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We’re gonna have to get creative with Halloween 2020. My kids still want to trick-or-treat and dress up in costumes, so I’ve had to do some research and come up with creative, socially distant ideas so they don’t miss out on all the fun. This should be a Halloween for the books — in a good way (am I right!?) — so thinking outside the box is going to be important.
That’s why I’ve come up with these fun and unique tips to help your kids enjoy trick-or-treating this Halloween 2020 while safely social distancing.
But first, download the Krazy Coupon Lady app for more fun tips like this one.
1. Set up a trick-or-treat Halloween 2020 helper outside your house.
In case there are still trick-or-treaters on Halloween, you can blow up a fun Halloween inflatable and set it up on your doorstep or at the end of your driveway. Set treat bags with candy on a small table in front of it, and if you choose, add a cute sign like “Trick or Treat. Stay 6 feet. Take something good to eat!”
If the weather permits, set yourself up on lawn chairs six feet away so you can monitor the bowl and enjoy all the kids in their costumes.
Related: Epic DIY Halloween Costumes That Cost $10 or Less
2. Bring Halloween 2020 to the kids and make your own haunted house.
Halloween 2020 can still happen, in a safe, quarantine sort of way. One of my favorite safe trick-or-treat memories with my kids was the haunted house at their preschool every year. Each room was decorated differently, and parents dressed as characters from the kids’ favorite “scary” movies, like Scooby-Doo and the Wicked Witch of the West, to stand at the door.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Decorate the hallways with polyester spider webs — you can add plastic spiders and place black plastic on the walls if you want to go all out
- Put cold cooked pasta into an icky bowl for the kids to stick their hands into with their eyes closed
- Make a haunted tunnel out of pillows and blankets that they have to crawl through
In each room, parents have the kids complete a task before they get to move on to the next place, like sticking their hands in the icky bowl, having their fortunes told, answering questions, or crawling through haunted tunnels.
TIP: Give prizes at the end of the haunted house adventure, like a king-size candy bar or Halloween-themed trinket.
3. …But if you’re off to a late start, you can have a Halloween trick-or-treat hunt at home.
Think Easter egg hunt but with a Halloween twist.
All you’ll need are plastic eggs, or these super cute Halloween treat boxes. Fill them with candy and place them all around the house or yard.
4. Decorate your cars for a fun Trunk-or-Treat Halloween event outdoors.
Where I grew up, you would trick-or-treat in neighborhoods, but apparently, Trunk-or-Treating has been around for a long time and it’s very popular.
The basic idea is to decorate the trunks of participating cars and vans and park them in parking lots so that children can safely make their way from parking spot to parking spot, collecting their Halloween candy from the parents sitting in the trunk.
5. Fill your own Halloween piñata with candy for the kids to enjoy.
Just because your kids can’t trick-or-treat doesn’t mean you can’t get a fun Halloween-themed piñata!
Get them all dressed up in their costumes (with or without a couple of friends), and give them a chance to bust into it blindfolded.
Related: The Best Family Halloween Costumes on the Internet
6. Try trick-or-treating at your neighborhood park.
Instead of having the kids go house to house this Halloween, get your friends and family together and have them trick-or-treat at your local park.
If your park has trees, telephone poles, or bushes, tie orange and black streamers to each stop, or decorate it even further with a skeleton and dollar store tombstones. Put a bucket or bags of candy at the base. Heck, you can even use the tables and playground equipment. The kids can race from spot to spot gathering candy at each stop.
This gives Halloween the feeling of “normalcy” while adding a level of safety out in the open air.
TIP: This idea can be done a dozen different ways, so get creative with your neighbors, and hatch out a plan that works with all of your social distancing needs.
7. Plan a small Halloween candy scavenger hunt.
Fill Halloween trick-or-treat pails with candy, hide them in your house or yard, and give your kids clues to find them.
Related: Scary Good DIY Halloween Decorations
8. Make homemade caramel apples.
Put together a caramel apple bar for your whole family to enjoy a sweet treat.
Using your microwave, melt baking caramels with a bit of heavy cream or milk, stirring it every 30 seconds till smooth. Clean your apples, remove the stems, and insert caramel apple sticks. Search for spooky ones at your local craft store for extra fun.
Dip your apples in the caramel, and drizzle melted chocolate on top. Then add your favorite candies and treats.
Some suggestions for toppings include Reese’s Pieces, crushed Butterfingers, crushed Oreo cookies, peanuts, marshmallows, M&M’s, and crushed pretzels.
Chill your apple in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!
9. Have a scary movie marathon.
When I was a kid, if it was ever pouring rain, a scary movie marathon was just what my friends and I needed to enjoy Halloween.
Depending on how old your kids are, you have a lot of options to choose from:
- Hocus Pocus
- Ghostbusters
- Monster House
- Frankenweenie
For teenagers who love scary movies, you can try these:
- The Sixth Sense
- Scream
- Jaws
- The Blair Witch Project
10. Listen to scary stories on audiobook or tell your own by the fire.
Nothing beats a good scary story, especially the ones my mother told around the campfire. Since Halloween’s in October, the best alternative is Halloween themed s’mores around an outdoor fire.
If you choose to read or listen, any of the three “Scary Stories” by Alvin Schwartz are an option worth looking into. Each is composed of myths, folklore, and urban legends from all over the world — and I read them all over and over as a kid.
Related: Scary Good Halloween Treats
11. Boo your friends and neighbors.
If trick-or-treating isn’t an option, fill little bags with treats and deliver them secretly to your neighbors. Find a free printout online, or check out Bullseyes playground at your local Target for inexpensive bags and signs.
Hang the treats on your neighbor’s door, ring the bell, and run! Your kids will love the “sneaky” feeling they get delivering treats incognito.
12. Register for Lowe’s Curbside Trick-or-Treating event and get free Halloween goodies.
When you sign up for Lowe’s Curbside Trick-or-Treat event, you’ll get free pumpkins and candy at Lowe’s for Halloween.
Put in your ZIP code on the Lowe’s event page to see what’s happening near you. If your local store is doing Curbside Trick-or-Treat, it’ll say so next to the name of your local store.
Related: Lowe’s to Host Curbside Trick-or-Treat Events
13. Trick-or-treat online for real candy with Treat Town Halloween.
That’s right! This year Mars, Inc. — the folks behind M&M, Snickers, Skittles, and more — has introduced a new way to trick-or-treat virtually for real candy.
You can download their Treat Town Halloween app, or just visit treat-town.com to join the online fun.
Related: You Can Now Trick-or-Treat Online for Real Candy
Don’t Scroll Up! Here are the Halloween links I mentioned:
Epic DIY Halloween Costumes That Cost $10 or Less
The Best Family Halloween Costumes on the Internet
Scary Good DIY Halloween Decorations
Lowe’s to Host Curbside Trick-or-Treat Events
You Can Now Trick-or-Treat Online for Real Candy
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