to fill it!
Hopefully, despite the circumstances in the world right now, we can all have a happy Halloween and make fun memories with our families!
I would love to hear any additional ideas you have for Halloween fun this year!
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