5 Alternatives to Trick or Treating

If you’d rather find a different way to celebrate Halloween (this year or any year!), here are 5 fun alternatives to trick or treating!

I had to laugh: the CDC released their guidance for Halloween, and their top suggestion was, instead of trick-or-treating, kids should go on a neighborhood walk with a list of Halloween decor to try and spot in neighbors’ yards and houses. You guys, that is NOT an alternative Halloween celebration.

To me, that’s a fun middle-of-the-week, kids-need-something-to-do activity. If you’re not comfortable trick-or-treating this year, or if your city has banned it, I get it! But let’s make our replacement celebrations something fun and exciting, something that kids will enjoy remembering in the future.

If trick-or-treating in your neighborhood isn’t on your list this year, here are 7 alternatives to trick or treating. And none of them are virtual events or point-and-spot scavenger hunts – because, y’all, it’s HALLOWEEN!

Candy Pumpkin Hunt – Alternatives to Trick or Treating #1

Picture an Easter Egg Hunt, but replace it with pumpkins filled with candy. You can easily make tissue paper pumpkins filled with candy. Scatter them around your house or yard and let the kids go hunting!

The best part of this alternative to trick or treating is that it’s a good option if you’re looking to get a small group together, maybe cousins or a couple of friends. You can make the candy-filled pumpkins ahead of time and the whole thing can be completely contact free!

Trick or Treat Exchange

If you have a close circle of friends, you can take turns trick or treating their houses. I have a group of 5 or 6 moms that I get together for outside playdates with. Arrange it so that you can take turns going to the five or six houses and getting your trick-or-treat fill.

For example, my family might go to the 5 houses from 5-5:30. Then the next one could go from 5:30-6, etc.

My favorite part of this as alternatives to trick or treating is that it (1) lets your kids still experience the joy of trick or treating, but (2) limits how much candy they bring home. 5 or 6 houses would be plenty for most young kids. And also, they get to be at home to help hand out candy the rest of the time too!

Halloween Family Carnival – Alternatives to Trick or Treating #3

How fun would this be??? If you normally have a school carnival any time during the school year, I bet that is cancelled too. So a Halloween family carnival is a great combo of both of those.

If it’s nice out and you have a good sized yard, set up games and stations in the yard. You could also use each room in your house as a different game, or if you’re pressed for space, set up stations around the dining room table and living room!

Use a kiddie pool to fill with cheap plastic ducks or other dollar-store items. Put stickers on the bottom with colors or numbers and each one means a different type of prize or treat. Have a ring toss, a treat walk, candy bowling, or bucket toss game! You could have a cookie decorating station – how about these fun spider cookies?

Camden is only 2 1/2 so this one won’t be the best choice for us, but I think it’s so cool – I have to do it when he’s older!

Find a Drive-Through Trunk or Treat

I’ve seen some of our local trunk or treats are creating alternatives to trick or treating by doing a drive through. Kids wear their costumes and drive through the trunk or treat and get prepackaged candy.

Countdown to Halloween

Lots of people do a 12 days of Christmas countdown or an advent calendar. How about a Halloween countdown or advent calendar?! I’ve compiled a list of fun ideas here, but you can come up with your own too. Think of places you could go, ways you could decorate, games you could play, movies you could watch, etc.

Of all the alternatives to trick or treating, this seems like one that the kids will want to repeat next year too!

I hope one of these ideas seems like fun for your family! Let me know what you’re doing to keep the holiday fun!