Whoever said you “had” to hand out candy on Halloween anyway? Trust me kids will be getting PLENTY of candy this month regardless so it wouldn’t hurt, and it actually might help, if you break up the monotony by doing something a little different. I personally kind of like to be different (let’s just call it “unique”) anyway. And let’s face it…bags of candy aren’t exactly cheap either so some of these alternatives might cost the same or even less for your Halloween night handout. Most of them will last a lot longer, too!
Also, a quick thanks to all the wonderful facebook fans who helped me come up with these great ideas!
Creative alternatives for trick-or-treaters…
- Packs of mini play dough containers
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- A mix of inexpensive Halloween-themed toys from a place like Michael’s, Oriental Trading, Target or Wal-Mart (pictured)
- Miniature bottles of water or all natural juice boxes (love this idea because we are always thirsty when we’re out and about trick-or-treating)
- Spooky collection of Halloween “frights” like plastic eyeballs, rubbery rats, and fake fingers
- Light-up glow sticks, which can usually be found in a pack of 15 at Michael’s or Target for only $1 (that’s what we're going to give out this year!)
- Halloween pencils and mini activity books or pads of paper
- Toothbrushes (big kids might turn their noses up to this, but my children happen to think new toothbrushes are fun)
- Mini Lara Bars and/or packs of raisins
- Inexpensive little books from thrift stores, garage sales, or the dollar store
- “Birthday landfill” as one facebook fan called it, which is basically a collection of all the little gizmos and gadgets from party favor bags throughout the year
- Temporary tattoos and/or stickers
- Small bags of microwavable popcorn
- Fruit leathers (made with 100% fruit)
- Homemade crayons made in muffin tins in the oven (google it)
- Local apples…they are currently in season so why not!
What do to with all the candy that your kid does get…
- Allow them to keep a few pieces and then trade in the rest to you for a quarter each…then off to the toy store or dollar store! (This method can be used all month-long or even all year-long)
- Keep it simple – just offer your kids the choice to trade in all their candy for a trip to the toy store or for something else they’ve been really wanting like a trip to Monkey Joe’s
- Leave the bulk of the candy out on the front porch for the mysterious “Halloween Witch” who will miraculously leave a non-candy surprise (like a game or a toy) in its place…tell them the "better" the candy the "better" the surprise!
- Ship your candy off to the troops
- Or combine the best of both worlds - find a local dentist who participates in a Halloween Candy Buy Back Program because they will give you something in exchange for the candy and also ship it off to the troops for you!
If you have any other ideas or suggestions please leave them in the comments below.
Vanessa says
I like all of your ideas here except for the microwavable popcorn one. I don't trust the ingredients in microwave popcorn, and think it is so much easier to make your own (literally kernels in the bottom of a paper bag... cook the same way as "traditional" microwave popcorn).
JB says
Halloween is a great holiday...lots of fun for adults and kids alike. However, like summer parades the candy aspect is one of the least appealing. Our 4H club helps sponsor a community Halloween party which is full of games, crafts and book reading. There is a little bit of candy but mostly focuses on the fun of the holiday. We also go trick-or-treating for our local food shelter with the church youth group. Instead of candy we ask for non-parishable goods that goes straight to the food shelf. Our local paper runs a story on it and it's what I would call a WIN WIN WIN. Win...for local food shelf, Win...for no candy at my house and Win...for the good times and good feelings for my kids. We live in the country now so there are no trick-or-treaters at our house but in the past (when we lived in the city) I would hand out granola and pretzels and pencils and other small trinkets!! I really feel like we shouldn't pay our kids for giving us candy back when we allow them to go trick-or-treating for it...we are breeding a generation who expects to get a reward for everything. I have explained to my children that we are what we eat and I am ever so proud of them when the lady at the grocery store offers them a sucker at check out and they turn it down (with a very polite "No, thank you!"). I do not feel the need to "reward" them for turning it down...their health is their own reward.
Stephanie says
I love seeing the kids in their costume. A friend allowed his kids to select so many then they cashed the rest for a new book at the bookstore. Some of them are quite creative!
I've given out toothbrushes as listed above in the past. Not sure what to pass out this year. Thanks for the list - will use it when I check out Target.
Susan Swanson says
Awesome ideas! Thanks for sharing!!!
Mandee says
We keep Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans and pass them out to trick-or-treaters. Since we no longer live in New Orleans, the kids who come to our house love it!
100 Days of Real Food says
My in-laws live in New Orleans and I LOVE this idea!
Amy says
Love the ideas here .... the birthday landfill, the pencils, water/juice boxes. Really like the hot chocolate or cider idea! Thanks, All!
sabrina says
I love the idea of the "Birthday landfill"! We have tons of goody bag leftovers, and many small toys that I leave in the bags because I don't want to throw them away, but I don't want my 1 year old to stick them in her mouth (little round balls mainly). I'm going to dump all the bags out and start going through them!
walana says
My grandma usually does the fruit/raisin thing.
My kids are still babies but I plan to start a Christmas tradition with the candy they get (or whats left after daddy has his pick). Take plastic wrap and wrap one piece of candy then twist. Continue until you have 1 piece for everyday until Christmas. When finished youll have a nice candy garland/Christmas countdown. The kids can eat 1 piece each day until Christmas.
Pumpkinbear says
It's so funny, because I wrote a post like this last year for Crafting a Green World, about eco-friendly non-candy trick-or-treating options, and I got absolutely BOMBARDED with negative comments, many of which said I was a bad mother and that they felt sorry for my kids, etc. I kept wondering last year if there were any people at all who supported giving out anything besides candy for Halloween. Here they are!
YVETTE says
We are giving away vouchers for free Jr Frosties at Wendy's and packs of goldfish crackers. One book of 10 Jr Frosty's is $1.00.
walana says
me too! i had a professor in college buy one for each of his students. i remember him fondly.
Jenny W says
I truly love all these non-candy ideas for trick-or-treaters! I have to admit, although I am frustrated by all the candy and other junk food my kids bring home from not just Halloween, but school, birthday parties, parades, festivals, etc....I am nostalgic about my Halloweens as a kid. Getting candy is just part of Halloween! It's too bad that people over-do it these days. In our neighborhood, most houses don't just give out one piece of candy, but rather a small bag filled with 1/2 dozen different wrapped candies. Crazy, right? Maybe I will do a mix of candy and non-candy options, as well as some waters for any thirsty kids (love that idea, too!).
100 Days of Real Food says
I agree...candy and junk food are everywhere so it is no longer "special"
Heather @ life, gluten free says
I love your ideas. We are going to give out glowsticks too! My daughter has food allergies so we started out giving trick or treaters non-food items a few years ago.
We like to give out stencils too (packs at walmart for a dollar), stickers (oriental trading) and erasers! We gave out some metallic beaded necklaces last year and the big kids were thrilled.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers says
Fruit leathers are a great idea - as are little trail mix bags (if you don't have too many trick or treaters)
Julie says
How do you send cand to troops. love the idea but not sure how to do it. Are there restrictions of what you can send? .
lilmrsmchenry says
Operation Gratitude, an organization that actually requests Halloween Candy to send to troops. They accept donations from October 1 to December 5, and their address is:
Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, California 91406
ATTN: Rich Hernandez
Phone: 262-OPGRAT-1 (262-674-7281)
lilmrsmchenry says
Opps, submitted too soon.
This website shows all the ways the projects that they are involved in.
http://www.operationgratitude.com/individuals-and-organizations/#candybabies
100 Days of Real Food says
Here the link with all the info: http://www.operationgratitude.com/individuals-and-organizations/#candybabies
Helen Taylor says
“Birthday landfill†as one facebook fan called it, which is basically a collection of all the little gizmos and gadgets from party favor bags throughout the year - AWESOME idea! I will start collecting ASAP:)
Amy says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for these ideas.
I have to eat gluten-free. My son has 13 (yes 13!) really common food allergies. We are constantly looking for ways to deemphasize the food aspects of holidays. We live in a food-centered culture and it is hard. I don't want my son to look back on his childhood as a time of deprivation and being left out.
I am totaly heading to Target or the Dollar Store in search of pencils, stickers, mini bubbles etc to give out this year.
Kim W. says
Last year, I gave out pencils and the kids went CRAZY for them. Most of them had either lost or used up their stash of yellow pencils from the beginning of the school so they welcomed a new pencil!
darmuzz says
I am giving out mini comic books which our local comic shop sells in packages of 20 for $5. They are labelled, "Rot their minds, not their teeth." Mwah ha ha!
Lori B. says
brilliant idea! thanks!
Danielle says
I love your alternative ideas! Last year I tried something new -- I gave each kid a bag of pretzels(the individually wrapped single serving bags - they were even halloween themed bags)and a piece of candy -- I actually had kids giving me back the pretzels -- I was shocked! Oh well, I'll keep trying!
For my own kids I live by the motto "out of sight, out of mind" I let them eat a few pieces on Halloween (my 6 yr old thought 2 candies was a good amount) and then the rest went into a closet. I think it was only mentioned once or twice after that.
lilmrsmchenry says
For the last few years we have had a penny jar for the trick-or-treaters. We go to the bank and get about $40 in pennies and fill a big jar with them. Kids each get a hand full. Can't tell you how many kids turn to their parents with exclamations of "I'm Rich!". Best thing is that any leftovers can be taken to a coinstar booth and traded in for bills, so you don't have to worry about re-rolling coins.
Dana says
Honestly I am bothered to see this bucket of mostly plastic objects, likely made in China and perhaps some containing lead, that will ultimately end up lost under furniture collecting dust and in the trash. I feel better about providing consumables like food or pencils than seasonal trinkets that are forgotten after the holiday has passed. Although I too am bothered by all of the candy on Halloween, I usually offer a treat bowl containing pencils and candy that has some kind of nutritional value - fortunately Whole Foods carries some options - from fruit chews to fair trade, organic dark chocolates. This also means that I am happy to contend with leftovers!
HealthyMamma says
I have to agree. I avoid plastic much the same as I avoid junk food. I can maybe see recycling some you already have at home, but the idea of purchasing more plastic junk toys or water bottles makes me sad. We vote for real food with our money, why not use that power when making ANY purchase.
100 Days of Real Food says
I agree...in an ideal world we would avoid all highly processed food AND all cheap plastic toys with a "Made in China" label. I am not sure I could ever get there though.
Jamie says
I have to agree with this one... I love your site but a lot of these ideas bothered me too, the plastic water bottles, the trinkets that are going to be lost or discarded in a few days... pencils, erasers that they will at least use at school, fruit leather, play doh they'll play with for a while, I would go with all of those first...
Stacy says
I am glad you commented on this as well. I think a bucketful of plastic is a lot worse than candy. Seriously, the majority of that stuff will be on this planet for thousands of years. I wish they would put a ban on items like that even being made.
eB says
This is a major concern for me, too. I saw that bowl of plastic dollar store junk and cringed. I am forever trying to avoid that stuff when it comes to party favors, etc. etc. We also avoid water bottlres and a few other things. The good thing is that there are several ideas within this post that may be do-able (avoiding both processed foods and plastic junk) and even more in the comments!
Trista says
Awesome ideas! I was thinking of doing the play doh but know I'm not sure. I really like the glow stick idea. What kid doesn't love glow sticks? My kids never even eat their candy any ways. It sits in the cupboard for months till I eventually throw it out. Thanks for the ideas!
100 Days of Real Food says
I know my kids could never eat that much candy either (even if I let them) so it is such a waste!
Mayasmommy says
My daughter was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome shortly after birth. Since then we are always looking for ways to make food less of an event in holidays and other important functions. We have always handed out things like tatoos, playdo, pencils and whatever small inexpensive items we can find. The kids in our neighborhood love it and word spreads.
We also dont allow our kids to keep all of their candy either. They may choose one piece for every year of age and then the rest goes outside. The great pumpkin comes adn takes it and leaves a small toy in its place. The candy they do keep it forgotten about the next day!
Smedette says
These are all great ideas.
I wish it was ok to hand out homemade treats - like pumpkin bread or granola.
suzy says
Correction, I like the idea of *NOT* contributing to the amount of processed foods the kids will be getting.
suzy says
These are great ideas! I like the idea of contributing to the amount of processed foods the kids will be getting. I won't be giving out anything this year, but I will have to remember this for next year!
Laura says
When I was a kid, I liked nothing so much while trick or treating than the neighbor who gave us money. She had a plastic pumpkin filled with coins (mostly pennies and nickels) and we could stick one little hand in to grab what we wanted (60-75 cents, probably). A good way to get rid of that jar or spare change, and probably not much more expensive than treats.
Rebecca ~ Sweet Baby Yams says
I love the idea of the Birthday Landfill!
Amanda from Canada says
To reduce the amount of sugary candy (and tears and frustration) we are limiting either the number of houses that we are going to and/or the amount of time we trick-or-treat for. Either 15 houses or 30 minutes - the decision will be up to my 8 year old.
Sharon says
Just heard this one and thought it was great. Give out packets of the new Kids version of EmergenC. Parents should love this as well!
ericka says
The Dollar Tree has packages of 50 Halloween rings for 1.00. My kids LOVE when they get these in their bags.
Deliciously Organic says
Great tips! Thanks Lisa!
Catherine says
I posted this before on last years Halloween post, but it's worth reposting especially if you have little kids that are just starting to trick or treat.
My friend had her 2 boys completely bought into The Great Pumpkin story from Charlie Brown. Every year (until they finally figured it out) they would leave their full bags of candy (she let them choose some to keep) on the table for The Great Pumpkin who would come and bring them a toy in the middle of the night.
I always thought this was brilliant!
jessica b says
that is amazing! my babies are still too young, but im going to have to remember that one. :) thank you for the great list lisa.
Caroline says
I love the glow stick and water idea; thanks!
Catherine says
Love the "birthday landfill" idea! We found Halloween erasers at Target, packs of 20 or so in the dollar bin and matched them with some parachute guys (like you get in gumball machines, there were packs of them at the Dollar Tree) to send to school with my 4yo (they are supposed to bring something to share with the class).
Michele says
Such great ideas. When I was a kid I always liked the toys or other bits better than the candy anyway. Lets hope my neighbor kids agree.
Beth says
Also, Halloween or fall-themed pencils (can usually be found cheaply in packs of 10 at a place like Michael's, Target, or the Dollar store),
and packets of hot cider or hot chocolate :-).
sara says
Love the idea of glow sticks! I would have LOVED that as a kid!
Annie D @ Annie's Simple Life says
We're doing the glow bracelets, too!! :)
kt says
Jewelry! Like the spider rings, anything spooky & fun. Silly Bands, bubbles. Also getting clementines and putting a pumpkin face on it would be cute.