When I was little, candy was a treat. So, Halloween candy wasn’t that big of a deal. It wasn’t like I was going to get it for standing in line quietly at school, and it certainly wasn’t in a steady rotation in our pantry. It seems like kids get candy everywhere, daily, now though, so it’s a bit hard to feed the problem when it comes to Halloween. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the volume of candy, but don’t want to give up the fun of the holiday completely, here’s 10 non-edible treats you can pass out instead:
- Mini Play-Dough. Every kid loves brand new playdough {who am I kidding, I love it too}.
- Glow sticks. Glow sticks can be used right then and there-or they can save them and use them later.
- Stickers. They are cost effective to buy in bulk, but still get the job done.
- Temporary tattoos. You can always find pretty cool temporary tattoos in bulk around Halloween.
- Hit up Oriental Trading and get little novelty items to give out {crazy straws, cards, bracelets, etc.}.
- Bubbles. You can never have enough bubbles, plain and simple.
- Halloween themed toys: plastic fangs, rubber eyeballs. The kids seem to think the grosser the better.
- Sidewalk chalk. Enough said.
- Little jars of slime or goo. Kids love them. Parents will hate you. All in a days work.
- Mini Water Bottles. Over the years, I’ve seen the kids sprint from house to house like their life depended on it. By the end of the night, they are parched, the water won’t go to waste, I promise.
Do you have any ideas to add?
Have a safe and happy Halloween.
~Mavis
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Diana says
I give out 2 AA batteries with a tiny orange or black ribbon wrapped around them. Around this time of year, deals pop up on bulk purchases of the batteries, which almost makes them as cheap as bags of candy. Kids and moms love the batteries.
Amanda says
Our son has food allergies, and it has really opened our eyes to how food/candy oriented our society is. We have switched to handing out non-food items for Halloween. Our favorite is glow sticks. Kids are thrilled to get them, and we can get 20 for $1 at Dollar Tree so they are a very affordable alternative.
Mavis Butterfield says
Glow sticks rule!!! And you know what? Kids LOVE getting them, especially on Halloween. 🙂
D'Anna says
When I was a kid there was a house in our neighborhood that gave out bubbles and squirt guns, you could pick which one….oh that was the BEST house! I don’t get very many kids for Halloween, though it is my all time favorite holiday, so I buy the full size candy bars and put them in a bowl w/ glow bracelets and necklaces and the kids can have both if they would like. Candy and visibility for the win.
Jen Y says
A suggestion on the bubbles – You can buy a 50 pack of wedding bubbles for about the same as a large bag of candy at Walmart.