Candy Free Trick-or-Treating
Alternatives to Handing Out Halloween Candy
How to celebrate Halloween by providing neighborhood kids with a ghost photo opportunity, making a Halloween donation, or performing a Halloween skit.
Are you looking for a fun way to celebrate Halloween with your neighbors, but don’t want to hand out candy? Are you concerned about kids with allergies, diabetes or childhood obesity? Are you looking for a way to make your house “the house” on the trick-or-treating circuit this year? Try candy free trick-or-treating this Halloween for an innovative, healthy and fun-filled holiday experience.
Ghost Face Photo-Op
Instead of candy provide the neighborhood children with a fun Halloween photograph. Purchase a black twin sheet and fabric paint. On the sheet paint a spooky scene that includes two large ghosts floating against the black background. Make the faces life-size and do not worry about painting eyes or a mouth. Paint the moon and stars above the ghosts and tombstones below them. Cut out the faces of the ghosts and use fabric glue around the edges of the holes to ensure the fabric does not unravel. Hang the sheets from the front porch or on a tree in the front yard. Before Halloween let your neighbors know that they should bring their cameras to your house for a trick-or-treating souvenir. Or use your own camera to take a digital photo of each trick-or-treater and email it to the parents of all of the kids.
Halloween Donations
Use Halloween to help others by making a donation to your favorite charity in honor of the neighborhood children. When the trick-or-treaters come to the door pass out cards letting the kids know of the contribution made in their name. You can create custom cards by purchasing a kit to make business cards at an office store and adding Halloween-themed graphics to the donation information. Contribute to a non-profit organization that the children will relate to such as, the neighborhood elementary school or a charity that benefits kids like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Halloween Skit
Entertain the neighborhood by putting on a Halloween performance. Depending on your time and inclination you can plan a full-scale production or keep it simple and lip synch to a Halloween song such as, “The Monster Mash.” Assign family members parts and dress up in scary monster costumes. Decorate your garage or front porch and place a sign out front displaying your show times. Show off your skills to all of the kids and parents that stop by.
Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your imagination and develop new family traditions. Use candy free trick-or-treating as a way to create family and neighborhood memories that last longer than a mini-Snickers bar!
Not into trick-or-treating this year? Try Fun Halloween Ideas: Six Alternatives to Trick-or-Treat
