101+ alternatives to trick or treating at Halloween

It is going to be difficult to get out and trick to treat this Halloween for many around the world. Kids may not feel comfortable doing it, or parents aren’t sure about letting their children dip their hands into candy bowls for sweets. So what are the alternatives to trick or treating for us to do with our kids to celebrate Halloween? Social distanced Halloween ideas aren’t easy to think up, BUT you don’t have to because WE have looked far and wide and found some excellent ideas for you for Halloween fun, without the worry of Trick or Treating this year!

We have split this into the different kinds of activities that you might like to do on Halloween, from making cards, to scavenger hunts in the home, or even looking out for pumpkins in other people’s windows. Whatever the activity, there are plenty to choose from including:

1. Crafts,
2. Game ideas,
3. Colouring in,
4. Indoor activities,
5. Outdoor activities,
6. Scavenger hunts, and
7. Halloween costumes.

So without further ado – lets share with you some of the best alternatives to trick or treating that we have found – though do sign up to our newsletter as well so you get more of our wonderful ideas delivered to your inbox!

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1. Crafts

There are always Halloween craft ideas to have a go at out there, perhaps in a crafting session, or even to decorate the house with. Why not pick from some on our site, and some others so that you have the perfect Halloween day? Celebrate with a witch craft, or upcycle a picture for the wall in the household event!

• We have a few excellent ideas for Halloween crafts on KiddyCharts, including a paper witch, and a fabulous pumpkin bookmark
• If you kids love reading, what about these lovely Halloween-themed bookmarks from The Gingerbread House?
• Or perhaps you can create a little mini Halloween book, like the one that Barley & Birch have?
• Sometimes it is harder to find simper crafts for toddlers, so this tissue paper pumpkin from Devon Mama is a great idea,
• If tissue paper isn’t a favourite medium for you to work with – how about melted pony beads instead? This suncatcher is a lovely addition to windows, and easy to spot for kids looking for pumpkins in the neighbourhood too. Thanks to The Gingerbread House, for the idea,
• For even younger children, as well as toddlers, sensory bins are a wonderful idea. Cookies, Coffees, and Crafts has THIRTEEN Halloween sensory bin ideas for you to all try out,
• Another great idea for younger children is handprint crafts, so have a go at this handprint craft bat from Simple Everyday Mom, or these fist bump pumpkins from Thrifty Jinxy are pretty cool too
• If your children and more into construction, this spider sculptures from Daisies and Pie are an excellent idea,
• Upcycling a second-hand shop picture; buy a simple picture and make it your very own Halloween decoration! This is for slightly older children, but its a great idea from Swoodson Says. Another older child activity is this Jack Skellington Mason Jar from Jays Sweet N Sour Life,
• Bottle tops are such versatile wee things aren’t they (remember our bottle top boats), well let’s make a bottle top spider just like Berkshire Mummies, or maybe a bat magnet from Thrifty Jinxy
• Rocks. Kids LOVE a good rock, don’t they. So why not find some, and paint some for Halloween. ChildsplayABC has some gorgeous ideas for you,
• For the older children, or even the adults, Drug Store Divas has a marvellous wooden mix and match pumpkin face. Do go over and take a look, there are 25 different facial expressions. It’s brilliant! Finally we have,
• Origami Jack o’ Lanterns are an excellent way to decorate the house, as well as being a fun activity for the kids too. Origami Expressions has the cutest one ever for you!

2. Halloween science ideas

Halloween is the PERFECT time for STEM-based fun, with lots of oozy, slime and crazy ideas out there! So why not use Halloween as a bit of a sneaky time to teach the kids a few new science-based ideas? You make not be able to trick or treat BUT you can have a ball with a bit of science knowledge and a pumpkin!

• Make some SLIME that the kids with love, and think is gross too. What about this from Scissors and Glue – it’s Snot or Booger slime!
• Have you heard of the balloon and baking soda science experiment? Well Mama Smiles has a fantastic one for Halloween which turn into a ghost balloon,
• Yukky science – we all love it. You cannot beat these oozing pumpkins from Team Cartright
• Science Sparks is the BOSS of STEM and science for kids, and has loads of ideas for Halloween, but we loved her glow in the dark goo the most! Do check out her Gross Science Experiments book too (UK affiliate link), because it IS awesome!
• If you want a complete list of amazing ideas for science – check our Playdough and Plato who has 20 cool science ideas for you to try out.

3. Halloween game ideas

Games at home can be a great way to celebrate Halloween, getting the whole family involved – here are some of the best games that we have been able to find for you. Some of these are so simple, even I know how to do them. Games make an excellent alternative to trick or treating simple because they are accessible to most aged children, and just plain fun!

• Halloween Bingo: You “may” have spotted that we like Bingo as a game on KiddyCharts. We have a Halloween version alongside the many different Bingos we have. Perfect for a bit of October the 31st fun indoors! If you fancy a few alternatives, why not check out Our Family Code and Artsy Fartsy Mama,
• If bingo isn’t your thing, what about a Halloween Memory Match from Journey to SAHM or Crayons and Cravings,
• If you are looking for a different game – how about this Halloween Count It one from Explore More Clean Less. To get this one, you need to subscribe to her newsletter, scroll down a little and you’ll find the details,
• Another lovely original game is a spider race from Scrappy Geek. We love the simplicity of this one,
• Are you after a carnival game for fun at home perhaps? If so, Mama Smiles has this excellent monster-based one that is also perfect for Halloween,
• We’ve had bingo, and counting cards, but what about a story card game for Halloween. Such a cute, and fun idea from Jinxy Kids, and finally
• iSpy is always a winner for games with the kids, and Halloween iSpy from This Tiny Blue House is perfect,
• When I was a kid we had a roll a clown game – which we loved to play even when we were that little bit older. So this Roll-A-Monster game from Homemade Heather is great Halloween fun, and finally
• Sticking with traditional games, Jinxy Kids has Tic Tac Toe for Halloween too for you to have a go at.

4. Indoor activities for Halloween

If you don’t want to go out – there are, of course, the games and craft ideas above, but what about other activities to try out? There are plenty of indoor halloween activities that the kids can try out:

• Halloween colouring is a wonderful indoor activity for kids, so what about this fabulous free halloween colouring eBook from KiddyCharts or another one from April Go Lightly, or this Haunted House colour by numbers from The Gingerbread House and a complete set of colour by numbers from Jays Sweet N Sour Life,
• A cool indoor activity, is just to have a spot of fun with photos, so try these Halloween Photo Props; they make excellent decorations too,
• We have all heard of Truth or Dare, but what about Truth or Scare; if you don’t know what this is, pop along to Play Party Plan to find out!
• Our indoor activities wouldn’t be complete without a Halloween wordsearch for the kids to do, so pop over to This Tiny Blue House or Loving Homeschool and grab theirs
• Movies are alternatives to trick or treating in 2020 too – why not pair some of the best Halloween movies with some fun crafts to do. Barley & Birch has some wonderful suggestions for both for you, with Chilling with Lucas and My Poppet Living just focusing on the movie choices. If you aren’t sure how to host a movie night in with the family, Giggles Galore has some tips for you too,
• If you want to go BIG, what about a Halloween Escape Room? The Tiptoe Fairy shows you how it’s done, and finally
• We love something a little bit different on KiddyCharts – so what about this fabulous pumpkin game and craft from The Decorated Cookie? Pop over and check out how its played. It is simple enough for toddlers to be able to do, but even older kids would have fun playing it.

If you do decide to have a little party for your household only – Chicken Scratch NY have 15 great games to choose from as well as all the above!

5. Outdoor activities

Trick or treating is obviously the main activity for outdoors on Halloween, but we are a creative lot, so there are plenty of wonderful ideas for you to try as alternatives to trick or treating. Just check these amazing suggestions out:

• In the US, and it would appear in other locations now, people are “boo-ing” their neighbours instead of trick or treating as it cuts down on exposure to different households. Nip over to Cook Eat Go or Red Ted Art to find what it is all about. If you are worried about the goodies, quarantine them for a period before getting stuck in! There are Yard Card companies to help you with boo-ing your neighbours in the US. My no-guilt life gives a few pointers on how this works
• For some “You’ve been boo-ed” printables – why not take a look at Mary Martha Mama for some free ones,
• This could be both an indoor and an outdoor activity: A Halloween Treasure Hunt. This one from The Tiptoe Fairy ends on the porch, so don’t forget to add the treasure there for the kids! Let’s hope you have a porch too…. 😂
• This might not be for some, as it is still moving between place to place, but in an organised environment within a car park – trunk or treating. Check out A Day in our Shoes for information on how to do the activity,
• For something a little bit different outdoors – what about this wonderful Window Outdoor Letter Hunt from Red Ted Art. Such a charming, but really fun idea, and totally works as trick or treating alternatives 2020 style!
• Using the Easter Egg Hunt as inspiration, Halloween hunts in the garden with treat would work really well – from Counting to Ten. Why not use KiddyChart’s Bat Trick or Treat bags to hide the treats in or Party with Unicorns cute ones as well?

Don’t forget to carve your pumpkins though – just because you aren’t trick or treating, doesn’t mean you cannot have a pumpkin. We’ve got some excellent pumpkin templates for you to take a look at.

6. Halloween scavenger hunts

One of THE best ideas for Halloween is a scavenger hunt, so why not check out some of these ones- perfect for both indoors and ourdoors, depending on how decorated your neighbourhood is. You could even go ALL OUT and make some of the crafts that fit in with these scavenger hunts:

• If you are particularly concerned about making sure you social distance at Halloween – what about this from Red Ted Art. Specifically designed for you to be able to do from a safer distance throughout,
• A Halloween scavenger hunt Homeschool4me has a wonderful picture-based scavenger hunt,
• If you are looking for a neighbourhood halloween scavenger hunt – why not take a look at this one from Play Party Plan? The Tiptoe Fairy also has a neighbourhood scavenger hunt for you too
• For other ideas for scavenger hunts, The Savvy Sparrow has a few other suggestions alongside a free printable for you and finally
• For those that cannot get together in person, Play Party Plan is a self confessed scavenger hunt nut, and has come up with a Halloween group text virtual hunt for you all to try.

7. Halloween costumes

If you aren’t trick or treating – it doesn’t mean you can’t do the costumes, does it? So here are some excellent costume ideas, which are just as good indoors as out! Some of these ideas might work all year round too:

• A clown is a great alternative costume for Halloween, and KiddyCharts have all the ideas to help make your kids the perfect one. Chuck a bit of black facepaint on and Voila – Scary Clown!
• From a clown to a crown – a lovely little accessory for a simple Halloween costume is a home made paper crown – how about this one from Young Love Mommy,
• Play Party Plan has even created a Halloween dress up game, taking the idea of dressing up for Halloween a little further and turning it into something fun for the kids to play
• Organised 31 has done the same too with a costume-themed scavenger hunt, and finally
• Big Family Blessings has some wonderful costume ideas that even incorporate a face mask.

8. Halloween-themed recipes for trick or treat alternatives 2020

Finally, we know that you will NEED some inspirational ideas for food themes for Halloween to make things feel even more spooky. We are going to make sure you have that covered too:

• We have some fabulously fun party food for the night, from wiggly worms to satsuma pumpkins,
• Candy is the order of the day on Halloween, which makes these monster drops from Berkshire Mummies perfect to include in your at home party
• No celebration is complete without a pizza – so do check out these Halloween ones from Globalmouse Travels,
• If you need a drink that warms you during the evening of fun – then why not try Hocus Pocus Cocoa from Big Family Organised Chaos,
• For a healthier alternative at Halloween, check out this Popcorn Bar from Emily Kyle Nutrition, of these Halloween popcorn hands from Eat Plant-Based, who has other healthier snack options for the night too. Eats Amazing has over 30 ideas for healthy Halloween snacks as well,
• Themed popcorn is a fun idea and High Chair Chronicles has some wonderful monster themed popcorn that is perfect
• Chocolate is always a staple of any Halloween fun, so this Chocolate Bark from Drug Store Divas is worth checking out too,
• Spiders are a spooky fun treat for kids on Halloween – particularly with She Saved who have this excellent spider web treat, complete with a funky printable,
• For a spread of snacks, check out this gorgeous snack board from Healthy Family Project. It includes wonderful ideas like Stuffed Mini Pepper Mummies, and Apple Monsters,
• For our US readers, we have to have a candy corn idea, so Razzle Dazzle Life has stepped forward with these candy corn pudding cups. And if you would rather play with it than eat it – why not try this stacking activity from Exquisitely Unremarkable.

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