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Hailey started going to a mom’s morning out program twice a week when she was two years old. It was a great little 9-12 program, that just served a mid-morning snack; no lunch. I thought this was great until Hailey began telling me about some of the snacks that were served. Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, OREOS. Huh, say what? For snack?
On top of that, it seemed like every week was someone’s birthday, which meant cupcakes, cookies and extra candy to take home.
Plus, teachers used M&Ms to reward good behavior.
See the pattern?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a little candy fun on Halloween, but when it extends all month long, it’s a little too much in my book. With Halloween around the corner, I’m hoping to pull back a bit on the ALL THE SUGAR theme that is so often associated with the month of October. To do this, I’m partnering up with the wonderful folks over at Bitsy’s Brainfood to share adorable ways to keep all the fun and magic of Halloween parties while leaving the junk-filled faux-food behind!
Step 1: Focus on the Fun Factor! Kids, especially preschoolers, are at incredible ages to take advantage of magic of the holidays. Hailey, age 4, is all about Halloween and the spooky fun that comes with it.
A great ways to engage little minds with cost-effective fun is to create a sensory mystery box station.
Older kids will squeal with delight when they stick their hands in mystery boxes to squeeze monster brains. Younger children may do better getting to see what they are touching first.
Either way, it provides a really fun activity that will leave all ages, adults included, squealing and giggling as they guess what each monster mystery is made of.
For the preschool crowd, crafts are still a big hit. I know this because I have multiple large containers filled with art projects from Hailey’s first 4 years of life (how I am trying to organize my storage space is an entirely different post). But take advantage of this by helping kids get crafty.
Decorating masks, either store-bought or cut from paper plates, can provide an opportunity for coloring and pretend play afterwards.
Looking for more creative craft ideas?
Check out these: salt ghost // paper plate spiders // ghost footprints
Or rock their world with simple nail art. Seriously, rock. Their. World. Trust me.
Step 2: Choose Good Grub.
I’m not one of those moms that can create adorable, elaborate lunch scenes with butterflies and cut out shapes on the regular. However, for holidays I’m a bit more willing to put in some extra effort, especially if they aren’t too complex. Hailey loves these simple mini-pumpkins.
And these witches brooms, made from a pretzel stick and string cheese, are easy and delightful.
Looking for more healthy and festive food?
Check out these spider bites // mummy pouches // apple teeth // deviled egg eyeballs
Step 3: Choose Smarter Tricks and Treats. It’s easy to default to candy at Halloween time. I get it. The aisles at Target are overflowing with it, but if you look closer you will also see some new, healthier (and still delicious!) choices emerging.
Bitsy’s Brainfood, the awesome company behind these whole grain cookies made proudly with organic fruits and vegetables, just launched a spooky-snacks multi-pack of some of their most tasty varieties, orange chocolate beet and sweet potato oatmeal raisin.
They are perfect for handing out to trick-or-treaters or for school parties because they are made is a super-safe NUT-FREE facility, which is so important in today’s world.
Brightly-colored packages and the signature letter-shaped cookies make Bitsy’s Brainfood Cookies a huge hit, proven by the way my girls gobble them down, even Kaitlyn (16 months) who is my more particular eater. We eat these on the regular and love them even more with their Halloween-themed packages! You can learn more about the two mom’s that created Bitsy’s here or find them on instagram, facebook or twitter.
Along with the treats, kids love tricks too, and are quite easy to please with simple and affordable Halloween fun, like squishy, sticky eyeballs!
Another great hand out are glow sticks. Not only to kids get the biggest kick out of them, they are great for them to wear of Halloween night to make them easier to track!
Even simple touches like orange and black straws can make a party come alive with magic for kids.
By combining the themed crafts, snacks and spooky tricks and treats, you can make your child’s Halloween celebration explode with delight!
Bitsy’s Brainfood Cookies are available at Wegman’s and Target.
Camee says
I love making fun fruit treats for my daughter. thank you for the giveaway!
Heather says
We always give glow sticks to trick or treaters! Saves us from having a ton of leftover candy and gives children with allergies something they know is safe without having to think about it!
Kristen ECM says
This year I think we’ll give out a tiny toy or play dough so that we are not contributing to the sugar fest…maybe??!!
Jenny Pittsburgh says
Those witches brooms are the cutest things ever! I’m definitely making those this year. No one wants to be the house that gives out fruit on Halloween (I’m still young enough to remember THAT house in the neighborhood…and how we avoided it!). But we loved one house that gave away stickers and popcorn balls. A little sugar is OK in my book!
Al says
Decorating the house for Halloween has been more fun the last few years. I used to decorate only for fall and now the kids have convinced me to decorate specifically for Halloween. It gets everyone really excited.
We also always get our costumes picked out and ready in advance and we love getting dressed up.
At our neighborhood Halloween party, as you know, we no longer offer juice. Only bottled water. Moving toward a healthier ways….
My daughter’s second grade class celebrates Halloween with a mad scientist day. What a great idea!! And their grade level doesn’t allow class treats to be brought in anymore! The birthday kiddos gets treated like gold and gets one special treat from the teacher. Yay! Win!
This year I’d love to try out those snacks you mentioned which are individually wrapped and healthy. Also, I recently saw popcorn packed inside clear gloves and tied at the top with a ribbon!
And not that this is a solution, but more about passing the buck, but lots of people donate their excess halloween candy to the troops in order to get it out of their house.
Lauren Bryant says
As a preschool teacher, I like to have my students play games that envolve their gross motor development. Games like tag could be monsters running from a ghost.
Kelly says
I always bring a veggie try to parties I’m invited to. I do make my nieces goodie bags for halloween with fun socks, chapsticks and nail polish
Lindsay says
We trick or treat first then hand back out the candy the girls just received. There is always enough stickers or little toys so they each get something. They’ve never tasted candy so they don’t have any temptation to eat it. They love handing it back out actually. I do let them pick one candy and I recreate it at home for them to eat a few pieces after we get home. Last year I made almond joys with all organic whole ingredients. This year were trying snickers.
Alyssa @ Renaissancerunnergirl says
The witches’ brooms and pumpkins are adorable and so creative! The funny thing is, it starts so young and never ends. In high school, snack at student council meetings was cookies and Pringles. Even in law school, the free lunch at events was always pizza, and student groups bribed passersby to check out their tables with free candy and Oreos/Chips Ahoy. I can’t eat that stuff because of Celiacs, but it amazed me how many people could avoid the Freshman 10 or Law School 10 pound weight gain just by not indulging in every single mass produced pizza slice or cookie they were offered.
Caitlin P says
I think from now having a child with a milk/soy intolerance I’ve become more aware of how many children have intolerances and allergies. So this year for Halloween we are going to put a Teal pumpkin outside our door (to note we have allergy friendly treats) and handout little “fun packs” – I’m thinking little coloring books, stickers, mini-puzzle etc.!
Sara says
As a preschool teacher, I aim for a balanced Halloween party – fruit, veggies and cheese are included in the snacks!
Claire says
Giving out glow sticks or stickers instead of the usual candy is how I make it a bit healthier. I tried raisins one time but they weren’t a big hit!
Katie says
I try to limit the candy to one small piece a day for the little ones, or let them have an alternative, such as an all-fruit popsicle, which they usually choose instead!
Danielle says
We took stickers to school last year instead of candy. Kids love stickers too!
Brittany K says
We have done yogurt raisins and pretzels bags, but I really like the glow stick idea! Now having a little one with food allergies, I’m much more conscious of all of the food allergies out there and try to pick something everyone can enjoy. I think these Bitsy’s Brainfood snacks sound like a great idea!
Lexi says
We celebrate a healthier Halloween by eating candy in moderation! I’ve never felt good after eating chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, no matter how appealing another piece may sound at the time.
Linda says
I got Halloween bubbles to pass out this year. I also purchased the Bitsy Brainfood snacks from Target yesterday to include in my son’s birthday goody bags this weekend.
Amy says
My trick was always to buy candy I don’t like so that I don’t eat it, but now that I have a daughter, I love these suggestions!
Sarah T says
We hand out stickers, spider rings & popcorn packs in addition to candy, it always surprises me how many kids pick the non candy items. And of course we walk to go trick or treating and then when we’re back at home the kids can pick 2 pieces of candy to eat.
karla says
Here, we go trick or treating and allow the kids to save a small container of their favorite candy. The rest, they take to the dentist who pays then cash for their candy! 😉
Shanna says
We are all about balance on Halloween. The kids have a healthy dinner and then head out trick or treating. They get to eat a few pieces of candy that night but we donate the rest.
Abby B says
We (my 3 and 2 year old, and myself!) love Bitsy’s BrainFood. We like to ration out the candy and donate some to keep things healthier.
Kelley says
Loved this post!! I agree, we work so hard to keep the sugar out of our toddler, but it seems to come from everywhere, especially social gatherings! Would love to try these healthy cookies!!
Cindy Childers says
My youngest’s birthday is just before Halloween so I am totally going to be doing the little broom/cheese treat and the orange pumpkins. LOVE!
Jen W. says
Living “out of town” we don’t get a lot of trick or treaters so I tend to go overboard for the ones that make the trip out to see us. I make special treat bags filled with fun things like play doh, colored paper & art supplies, notebooks, crayons, markers and other small dollar store items I find. And I always fill a plastic cup or bowl with edible items like decorated rice krispie treats, homemade trail mix and granola. The kids LOVE it and mom’s do too!
Jennifer says
I am bringing organic fruit pouches to my daughter’s preschool Halloween party!
chrissy says
I love those witches brooms! I’ll definitely be making those. Last year we made little mummies out of cocktail sausages and pilsbury dough. Kids loved them!
Emily says
A sharpie and fruit with peels are always a hit in our classrooms. Making orange Jack-o-Lanterns and Banana monsters crack the kids up!
Katie says
We’ve done banana ghosts and the orange pumpkins for parties before- both super easy and a big hit!
I tweeted too! 😉
Kristen says
Where did you find the pumpkin nail stickers? My 3 year old daughter would love that!
Brittany Dixon says
Hobby Lobby for $2! Big hit! 🙂
Stephanie Crooks says
We’ve done fruit cups and decorated them with jack-o-lantern faces. I like the witches brooms too! I love this idea because my daughter’s class has the same “junk food” issue!
Shannon says
We love to make Jack O Lantern Quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas!
Heather says
We aren’t allowed to bring homemade trips to day care/preschool, so I had actually planned on picking up the individual serving size Bitsy’s to hand out! I love having healthier options like Bitsy’s or Annie’s or even fruit pouches rather than all of the candy.
Alissa says
I don’t buy candy until the day before halloween. That way my family and I can’t eat it the whole month!
Jenn says
We usually give out a glow necklace or small toy instead of candy on Halloween
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
By making homemade allergy-free treats!
Melany says
Those clementine pumpkins are so cute!
My son is only 2.5, so we’re taking yogurt raisins and stickers for his class party. And maybe clementine pumpkins 🙂
Emily says
I will bring glow sticks for the class party instead of candy this year.
irene says
I love the sensory party ideas. We do lots of coloring and limit as much of the sugar of possible.
Layla says
I will make my daughter those witch broomsticks. She will love it!
Stephanie says
We’ve been decorating the house with pumpkins and scarecrows and using it as an excuse to teach our 22 month old her colors.
Erin says
I think we are going to give out play-doh this year for Halloween, no sugary candy and what kid (and adult) doesn’t love playing with it!
Britt says
We like to only keep our absolute favorite candy. It’s not worth keeping if we don’t LOVE it. And we eat a little at a time and really make it last.
layne hellman says
I buy candy I don’t like to pass out to the kiddos, helps me from eating it while passing it out!
laura says
You have found my soapbox! It feels like every day! M&M’s for letter M, froot loops for letter F. Really?
Fortunately, the teacher knows I’m a little nuts about nutrition and lets me contribute two things to the class Halloween party. The orange pumpkins with celery were what my almost 4 year old, Camille, picked out.
layne hellman says
i tweeted!
Rebekah says
We just eat candy in moderation. I love these ideas!! I shared this on Twitter too. 🙂
Brittany says
we give glow sticks instead of treats!
Vicky N. says
We also have a healthy dinner before trick-or-treating, then my son picks out his favorites from the stash and is allowed to have one per day and we give the rest away!
Heather says
I love making faces out of fruit. It’s a fun setup for the kids to do themselves 🙂
Jill says
I really struggle with this- I pack my son with healthy snacks, yet they still feed him artificial “junk” at daycare. I work in a school and will absolutely make those pumpkins and broom sticks. Thanks! I’d also love to win the gift certificate. I’d eat those cookies myself 🙂
Sara says
I love making hard boiled eggs for my daughter cutting in half then using black olives to make spider legs. Looks creepy and she loves it.
jeannine says
I love to give out stickers, etc to hand out as a healthy alternative!
Ashley D says
My son’s preschool does birthday celebrations and encourages the parents to bring something healthy. My son’s 3rd birthday, sniff, is on the 28th, so I plan to do a Halloween theme. The clementine pumpkins and brooms will be a huge hit!
Anne says
We’re going to hand out pencils and stickers in addition to candy this Halloween. I’ve heard those are the more popular items anyway!
Kari says
Such a wonderful post with so many great ideas!
karen says
We usually let the kids pick one “treat” from their loot after dinner following Halloween and then we put treats up in the cupboard. They remember for about a week and then they totally forget/lose interest in the candy. Out of sight, out of mind!
Dana says
My daughter is only 16 months and we will introduce many of these great ideas so she can learn it’s not all about candy. We are handing out goodie bags with little puzzles, mini coloring books, and spin tops.
Tracy says
One year I gave out cute animal themed toothbrushes. I was hesitant but they were actually a huge hit! A good reminder to me… I need to do that again this year!
Julie says
I was a class mom for years (in charge of organizing the holiday parties). By far the most favorite games were simple little relay races I put together (usually pitting the boys against the girls). These didn’t involve running as parties were inside. I often looked to the Minute to Win It games for inspiration.
Carlee says
I like finding a Halloween race or teaching a Halloween themed spin class.
Emily L says
We let our son have as much candy as he wants the night of Halloween rather than having some every day for the weeks and weeks that the bag of trick or treat candy could last.
Emily L says
Tweeted, too!
Ann P-L says
We don’t give out candy on Halloween. We give tattoos, stickers, playdoh, etc. and we have our kids choose a piece of candy each day so they’re not consuming as much at once.
Ann P-L says
I shared on Twitter!
Shana says
Handing out play doh!!
Julia says
I work at a high-needs school and most of my students are low-income. They don’t get many healthy choices at home so I like exposing them to healthy food that still tastes good (string cheese, clementines, etc.) even at our holiday celebrations. I’d love to introduce them to Bitsy’s for our Halloween party!
Jen says
I love making a pineapple orange cup with a little whipped cream to make candy corn treat or quesadillas with a pumpkin face cut into it.
lindsay says
love it! great ideas and great giveaway!
Amy says
We plan to make Halloween a bit more healthy by picking two Autumn foods and making a bunch of snacks using pumpkin and apples. So, we are going to make pumpkin bread, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin protein balls, pumpkin & peanut butter sandwiches, and pumpkin trail mix (using the seeds). Then, we are going to use the apples to do “dunking” with, apple slices dipped in pumpkin PB dip, apple in green salads, etc.
Reid says
I love to bring healthy pumpkin muffins to our Halloween snack day at work! Tastier and healthier than candy or Halloween-themed Oreo cookies.
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Super cute ideas!
Kim says
We give glow sticks, tiny toys or healthy snacks found at earth fare. Kids and parents are always excited!
Kim says
Tttww
Kim says
That was supposed to say tweeted ?
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
I make sure we have a good dinner before going trick or treating so we don’t fill up on candy.
Angela says
I think we are going to try out the teal pumpkin movement this year, and do nut free snacks. I like the ideas of bags of fruit snacks!
Nancy says
I think there are certain times of the year when indulgences are just fine and Halloween is one them! I did learn over the years though that candy binges dont feel so great so now i stick to a few of my favorites.
Jodie says
Banana ghosts! Every kid loves bananas and I use mini choc chips for the two eyes. 🙂
Dana says
Love this post! Thanks for all the great ideas 🙂 I usually host my kids school parties and we try to go for the most healthy options. I am definitely going to use the oranges as pumpkins idea this year….too cute !
Beth says
Last year I had candy and bubbles to pass out so there was a non-food/non-sugar option. But we let Claire keep 5 pieces of the candy she got and then got rid of the rest. This year I may go all non-food for trick or treaters as I would LOVE to see the tradition slowly begin to change!
Sarah says
I try to limit the candy intake to 1 per day
Marie G says
I celebrate a healthier halloween by… avoiding candy at all costs, LOL…
I try to focus more on the fun of Halloween – dressing up, fun crafts, silly games – rather than “think of all the candy you’ll get!”
paige c says
I have a healthier halloween by getting in a good dinner and healthy day before eating ANY candy!
Logan says
We gave out cuties with Jack-o-latern faces drawn on them.
Jordan D. says
I try to make creative, festive and healthy dishes for Halloween parties, like a guacamole graveyard. I also pass out glow sticks.
Urban Wife says
I love the idea of handing out stickers, glow sticks, and other fun inexpensive toys!
Madeline says
I like making Halloween about friends and family, not the treats. Not that the treats aren’t delicious, but focusing on loved ones as the most important reason!!
Heather says
cookie cutters to make Halloween lunches cute but not sugary
Keri Justice says
I shared on Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/KeriEjustice/status/652633451036807168
Keri Justice says
We’re making halloween healthier by passing out healthy treats like fruits and cheese sticks instead of candy!
Emily says
We do apples and greek yogurt dip instead of caramel dip! Cuts out a lot of the sugar and adds a punch of protein.
Kaylin@EnticingHealthyEating says
Neat post! I would celebrate a healthier Halloween by tweaking baked goods to make them healthier as treats to bring to my office for my coworkers
Lauri says
I will hand stickers and other fun goodies.
Tiffany says
I like glow sticks and crafts :). Kids love crafts!
Juile says
I haven’t done anything to make Halloween healthier yet, but I will after reading this post!
Tori says
I don’t buy Halloween candy for trick or treaters until right before so I won’t be tempted!
Tori says
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/torikom20/status/653042605085687808
Nicole says
As a kindergarten teacher (and mama,) I definitely appreciate the idea of healthy party options! For our Halloween party, I like to focus more on fun games and crafts rather than candy and treats. We also do a few healthier snacks like cut up veggies and cheese sticks. I love the witches broom idea; I think I’ll add that to our menu this year! 🙂
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
Limiting myself (and future babies!) to only a few pieces is the best way to enjoy the holiday. 🙂
Kerry Moore says
We’ll be passing out stickers, spider rings and raisins this year.
L. S. says
I make sure to prep a meal ahead of time (baked sliders, chili, etc) so we don’t order takeout & it’s easy & ready to go for a quick dinner, no matter the timing with getting ready.
Abby says
I love the pumpkins made out of oranges! These are all great ideas to make healthier but fun options for halloween parties. Thanks for sharing!