Safe Trick or Treat Alternatives
/This post may contain affiliate links.
Halloween is going to look differently this year. Surely there will be folks out like normal, but if you are opting for a safer route, here are some trick or treat alternatives for 2020.
Boo basket
Boo baskets have been around for years in the suburbs. Essentially, a family starts the tradition where they ‘boo’ a family with a Halloween themed basket full of goodies. Then that family pays it forward to another family and so on throughout the whole neighborhood.
This is the original trick or treat alternative. Even though it is typically a supplemental activity to trick or treating, this might be a fun way to celebrate this year if you want to hand out candy and Halloween cheer from a distance.
Monster muffin tin dinner + movie night
If your kids are young enough that they have never been trick or treating, count your lucky stars! Skip the whole thing entirely and have a spooky dinner + movie. You can make the evening special by letting the kids eat in front of the tv watching a Halloween movie.
I like to serve dinner in muffin trays as a fun spin on dinner. This time, just make the dinner monster themed - think mozzarella stick witches fingers, mummy [hot] dogs, peeled clementines to look like pumpkins, and pb+j spiders with pretzel stick legs.
Neighborhood decor contest
Assuming your HOA agrees, you could challenge your neighbors to a decor contest. You could arrange for awards like “Spookiest” or “Silliest” and have the kids vote for the winners using Doodle.com. Neighborhood kids could even create the awards as an arts and crafts project.
Backyard festival
If you’re looking to really limit your interaction, you could throw your own backyard festival with games and actvities for your kids! This is a great idea (and what we will be doing!) because you can really cater it to your child’s age, interests, and ability to handle scariness.
Games that you could play in this safe trick or treat alternative are pumpkin ring toss, ghost bowling with a small gourd as the ball and toilet paper roll ghosts as the pins, or carve a pumpkin with a wide open mouth that you’ll hit balls into with a golf club or toss bean bags in there. (You can easily make bean bags by adding dried beans or popcorn kernels into balloons.)
Set out candy stands
This is probably the lowest effort alternative. We will likely do this for our neighborhood kids. There are plenty of ways to add a little flare - cover your table with a white sheet and use black paper to make a ghost face. Or add some cobwebs and spiders.
Using a board and some solo cups, you could make a candy stand punch board. Hot glue the cups to the board in a spooky shape and color them appropriately (orange for pumpkin, black for cat and so on). Put candy in each cup and cover it with plastic wrap. The kids have to punch the plastic wrap to puncture it to get their candy.
Scavenger hunt
This is another trick or treat alternative that is customizable to age and skill level. You can make it as scary or friendly as you want.
If your kids understand the concept of a Treasure Hunt, here is a fun Halloween themed treasure hunt that could lead to a huge stash of candy. If your kids are really young, a simple worksheet with a few pictures (think basic Halloween like pumpkin and ghost) and a large box that they can check off. I know my kids feel incredibly important if they get to hold a clipboard, so I would recommend giving them their checklist on a clipboard.
Older kids could do a Skeleton Scavenger Hunt. For this game, you hide skeleton pieces around the house or yard. The kids have to find and assemble their skeleton. The first kid or team done, wins!
Candy chute
This is the most 2020 trick or treat idea. If you’re handy, this is a great option. Here is a breakdown on how one man made his, and his thought process. As someone learning to be handy, it seems doable.
Grabber
Grabber tools are often used after surgeries when mobility is limited. As the child of Boomers who have had their fair share of surgeries, we happen to have access to these tools. Honestly, I love this idea as the most ingenious and affordable.
These would be great if you are going to be out trick or treating with your kids. Or if you will be actively handing out candy. I have found that my kids are more likely to go along with what I want them to if it is incorporated well. So I would encourage a cool robot costume if you really want your kids to use the grabber the whole night.
Piñatas
Give my kids any cylinder, and there is a 99% chance that they will swing it at something. Why not let them swing away with a Halloween piñata. Halloween piñatas are hard to come by this late in the game, but this owl piñata could pass.
And as always, there is the option to make your own pinata. I am honestly shocked by how easy this looks, and will try it this year!
With all that being said, I hope you and your family have the best Halloween possible. Setting expectations appropriately (and early) about what this Halloween will look like will help to avoid tantrums that may arise if they are blindsided about not trick or treating like years past.