Halloween
is a top-grossing holiday and consumer spending will hit record highs in 2014
predicts U.S News and World Report. Young and old alike eagerly anticipate
trick-or-treat, spending an average of $80 per person on costumes, spook house
venues, decorations and candy. Not everyone looks forward to Halloween,
however. Some children are terrified by scary costumes. Parents don't want them
to miss out on the fun, just avoid the creepier aspects. Is it possible to
celebrate a haunt-less Halloween? Absolutely! Here are alternative
trick-or-treat activities.
·
Truck-or-Treat/Trunk-or-Treat.
Organize a group of friends to pass out candy from the trunks of their cars or
truck beds. Choose a non-spooky theme, like Disney movies, and host a costume
contest. Families can even decorate vehicles in keeping with theme.
·
Educational costumes.
There's a whole world of non-scary costume ideas to choose from. Children can
dress up as characters in books, children shows or nursery rhymes. They might
dress as famous people, favorite animals or in occupational attire. Encourage
kids to create costumes from recycled materials. This saves money too.
·
Safe houses. Ask around
your neighborhood to find out who plans to decorate with a haunted theme. Map
out a trick-or-treat route that bypasses those homes.
·
Candy hunt. Maybe you
live far from town or in a rural area? That makes trick-or-treat challenging
enough as it is. So skip door-to-door. Instead, hide candy in the yard and let
children hunt for it. Let children dress in costume. If you have a large piece
of property, this could be a great adventure!
·
LARP candy quest. Turn
your backyard or house into a non-scary, live-action role play Halloween video
game. Decide on a theme. Children invent a character and create costumes.
Parents or older siblings might draw a treasure map, set tasks children must
complete or write riddles to help little ones find candy.
·
Life-size Candyland.
Create a living Candyland board game in the backyard. Invite neighbors to
participate. Adults dress as characters and create stations based on the game.
Here's a life-sized Candyland
Pinterest board with loads of costume and prop tutorials.
·
Harvest gala Forego the
Halloween theme altogether and focus on fall. Set up autumn crafts and game
stations in your barn, backyard or garage. Make a hay maze. Hide candy in leaf
piles. Carve or paint pumpkins. Bob for apples. Make popcorn balls. Serve cider
and donuts.
·
Nursing home
trick-or-treating. Here's a win-win idea: children get to trick-or-treat in
safe, controlled environments and lonely elderly folks get to enjoy Halloween
with the kids. Check senior homes in your area for trick-or-treat
opportunities.
·
Pay it forward. Teach
children that Hallween can be about giving as well as getting. Turn one of
above-listed ideas into a fundraising event. Sell tickets and donate the
proceeds. In lieu of a fee, collect canned goods for a food pantry. Gather
animal care supplies for your local Humane Society.
Be
sure to film the frolics share video copies with family far away. Halloween
doesn't have to be scary to be fun. It just takes is a little ingenuity and
resourcefulness for everyone to have a good time.
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