No Trick-or-Treating? No Problem! Here’s 6 Spooktacular Alternatives for Halloween Fun
by James Coulter
Can’t go trick-or-treating this Halloween, but still want fun and safe activities to do with your young ones? Whether your little ones are too skittish or you simply don’t have the time and money, here are some fun alternatives to trick-or-treating:
1. Candy Scavenger Hunt. Here’s a fun way for kids to have their fun and candy, too. Hide small candy and other fun trinkets around your house or in your yard. Then give your young ones a checklist of clues on where they can find these sweet treats. Be creative and write riddles for them to solve. (For children still learning to read, use picture clue cards.) Your young ones will have a fun time hunting for their candy, almost like a Halloween Easter egg hunt!
2. Halloween Arts and Crafts. Spend Halloween night making not-so-scary arts and crafts. Turn old toilet paper rolls into funny monsters by sticking on googly eyes, stickers, pom-poms, and pipe cleaners for arms. Or turn paper plates into spiders by painting them, attaching pipe cleaners or streamers for arms, and then applying googly eyes, then use yarn to hang them up (you can even weave a web from white yarn). Or turn your child’s handprint into a unique jack-o-lantern by either tracing their hands on orange paper or having them apply their handprint with orange paint, then coloring in the eyes, leaves, and stem with colored marker.
3. Halloween Fun and Games. Have some fun indoors or out with these simple games. Play monster or ghost freeze in a nice open space with kid-friendly Halloween songs like “Monster Mash” or “Five Little Pumpkins.” Or go Halloween bowling: decorate plastic bottles as ghosts and monsters and have your kids knock them over with a plastic ball or even a small pumpkin. Or try your hand at a pumpkin ring toss. Set up real or faux pumpkins in an open area and have your little ones try their luck at tossing rings onto their stems.
4. Halloween Story Time. Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card. Check out some Halloween-themed storybooks, then set up a “reading fort” by stacking pillows or going under a table. Add to the “spoopy” ambience by dimming the lights and using glow sticks.
5. Family-Friendly Halloween Movies. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to make your young child watch the latest bloody, gory R-rated slasher flicks. Fortunately, there are plenty of G and PG-rated Halloween-themed movies for young children. Some family-friendly classics include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Casper, Coraline, and Ghostbusters. Many of these movies are available to stream or rent. Be sure to check ratings and content warnings to ensure they’re the right films to show your kids. And be attentive to how your child reacts. If it gets too scary for them, you can always change it to their favorite movie. And be sure to pop some popcorn.
6. Halloween Sensory Bins. Sometimes Halloween can be a little overstimulating with the many spooky sights and sounds, especially for neurodivergent children. Consider Halloween-themed sensory bins to help children relax and unwind from any potential sensory overload, or to simply give them a low-stimulation activity. Fill a plastic bin with your choice of filler, and add themed items like plastic pumpkins, bats, spiders, and bugs. Be sure to add bright and friendly objects, and avoid anything too scary or creepy. Glow-in-the-dark filler and objects are especially ideal for dark, soothing environments with black lights. Be sure to play low-intensity music or white noise.
