Costumes. Pumpkin carving. Haunted houses. Trick-or-treating. Halloween is full of hauntingly good times for the entire family. It’s also a perfect time for treats of all sorts. For parents interested in balancing out the sugar buzz, here are some of our go-to tips:
1. Hand Out Healthier Treats or Toys
Trick-or-treaters love unique treats like pencils, stickers, party favors, glow sticks, Play-Doh or trading cards as much as they do candy. You can also give out individually packaged treats like nuts, raisins, whole grain crackers, trail mix or pumpkin seeds.
2. Active Trick-or-Treating
Get the whole gang moving by turning trick-or-treating into a game. We love mapping out a trick-or-treat route for the kids to help them explore the neighborhood and get in some serious steps. Set a goal for how many houses you will walk to, and try to beat it!
3. Trade-In Extra Sweets
Once your kids are finished trick-or-treating, have them divide the sweets into piles. They can then “trade the candy in” for something better – books, toys or something else of your choosing. Make it fun by using a scale to weigh the piles. Maybe they could earn a book or toy for every pound of candy they trade in.
4. Fill Up Before Trick-or-Treating
Sit down to a nutritious meal before heading out for the night, and treat your kids to a healthy snack when they return so their bellies are nice and full. Make it fun for the entire family with ghoulishly delightful Halloween-themed meals and snacks.
For dinner, serve up:
For post trick-or-treating snacks, throw some of these into the cauldron: