Do you ever wish you could go back in time and go trick-or-treating again? Feel the excitement and joy that came with putting on a costume and walking around, getting free candy. It was definitely one of the best days of the year. Remembering back, the best part of the night was probably dumping out my candy bucket on the kitchen table and taking inventory of everything I got that year. It was always… a lot. But I remember getting way more excited for the stickers and toys than I ever got for the candy. Maybe I was a weird kid. Alternatives to Halloween candy were always my favorite because they lasted a lot longer than candy ever did. I was a very practical child.
Halloween is almost here this year, and I can’t wait to see all the adorable Halloween costumes. There is something so nostalgic about Halloween night, even though I don’t go trick-or-treating anymore. But I certainly connect with my inner child by sitting in my living room, eating Halloween candy I bought for myself, and watching family-friendly Halloween movies like Casper the Friendly Ghost.
This list is also super helpful if you are creating goody bags for a Halloween party or you are a teacher looking for give-away prizes for your students. Sometimes you don’t want to give a large group of children and ton of sugar. Trust me, that is no fun. So sometimes you have to look into alternatives to Halloween candy, and when you are only buying for a couple of kids, you can buy a some of the items on this list to create an adorable gift bag for a Halloween party.
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Where can you look for Alternatives to Halloween Candy?
Usually, the day before Halloween, you stop by the grocery store on the way home from work and grab some candy for the trick-or-treaters. So, if you want to add something different in your Halloween routine, you might have to think ahead. There are a couple of stores you can stop in on to find these alternatives to candy, and some internet stores to check out as well. I’ll list a few of them down below.
- Target’s Hide & Eek Boutique
- Party City
- Michaels or other craft stores
- Dollar store, Dollar General, or Dollar Tree
- Amazon.com
- OrientalTrading.com
I am a planner, So once October hits, I start to look for treats for Halloween, and I start looking for sales. Halloween sales start coming as soon as October starts, and thats a great way to save a little money.
Alternatives to Halloween Candy
1. Halloween-Themed Stickers
When I was a kid, I was a sticker collector. I had stacks of sticker sheets that I rarely used because I didn’t want to lose them. If I’m being honest, I still have that sticker collection in a bag in my closet. But I have started using them now, on gifts and in my journal. All this is to say, that stickers are a fantastic alternative to Halloween candy.
Many of the stores I listed above sell small sticker sheets and sets specifically to give out, whether as Halloween treats or in goody bags. Amazon has these adorable sricker sheets that allow kids to dress up a Halloween character, like a vampire or Frankenstein’s monster.
2. Small Halloween-Themed Erasers
I still love those adorable tiny erasers in fun shapes, no matter how useless they can be. So I would have been incredibly excited if I got some Halloween-theme erasers while I was trick-or-treating. These are also relatively cheap, so they make a great alternative to Halloween candy.
These pumpkin erasers on Amazon are absolutely darling. They double as pencil toppers, and would make any kid excited to use them in school.
3. Halloween-Themed Pencils
To go along with the erasers, I was never mad when I found a pencil in my trick-or-treat bucket. There are a ton of cheap ones out there, with adorable Halloween designs like jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, or spiders. This one is great for teachers because it will get your students excited to write with their brand new pencils.
Amazon sells this pack of 80 Halloween pencils that have adorable designs on them. Honestly, I want all of these pencils.
4. Small Halloween-Themed Toys
Remember when you were a kid and you would get those plastic vampire teeth you could put in your mouth, or those witch fingers that you would put on your hand and pretend to be a witch? Those are still a thing! Anything from bouncy balls, stretchy skeletons, and everything in between make great treats for kids.
Amazon sells a bunch of bulk toy bundles perfect for trick-or treatings. This one has fun spider rings and stamps that kids will love, and it is pretty matched in pricing to just buying a couple bags of candy.
5. Tiny Note Pads
Me and my friends would have a blast with tiny note pads when I was young. We would write notes to each other, draw pictures, and so much more. Including some tiny note pads with Halloween designs on the front would make any kid excited, espeically if they have some Halloween pencils and erasers to use with them.
Amazon sells a set of 72 small notepads with cute Halloween illustrations on the front.
6. Halloween-Themed Keychains
Am I the only one who loves keychains? I also love Halloween so mix them together and you get the perfect alternative to Halloween candy. I did some research and found these adorable Halloween keychains that come with little treat bags that you can fill with other stuff as well. This set comes with 36 pieces and at a pretty affordable price, how could you go wrong?
7. Slime
Trust me, kids love slime! Slime grew in popularity a couple years ago, and it hasn’t died down since. It’s a fun thing to play with, and it is also great as a fidget toy. Amazon sells a bulk back of 48 slimes in a couple cool colors. There are also galaxy slimes if you really want to be the cool house on the block on Halloween.
8. Halloween Bubbles
Bubbles are so much fun, and they aren’t too much of a mess, which makes them a fantastic alternative to Halloween candy. I used to love getting those tiny bottles of bubbles while I was in school, they were so much fun. And who doesn’t like bubbles?
You can get small bubble party favors year round at stores like Party City. Amazon also sells bubble favors, including these bubble favors with Halloween characters on top.
9. Halloween-Themed Plushies
I loved plushies when I was a kid. Who am I kidding, I still love plushies, my bed is currently overflowing with Squsihmallows. So, giving kids adorable tiny plushies of ghosts, vampires, and other Halloween creatures is a great option for trick-or-treaters. I found this pack of 28 tiny and adorable Halloween plush toys. These also come with little loops so the kids can hook them to their backpacks or their trick-or-treating pumpkin bucket.
10. Crayons and Mini Coloring Books
Who doesn’t love colring? I still love coloring books to this day, it is a great way to relax. So these small Halloween-themed coloring books from Amazon are sure to be a hit at a Halloween party, in the classroom, or amongst trick-or-treaters. The set includes a small coloring/activity book and a box of crayons, enough for 12 kids.
Making this list made me want to create a Halloween goody bag just so I could play with all these fun Halloween-themed toys. I wish I was still a kid. Sometimes I still feel like I’m a kid. Anyway, there are so many reasons to find alternatives to Halloween candy, and you can find treats that are just as fun, so you don’t get tricked!
