Things to Do On Halloween Instead of Trick or Treating
- Movie night. Nothing better than a movie night with friends or family. Enjoy a scary movie marathon and munch on some leftover candy!
- Visit a haunted house. If you have a Halloween haunted house experience in your town, go for it! It’s such a fun experience.
- Make a Halloween scavenger hunt. This is actually my favorite Halloween activity. You can play either outdoors or indoors if it’s extra chilly outside.
- Visit or plan your own Halloween party. Let the kids eat their candy while you dance the night away at a Halloween party! Make like Heidi Klum.
Full Answer
Why do people say 'Trick or treat' at Halloween?
Trick or treating could tie back to the tradition of mumming, an All Hallow’s Eve custom in which people dressed up as spirits and demons and went from home to home, offering protection from evil spirits in exchange for food and drink. It could also be traced back to “souling.”
What does trick or treat have to do with Halloween?
Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. In the evening before All Saints' Day (1 November), children in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "Trick or treat". The "treat" is usually some form of candy, although in some cultures money is given instead.
What time does Halloween start trick or treat?
What Time Does Trick-or-Treating Start? Early is perfectly fine for the wee ones. Little kids like to get out the door early, before the older kids in spooky costumes start strolling the streets. Expect to have your first candy collectors arrive anytime between 5:30-6:00 pm. Feel free to have your young kids start going door to door around the same time.
What are some Halloween tricks?
- 1. Freeze gummy eyeballs in ice cubes, then add them to your victim’s drink.
- 2. Buy cheap hair extensions the same color as your target’s hair and scatter them around her pillow during the night.
- 3. Unscrew a shower head and dry the inside of it thoroughly; then pour in a packet of red powdered drink mix and replace the shower head. ...
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Why can't I trick or treat my kids?
Maybe your child is anxious or scared to go trick or treating, or maybe you don’t live in area where you can take your children trick or treating. Maybe you have another reason that I mentioned above for not taking your children trick or treating. Whatever your situation, your children can still have a great time on Halloween without feeling like they are missing out.
What are some good Halloween movies?
If you’re looking for some fun Halloween movies, here are a few Hotel Transylvania, The Dog Who Saved Halloween, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and Spooky Buddies.
What is trunk or treat?
A trunk or treat is where a group of people get together and decorate the trunks of their cars for Halloween. Then, kids walk to the various cars and the owners will hand out candy. This is a great way for high schoolers to volunteer in their community and a safe place for parents to bring their kids for Halloween treats.
What are some fun things to do at a harvest festival?
There are often many fun children activities at Harvest festivals, such as bobbing for apples, pumpkin decorating, and other fall games.
Can kids dress up for Halloween?
Some children still love to dress up for Halloween but don’ t want to go trick or treating. A great solution is to have your children dress up in their Halloween costume and hand out candy to the trick or treaters that come to your house. Kids love doing this!
Can kids go trick or treating?
Halloween is known for costumes, candy, and of course, trick or treating. Most kids can’t wait to go trick or treating. They envision their Halloween buckets full of candy by the night’s end. However, trick or treating for some children can be a little scary. Some children might feel a little anxious about going to a stranger’s door and asking for candy. Now with the on going COVID pandemic, you might not want your child to trick or treat at all. Or maybe your family doesn’t celebrate Halloween.
Movie night
Nothing better than a movie night with friends or family. Enjoy a scary movie marathon and munch on some leftover candy! These are some of my favorite (and spooky) Halloween movies.
Visit a haunted house
If you have a Halloween haunted house experience in your town, go for it! It’s such a fun experience. All you have to do is gather your most adventurous friends and challenge them to the experience. See if they can survive the tour!
Make a Halloween scavenger hunt
This is actually my favorite Halloween activity. You can play either outdoors or indoors if it’s extra chilly outside. All you have to do is print the instructions online and gather a group of friends (perhaps the same buddies form the haunted house?) There are plenty of scavenger hunts out there for any environment!
Visit or plan your own Halloween party
Let the kids eat their candy while you dance the night away at a Halloween party!
How to bring trick or treating home?
Bring trick-or-treating home by setting out different types of candy in various rooms and sending your little one (s) on a trip through the house to find all of the candy. Bonus points if you use one of these fun Halloween treasure hunt printables from Etsy.
What can a 1-year-old do for Halloween?
My 1-year-old may not be able to do much artistically, but she can stick a cotton ball with some glue onto a ghost cutout. Check out some of our 18 favorite (and easy) Halloween crafts for kids here.
What are some good movies to watch with kids on Halloween?
A few of our editors’ favorite Halloween movies to watch with little ones include Ghostbusters (the new one and the original), Coco, Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Adams Family (the new one and the original), Hotel Transylvania, and It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Can you paint pumpkins?
If you like pumpkin carving, then you’re going to love pumpkin painting. While carving pumpkins is better suited for older kids, little ones of all ages can join in on the pumpkin painting fun. Get started with some of these items.
What are some good Halloween treats?
Candy corn and sweet pretzels for Halloween treats.
Why do people have Halloween parties?
Just because you aren’t trick-or-treating doesn’t mean you have to bypass wearing a costume. A Halloween party is the perfect excuse to show off your creative costume and take fun memorable photos with friends and family. Halloween parties are great for children of all ages, especially older kids and adults.
What to put on hot chocolate in October?
October evenings and hot chocolate are a match made in heaven. Make your hot chocolate extra fancy with toppings such as marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, chocolate straws and more.
Can you give candy away on Halloween?
If staying inside the warm comforts of your house are more your speed on Halloween night, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still have fun with the trick-or-treating tradition. Giving away candy can be just as fun as receiving it! Your child will still get to see all the fun costumes and interact with all the visiting kids.
Can you do a scavenger hunt indoors?
Depending on your location and weather permitting, you can either have an indoor or outdoor Halloween themed scavenger hunt. You can also do the hunt from inside a car driving around neighborhoods if walking is not an option.
Can you put a temporary tattoo on a piata?
When it comes to stuffing your piñata, in addition to candy you can insert Halloween temporary tattoos, bubbles with wands and stickers.
Can you make apple cider with spice?
You can also make some sweet spiced apple cider for your family and guests. I have an easy recipe for homemade spiced apple cider on my blog here!
1. Halloween Candy Hunt
This is one of my favorite ideas and one of the alternatives to trick or treating that we did last year with my three-year-old.
2. Costume Party Parade
While some kids might enjoy dressing up just for the chance to pretend to be someone else for a day, others might be disappointed to have no one admire their awesome Halloween costumes.
3. Outdoor Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of Halloween decorations or things you usually see in the fall. Take a walk around the neighborhood and see how many items on the list your kids can find.
4. Trick or Treat at Home
My daughter loves to play trick or treat even when it’s nowhere near Halloween.
5. Create Your Own Haunted House
I loved making haunted houses in my basement when I was younger. My friends and I would spend hours creating our own haunted house and then make our parents walk through them.
7. Make a Halloween Craft
Inspire creativity by doing a Halloween craft with your kids. Pinterest has a lot of great Halloween craft ideas.
9. Bake Halloween Treats
If you don’t want to go all out for dinner, bake a Halloween treat with your kids.
Decorate Your House and Yard
Maybe this is the year you finally decorate the house and yard the way you’ve always wanted to. Go all out, get the kids involved, get creative, and have fun. Instead of spending money on candy, make a donation to a local organization or food pantry. And be sure to make a poster a part of your home’s decorations stating what your family did.
Do a Tour of Other Decorated Houses
Pile everyone into the car and drive around past all the spooky haunted houses you can find. You’re sure to find some creative ones, and your whole family will be dazzled.
Carve Pumpkins for sure
This time-honored tradition doesn’t have to be skipped. It’s fun, and you can even roast the seeds afterwards.
Host a Backyard Movie
Enjoy a movie in the backyard. Depending on the space available and what your family is comfortable doing, you can invite another family to join you. Each family stays on their own blanket, and each family enjoys their own movie snacks. But you can definitely enjoy a fun, Halloween-themed movie together.
Have a Costume Par ty at Home
Dress up anyway! Costumes are fun and you’ll probably have a ball wearing costumes as a family – even if you don’t leave the house. You could even have several changes of costumes over the course of Halloween day and evening. Take photos of each set!
Throw a Zoom Costume Party
The great part about virtual celebrations is that you’re not limited by distance. Celebrate with music and costumes with friends and families all around – whether they’re across town or across the county.
Have Family Game Night Instead
Or play card games. You can play pretend poker and use fun size candies for chips, or let everyone pick their favorite board game and play all of them, one at a time.
What to do when trick or treating kids?
Most kids’ favorite part about trick-or-treating is the candy—and just because trick-or-treating isn’t happening doesn’t mean candy is canceled. Add a bag (or two!) to your next grocery pickup order and let the kids have fun sorting, counting, and eating the treats.
How to make your kids feel special?
Make your kids feel special this holiday with a festive activity created just for them. Hide some candy and create a scavenger hunt around the house with clues about different locations written on orange cardstock. Once the kids are in costume, hand them the first clue and watch as they collect the hidden candy or prizes in their trick-or-treat bags .
What to do with old kids in the dark?
Older kids will get a thrill out of this family activity. Light up the backyard fire pit and gather around it with enough hot apple cider and s'mores ingredients for everyone. As you roast your marshmallows, go around the circle and tell age-appropriate ghost stories and spooky tales. If you need help getting started, the collection of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, ($12, Target) is a favorite among older kids and pre-teens.
Is Halloween a greeting card holiday?
Halloween typically isn’t a greeting card holiday, but then again, nothing about holidays this year has been typical. Since the kids won’t be able to go out and see their friends while trick-or-treating, have them craft some homemade Halloween cards from cardstock, markers, and glue, then mail them off to all their friends. If DIY isn't your thing, add a 6-Pack of Halloween Greeting Cards, ($5, Target) to your next pick-up order. You can even attach a piece of candy to each card—just be sure to attach an extra postage stamp to the envelope.
Can you bake with Halloween candy?
You may not be handing out candy this year, but you sure can bake with it! Whip up one of these festive Halloween desserts that use Halloween candy, or make a batch of Halloween cookies and spend Halloween night decorating cookies with the family.
Is Trick or Treating still a no go?
Trick-or-treating is officially back on this year, but big Halloween parties are still a no-go, and group activities aren't a good idea in general for those who aren't (or can't be) vaccinated yet. So as the holiday approaches, we're making plans for an at-home Halloween.
Do you have to participate in trick or treating?
Of course, even though trick-or-treating is back, you don’t have to participate if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. That might not be a popular decision with the little ones, but fortunately, we’ve got tons of alternative ideas that are just as fun—and still, involve plenty of candy!
1. Organize a Candy Hunt
Go ahead and repurpose those plastic eggs you use at Easter as "pumpkin seeds" and take kids on a Halloween candy hunt in your home, yard, or neighborhood, depending on your comfort level.
2. Costume Parade ... At a Distance
March in a socially distanced costume parade. Store-bought or homemade, nothing makes kids prouder than showing off their Halloween costume. If your neighborhood has a social media page dedicated to local parents, finding participants won’t be hard at all, after all, everyone is scrambling to make Halloween 2020 memorable.
3. Halloween Party with Your Pod
By now most of us have settled into our own little social bubbles.
4. Halloween Games
Play the Mummy Wrap with masks or family only, set up a round of socially-distanced, outdoor pumpkin bowling among the neighborhood kids, or choose another idea from among these 2 5 Halloween games for kids.
5. Halloween Movie Night
Stock up on popcorn, candy, and caramel apples and enjoy a night of at-home Halloween-themed entertainment. Disney+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform are all loaded with family-friendly Halloween-themed movies.
6. Secret Pumpkin Draw
Draw names among friends or neighbors ahead of the big day. Drop off Halloween care packages for your littles to open on Halloween.
7. Halloween Crafts
Cut out ghosts, black cats, jack-o-lanterns, and witches' hats for a spooky craft to do together at home. Make a ghoul family with toddlers or popsicle stick monsters.
