There are many families who have a tradition of taking the kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. The children wear costumes (and some adults might, too). The whole family goes door to door so the little ones can collect candy. There are also several fun alternatives to trick-or-treating that your family can participate in.
Trunk Or Treat
This is a relatively new Halloween tradition! Sometimes it is arranged by a local church or school. Adults purchase Halloween candy to give out, as usual. Instead of handing out the candy at your front door, you bring it to a specific location (usually a parking lot).
All the cars line up so that the trunks are accessible. Adults open the trunk and place the candy inside. Kids go from trunk to trunk to do their “trunk-or-treating”. Many people like this alternative because it limits the number of people that children will encounter. Sometimes, people decorate their trunk (and the area around it) like others might decorate their lawn for Halloween.
Mall
Your local shopping mall may be hosting a mall-wide trick-or-treating event. This alternative to typical trick-or-treating is great for a number of reasons. The indoor areas of the mall are going to be a comfortable temperature. The weather outside might be cold or rainy.
Many parents feel safe letting their children trick-or-treat by going from one store to the next. A worker will be handing out candy or small toys. Older kids or tweens won’t have the opportunity to use trick-or-treating as an excuse to get into mischief. Trick-or-treating outdoors brings the potential of danger with cars that are on the road. Indoor malls remove that danger.
Church Events
There are many churches that put together a “fun fair” kind of event on Halloween. Instead of trick-or-treating, children play games to earn candy. The games are the types you might find at a carnival. There could be a ring toss, a game where you have to throw a bean bag into a bucket, or a game where kids “fish” out a prize with a magnet on a string. Children are generally encouraged to wear costumes, just like they would do for trick-or-treating.
Disney
Micky’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a great alternative to trick-or-treating for families that live near Disney World. It happens on select nights from now through October 31, 2014. Children are encouraged to wear a costume to the park. There will be fun Halloween related activities going on all over the park. If you live near Anaheim, California, it might be easy for your family to attend the Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland. Again, it takes place on select nights. Tickets are on sale now.
Image by Alfred Cunningham on Flickr.
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