28 Great Trick-Or-Treat Alternatives for a Fun Halloween
Oct 24, 2024
Some kids get easily spooked out or overwhelmed by trick-or-treating, But, Halloween can still be a bucket of fun even without the door-to-door candy hunt! Check out some of our favorite creative and non-traditional ways to celebrate the holiday with a little less spook!
1. Everything Pumpkin!
- Pumpkin Patch Adventure! Spend the day at a local pumpkin patch, enjoying hayrides, corn mazes, and picking out pumpkins for decorating. Speaking of pumpkin decorating...
- Pumpkin Decorating!
- Keep it easy! Skip the carving and decorate pumpkins with paints, stickers, or other craft materials.
- If you have older kids try decopajing the pumpkins using tissue paper or craft paper and modge podge.
2. Everything Apple!
- If you really want to leave anything spooky out of it, simply turn things into a fall fest!
- Plan a fun trip to the cider mill to pick apples, get cider and cinnamon donuts
- Make caramel apples at home or slice apples and have some caramel dip ready
- Do apple themed crafts like cutting an apple in half and then using it as a stamp in some ink or paint
- Make apple pancakes, steamed apples, apple cinnamon muffins...the options are endless!
3. Halloween Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt
- Create a fun scavenger hunt around the house or yard, where kids can find treats, toys, or small prizes hidden in spooky spots.
- Hide small treasures like candies or toys around your home or yard and let kids search with flashlights or glow sticks.
- Here's a Halloween inspired SCAVENGER HUNT Game to get you started!
4. Halloween Obstacle Course or "Spider Maze"
- Create a fun, low-key obstacle course in the backyard or living room with challenges like crawling under cobwebs (string) or jumping over “pumpkins” (pillows). Stairwell spindles work wonders for weaving a web! Make it a game where the kids have to navigate the spider webs string (or yarn) without touching the web or they are out!
5. Halloween Piñata
- Fill a Halloween-themed piñata (there are some cute bat and candy corn options HERE) with candy or small toys and let the kids take turns trying to break it open.
6. Halloween Science Experiments (AKA The SPOOKY SCIENCE LAB)
- Set up a “mad scientist” Halloween lab with experiments like baking soda and vinegar potions, growing crystals, or making oobleck. You can keep it simple by making green slime, baking soda volcanoes, or just throw some candy in water and watch it dissolve!
- Here are some fun science kits to get you started
- Here is a slime (OOBLECK) recipe to get you started
7. Costume Parade
- Organize a small costume parade with friends or family, either at home or in a community space, where everyone can show off their outfits without the pressure of trick-or-treating.
8. Halloween Photo Booth
- Set up a spooky backdrop with props and costumes for kids to pose and take fun Halloween photos. Let your kids come up with the props and ideas. They will love this! Buy a disposable camera or use a polaroid kid friendly camera like this one so they can take pictures of each other and then have the pictures immediately!
9. Bake Halloween Treats
- Spend the evening baking Halloween-themed cookies, cupcakes, or other treats and decorating them with spooky designs.
- Here are some great Cookie Kits, Cookie Cutters, and Sprinkles to get you started!
10. Build a Halloween Fort
- Use blankets, pillows, and Halloween decorations to build a spooky fort where kids can play, read stories, or snack. If you have a play tent add that to the mix!
11. Campfire and S’mores
- Have a backyard campfire with marshmallow roasting, s’mores, and storytelling, focusing on fun (not scary) stories. If you can't do a campfire in the backyard you can set up a small camping stove in the house on the table.
- Use ghost or pumpkin shaped marshmallows like THESE
- Add a fun twist to the s'mores by using halloween candy instead of plain chocolate bars. Use croissants, add in blackberries or raspberries. Make it fun and fancy and messy!!!
12. Indoor Trick-or-Treating
- This is a great option for kids who get easily overwhelmed or spooked out by traditional trick or treating.
- Set up trick-or-treat stations inside the house, with family members handing out treats from different rooms. You can even decorate the doors as a family!
13. Halloween Craft Party
- Have Halloween-themed craft stations set up where the kids can make spooky masks, decorations, or cards.
- Here's a link to some Halloween inspired Craft Kits
- Or, have them color this Halloween Cardboard House!! They can play and craft at the same time.
14. Glow Stick Dance Party
- Get everyone moving! Have a glow stick dance party with the lights out! Add some fun music and glow-in-the-dark accessories.
- Here are some fun Halloween inspired GLOW STICKS to get you started!
15. Glow in the Dark Hide and Seek
- Kids love hide and seek! Play with them and possibly in teams if they may get scared. Turn the lights out and use glow sticks!
- Here are some fun Halloween GLOW STICKS to get you started!
16. Halloween Monster Movie Night (treats included)
- Throw on some Halloween themed pjs and cuddle up with some MONSTER Popcorn (just add Halloween Candy to a bowl of popcorn. You can throw in some candy eyes if you want:) to watch not-so-scary Halloween movies!
- Monsters Inc is a good choice for some kids or Charlotte's Web
17. Halloween Face Painting Station and Halloween Tattoos
- Set up a face painting station where your kids can request fun, not-too-scary Halloween designs like pumpkins, bats, or cats.
- Jack-o’-Lantern Face Paint can be fun and easy! Instead of carving pumpkins, let kids paint jack-o’-lantern faces on their own or each other with face paint.
- If face painting isn't your thing...Halloween or fall themed tattoos LIKE THESE are an easy alternative.
18. Create a Haunted (but friendly) House
- Set up a DIY haunted house at home that’s more fun than scary, with spooky decorations like THESE and not-so-scary surprises like THESE.
19. Pumpkin Bowling
- Set up pins (if you have plastic ones available) using empty cans or bottles and use a small pumpkin as the bowling ball for a fun game.
20. Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe
- Create a large tic-tac-toe board using a chalkboard or paper, and use mini pumpkins or Halloween-themed markers as game pieces.
21. Halloween-Themed Board Games or Bingo
- Play Halloween-themed board games or create a custom Halloween bingo game with candy prizes. HERE's a Halloween premade Bingo set to get you started!
- Many kids love the card game Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese Pizza. Well....there's a Halloween version. Click HERE to check it out!
- Halloween Tongue Twister Game Here
- Spider Ring Toss Here
22. Costume Contest with Prizes
- Organize a fun costume contest at home or with a small group of kids, with prizes for categories like “funniest,” “most creative,” or “best homemade.” Let everyone win!!!!
23. Pin the Spider on the web or the EYEBALL on the Monster:
- A Halloween twist on “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” where kids try to place wings or an accessory on a Halloween figure while blindfolded.
- Here's a pin the eyeball on the monster premade kit to get you started!
- Here's the pin the spider on the web premade kit to get you started!
24. Story time with Spooky (But Not Too Scary) Tales
- Read Halloween-themed books or tell silly ghost stories that focus on fun rather than fear.
- Here are some of our FAVORITE NOT SO SCARY Halloween books for kids
- Room on the Broom (click Here to purchase)
- How to Make Friends with a Ghost (Click Here to Purchase)
- Gustavo the Shy Ghost (Click to Purchase)
- Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow (Click here to purchase)
- Creepy Pair of Underwear and other books in this series like Creepy Carrots (click here)
- The Ugly Doodles (click here to check it out)
- Pig the Monster (from the Pig the Pug series) click HERE to purchase
- Peppa's Happy Halloween (click here)
- Bitsy Bat (click here to check it out)
- The Wall in the Middle of the Book (click here)
- The Little Kitten (click Here)
25. Pumpkin Hunt
- Like an Easter egg hunt, but with mini pumpkins or Halloween-themed toys hidden around the yard or house.
26. Candy or Toy Swap
- If your child has collected candy or toys, host a fun swap with friends where they can trade treats or small toys for ones they like better.
- Or, have your own trade in shop if you aren't wanting them to have so much candy. Offer trade in options like small toys or even tickets for experiences. It doesn't' have to cost much. Think "extra book at bedtime with mom" as an experience.
27. Halloween Karaoke
- Have a Halloween-themed karaoke party with songs like “Monster Mash” or Disney villain songs that kids can sing along to.
28. Monster Freeze Dance Party
- Play Halloween-themed music, and have the kids dance like monsters, freezing whenever the music stops.
- Have your kids help you put together a Halloween-themed playlist and host a mini DJ session where they play their favorite spooky songs.
GET CREATIVE! Come up with some of your own great ideas to make this Halloween Fun for your kids. And, if you decide not to celebrate at all...that's okay too!!!!
Happy Halloween!
Dr. Emma Hostetter and the Aparently Parenting Team
(Links to purchase items on Amazon are included above because we are an amazon affiliate. We do get a few pennies...possibly...when you make a purchase from the links we included. But, our goal is to make life easier for you as a parent. Looking around for items can waste time so we've done the work for you!!!)
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE PARENTING RESOURCES
We know you're busy! So, we'll make sure to only send the IMPORTANT PARENTING stuff!!
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
