Home » Entertainment

Halloween Candy Alternatives

Ranked #37,236 in Entertainment, #461,545 overall

This year, give your trick-or-treaters some great Halloween candy alternatives.

Their parents will thank you and their health will thank you.

Each year more and more parents are finding their children suffer from the effects of refined sugar, artificial dies and other chemicals in commercial candy. This makes Halloween an extremely stressful time for them. They don't want to deprive their children of all the fun associated with Halloween--the dressing up, the trick-or-treating, the parties. But all that candy is literally a poison to their children.

You don't necessarily know which of your neighborhood children suffer in obvious ways from refined sugar now, and you don't know which ones that seem OK now are suffering in hidden ways. You care for those children and want to see them grow up strong and healthy.

Why not be part of the solution by loading up your trick-or-treaters' bags with great Halloween Candy Alternatives?

Small Change

Children love to receive money. If they're very young coins are fun to play with. The older children are probably just starting to receive allowances or they're learning about money by getting paid for doing extra jobs around the house. They're starting to understand that those nickels, dimes and quarters could add up and buy them something. If all the neighbors pitched in with their small change, it would be like Christmas or their birthday all over again.

Start collecting your change into a jar. If you tend to operate cash free, you can go to your bank and purchase a roll of quarters, nickels or dimes to fill your jar all at once. You may even be able to buy some of the more fancy looking dollar coins. On Halloween, put your jar by your door and... well you know what to do.

Small Notebooks

Children can't have enough paper to doodle or write on. They are learning the concept of making lists and would love to have a little notebook for their own lists. Why not drop one of these into their trick or treat bags? You can even let them choose which color they want.
Loading

Pens or Pencils

If one of your neighbors is giving out notebooks, the children are going to need a pen or pencil so they can start writing in them. Check out this collection of Halloween themed writing implements. Some of them even glow.
Loading

Crayons

This is especially great for the younger children, who as a rule go through crayons like they're going out of style.
Loading

Coloring Books

Children love coloring books, and they'll go right to work on it with their crayons. To make it economical it's best to buy coloring book lots rather than individual ones.
Loading

Small cans of Play Doh

One of my neighbors gave my children (I believe they were cows that year) little cans of Play Doh a few years ago. I think that was the first time we'd ever received anything besides candy and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. Later when it became obvious we would have to eliminate all candy from our diet, that Halloween gift was a beacon I held onto. We can enjoy Halloween without the candy. All it takes is replacing the candy with something else. Play Doh makes a great gift for just about everyone, even grown-ups.
Loading

AOCS Copper

Copper is the most affordable metal that has been used as money. The Roman Empire had a copper coin called the "As." Up until 1982 US minted pennies contained 95 percent copper. AOCS (which stands for the American Open Currency Standard) copper rounds weigh a full ounce, are shiny like a new penny, and come in a variety of designs.

AOCS copper rounds make such unique Halloween candy alternatives that I have dedicated an entire lens to them.
.
Purchase AOCS copper rounds here.

Double A Batteries

Kids these days are wired in. Their electronic gadgets and gizmos all have one thing in common: they need batteries. They don't all run on Double A batteries, but it's a pretty safe bet at least one of their gizmos needs that type of battery. Batteries don't make the most exciting Halloween candy alternatives, but they get points for functionality.
Loading

Bubbles

Who doesn't like bubbles and who says they're just for summer? Your trick-or-treaters will be looking forward to the next sunny day so they can get out and fill the air with bubbles. Isn't that more fun than sucking on the fiftieth piece of hard candy?
Loading

Nuts and raisins and chips, oh my!

If you absolutely insist that what you drop into the trick-or-treat bags has to at least be edible, well, there are a few Halloween candy alternatives that do taste good. Boxes of raisins make a great snack, and if you want to get creative, you could include a little recipe card for "ants on a log." You take a piece of celery, spread peanut butter on it, and sprinkle generously with raisins, and you get ants on a log.

Any kind of dried fruit can make a nice treat, just make sure you read the ingredients and avoid the fruit with the added sugar.

Nuts in shells or packages work well too. Although you could get creative and make up your own trail mix, for Halloween treats it's best to stick to edible items that come in packages.

Small bags of chips will be appreciated. Definitely stick to brands that only have three pronounceable ingredients: potatoes, oil, salt.
Loading

Rolls of Scotch Tape

Lurking in just about every household is this hidden conflict about the use of Scotch tape. Children need it for everything, and they love using it. Parents don't want to waste it. All of that stress can be solved by giving a child his own roll of Scotch tape. He uses it in whatever way he pleases until it runs out, and he leaves the utilitarian Scotch tape alone. Delight a neighborhood child. Drop a roll of Scotch tape in her trick or treat bag.
Loading

Party Favors

Who says you only give out party favors at birthday parties? They can make an excellent addition to someone's Halloween loot as well. My children absolutely love receiving temporary tattoos. I would stay away from any party favor that looks complicated or with movable parts. These items tend to be of poor quality, so go for the selections that are meant to be temporary anyway, like stickers.
Loading

Make it a neighborhood affair

Some of these Halloween candy alternatives, such as boxes of crayons, lend themselves to being subdivided. No one really expects you to give a $3.00 box of crayons to each child that knocks on your door. But you could get together with some neighbors and have one give everyone a blue crayon, the next give everyone a red crayon and so forth. The children will need to visit each house to get a complete set of crayons. You could organize the whole thing into a scavenger hunt with signs, clues, maps, prizes and a big party afterwards--with healthy food of course. When each child has completed the route, they will have a complete collection of the various Halloween candy alternatives you and your neighbors have teamed up to give them.

The sky truly is the limit on how creative you as an individual or your entire neighborhood can get in making this Halloween truly special for the children. Your willingness to think outside the candy box and choose to distribute Halloween candy alternatives will make a big difference in the health of your neighborhood children, and the stress level of the parents of those children who are especially prone to sugar issues.

This Halloween show you care by giving your trick-or-treaters Halloween candy alternatives.

Halloween candy alternatives is big time

I'm not the first nor the last to have spoken out on the haunted sugar fest that is Halloween. Here are some other articles and links about the same topic and similar suggestions. Feel free to add your favorite links too. About the only type of link I don't want is where artificial commercial sweeteners are promoted. Those should be avoided too. Have fun.

4

Vote Up
Vote Down

Halloween Candy and Cavities - 10 Fun Alternatives to Halloween Candy

Since everyone else gives out Halloween candy, why more...0 points

5

Vote Up
Vote Down

Halloween Candy Alternatives « Blisstree

Instead of giving out candy this Halloween, why no more...0 points

Your favorite Halloween candy alternatives

I hope this lens has given you some great ideas for Halloween candy alternatives. Which ones will you be passing out this year? If you've thought of an option that's not on this list I'd love to hear from you and perhaps I'll add it to the lens.

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Elaborate on your Halloween candy alternatives

Please share why you chose a certain Halloween candy alternative in the poll. Or, if you chose "other" please say what it is and why you chose it.

  • tandemonimom Sep 15, 2010 @ 4:41 pm | delete
    I love the idea of Halloween pencils and small change. Great ideas!
  • BuckHawk Aug 23, 2010 @ 10:21 am | delete
    Always gave out raisins as a candy alternative, but just love the idea of party favors. Need to change this year, I guess. The pencils look like a good idea, too. This is great for getting the good alternatives.
  • Joan4 Aug 20, 2010 @ 10:28 am | delete
    You have some super ideas here! I know many parents worry about the heavy sugar load children get at Halloween. Our smart daughter-in-law sorts through and lets the children have a piece for a treat now and then, but not all of it on one night! Pencils are my favorite. Love the idea of notebooks and stickers too!
Show All

About the Author

Fernanda Powers is a homeschooling stay at home mom with three daughters, one of whom has to avoid all refined sugar and flour, making Halloween and other festive occasions a challenge.

Rather than thinking of it as a limitation or disability, Fernanda believes avoiding refined sugar is a conscious health choice more families should make, whether they are affected by an obvious sugar-induced disease or not. Refined sugar is bad for everyone, and those who choose to avoid it and help others avoid it are taking the higher ground.
Loading

Want to make your own Squidoo lens?

Join Squidoo here. It's free.

by

anmatt

Fernanda Powers is a homeschooling stay at home mom with three daughters, one of whom has to avoid all refined sugar and flour, making Halloween and o... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags