The onslaught of candy during the holiday season can be a challenge to handle. As a parent, are you trying to manage all of the sweet treats coming in from parties, school, friends, and social events? If you want to enjoy Halloween with your littles and still reduce the overall amount of sugar, then consider a few candy alternatives at home.
Even though candy is traditionally part of the Halloween holiday, it doesn’t mean that your family needs to be consuming it throughout the day. Smart parents try to find the balance: allowing their children to enjoy a few sweet treats here and there, while also finding other enjoyable ways to celebrate without processed sugar.
Trick-Or-Treating Candy Alternatives
Whether you are planning a Halloween party for friends, preparing for trick-or-treaters, or you want to have a small celebration with your family at home, consider these candy alternatives to minimize the sugar rush:
Play Dough
Inspire kids to be creative with Halloween-themed play dough. You can find small store-bought containers that are the perfect size for trick-or-treating. Or, if you are hosting a party at home and want to save money, consider making a big batch of homemade play dough using simple ingredients you already have in the pantry (salt, flour, water, oil, food coloring, etc.).
Halloween Bubbles
Find Halloween-themed bubbles to hand out instead of candy. These little containers come in Halloween colors, such as orange, black, green, and purple. Not only are they fun to receive, but children and adults both enjoy blowing the bubbles and watching them fly through the air. Bubbles are always a hit for people of all ages. Plus, the containers are refillable.
Stickers
Holiday stickers are novelties that are fun to wear on a costume or put in a coloring book. Kids enjoy a fresh sheet of stickers, especially when the designs match the fun activities of the day. Look online or at local craft stores to find sticker candy alternatives such as pumpkins, ghosts, Frankenstein, and more.
Pencils and Erasers
It feels great to have a brand-new pencil in hand! Kids can pick out a pencil during the Halloween party or trick-or-treating, then take it to school the next day to continue enjoying the holiday celebrations while they are working on their schoolwork or homework. Not only can you find these seasonal pencils as candy alternatives for Halloween, but also look for designs that fit other holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. Additionally, you can pair the pencils with themed erasers, shaped as Halloween characters like Frankenstein, bats, witches, and pumpkins.
Mini Notepads
Take the school supplies theme one step further by including a small Halloween mini note pad with the pencils and erasers. These fun writing supplies spark lots of creativity, giving children candy alternatives that they can use at home or at school. Every child likes having new school supplies for writing and coloring.
Temporary Tattoos
Similar to the stickers, temporary tattoos can be fun surprises to hand out as candy alternatives. Children love putting on a small tattoo, especially if it coincides with their costume of choice. These small tattoos are perfect for the holiday celebrations because they last for a few days before washing off in the bathtub.
Glow Sticks
Not only do children love the idea of wearing glow sticks while they are outside in the dark, but these candy alternatives also help to keep everyone safe on a busy night. With so many kids on the sidewalks and crossing the streets while trick-or-treating, it’s a good idea to make them a little more noticeable with glowstick necklaces or bracelets.
Halloween Rings
Do you remember those spider rings from your childhood? From a distance, they look like real spiders! Even though they have been around for decades, these affordable candy alternatives are still fun for children today. You can hand out the spider rings to trick-or-treaters. Also, buy extras to use for décor – they look perfect in fake spiderwebs hung up on your porch.
Vampire Teeth
Another fun plastic toy to hand out is a set of vampire teeth. Even kids in princess costumes and unrelated characters will want to pop in their vampire teeth as soon as they receive this goodie. The teeth are entertaining, helping to distract kids from other candy treats in their trick-or-treating pails.
Small Toys
Look at online party stores to find other types of toys that children might enjoy. For example, you can buy bulk bags of little race cars, bendable monsters, craft kits, and more. These toys are cheap and unique, and children love the different options they can choose from in your bucket of candy alternatives.
Other Halloween Activities
As you are looking for candy alternatives, also consider planning a few fun activities to keep the kids focused on something other than candy. Hands-on activities are memorable and enjoyable for people of all ages. Consider these ideas:
- Scavenger Hunt: Send the kids on a treasure hunt through the house, classroom, or yard. They can find clues along the way, then reach a hidden treasure box at the end that is filled with the different candy alternatives listed above.
- Pumpkin Patch: Let every member of the family pick out their own, personalized pumpkin. In addition to searching for the best pumpkins at a pumpkin patch, many of these local businesses also have family-friend activities like bounce houses, slides, corn pits, hayrides, and more.
- Pumpkin Carving: It’s an age-old tradition that you won’t want to miss! Cover the dining room table with newspaper and pull out the carving knives. Then, you can set the pumpkins out on the porch and light them with candles on the night of Halloween.
These candy alternatives not only help to minimize the sugar rush, but decreasing sugar consumption is also an important step to protect dental health at the same time. If it’s time for an exam and cleaning, then don’t forget to call our team to book appointments for the whole family. Contact Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of Las Colinas for more information about protecting your children’s smiles.
