16 Fun Trick or Treating Alternatives for Halloween {Updated 2022}

After a strange Halloween last year, we are all ready to get into the Halloween Spirit! Neighborhoods are planning to open up around us, but there are some fun things we want to keep up for Halloween season 2021! Last year we enjoyed some social distance trick or treating alternatives with our neighbors. We had so much fun with these trick or treating alternatives that we are planning to do more of these games this year! It’s always fun for kids to get candy and dress up in their favorite costumes.

We will be hosting a Halloween party after Trick or Treating this year. And the kids will be playing some fun outdoor Halloween games after we finish our Trick or Treating route!

Whether you are getting back to normal, hosting an outdoor Halloween party, or need some fun trick or treating alternatives we’ve got 15 not so spooky ways to celebrate Halloween this year!

Halloween Hunt

The idea is the same as an Easter Egg hunt, but this time we filled mini pumpkins and skeleton buckets from the Dollar Tree with Halloween candy. The kids stayed inside while someone was outside hiding the candy.

Then we lined the kids up and let them run around the yard searching for the little Halloween buckets.

Tips for Hosting a Halloween Hunt

• Big kids can find candy really fast! If your group is big enough divide the kids into big kids and younger kids. Then let them go on a Halloween Hunt!
• Set a limit for the big kids. When you find 5 then help a younger kid find some. This way the little kids don’t feel left out.

Find more Halloween Fun!

• Hey Boo! Chex Mix Halloween Recipe
• Cute Ghost Template
• Free Printable Pumpkin Template
• Apple Stamp Pumpkin Craft

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are always so much fun! This simple Halloween scavenger hunt is easy to pull together last minute and it is fun for the whole family. Just cut out the pictures hide them inside or outside. Then pass out a check off sheet for each kid. The first one who finds all 24 pictures is the winner!

You can get the free printable Halloween Scavenger hunt and all the details for how to put it together at the purple link below.

Halloween Scavenger Hunt Free Printable

Halloween Bingo Free Printable

Halloween Bingo is a classic spooky season party game for kids and adults! Grab this set of 10 Halloween Bingo cards and pictures to play a quick game of bingo for your Halloween party. Don’t forget the prizes to make it extra fun!

Halloween Bingo Free Printables

DIY Haunted House

DIY Haunted House Halloween Craft

Monster Mash

For this outdoor Halloween party game we took candy and placed it inside a balloon. Then we blew up the balloons, tied them off, and stored them in a giant trash bag.

When the kids were ready to play Monster Mash we let the balloons out on the driveway and let them stomp the balloon to get the candy out!

Tips for Playing Monster Mash

• Make sure you put the balloons on concrete and not grass. The balloons will all pop really fast!
• Use candy that is easy to fit into a balloon opening. We used tootsie rolls, smarties, and sixlets candy.
• Play the Monster Mash song to make it more festive!

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

A Halloween Scavenger Hunt is a great way to get the kids out on a walk around the neighborhood. You could even let them dress up in costume while they go for their walk. Grab the free printable Halloween Scavenger Hunt below!

Halloween Eye Spy

Pass out these cute printable ghosts to your neighbors. The kids can cut them out and hang them in the windows. Then you can walk around the neighborhood searching for ghosts in your neighbors windows!

Our kids had so much fun searching for Easter eggs while we were under stay at home orders in the spring of 2020.

Grab this Free Printable Ghost Outline and share with your neighbors!

Oreo Spider Cookies Recipe

Keep things festive with these easy to make Halloween Spider Cookies, a fun not-so spooky treat!

We all know kids love to play with their food, so why not let them turn Oreos into creepy crawly spiders!

Use simple ingredients like double stuff oreos and pretzels to turn an ordinary cookie into a Halloween treat.

Get the recipe for Oreo Spider Cookies with Pretzels here!

You’ve Been Booed

Share some sweet treats with your neighbors in this fun “You’ve been Booed” game.

Fill a gift bag or basket with Halloween treats. Print out “You’ve been Booed” tags and attach them to the gift bag. Include a little note asking them to surprise another neighbor or friend to share the fun.

Sneak up to their house and leave the gift bag at the front door. Ring the doorbell and run!

You can find more details and “You’ve been Booed” printables here!

Zombie Eyeball Spoon Race

Grab some Halloween eyeball ping pong balls from Dollar Tree.

You will need a spoon and eyeball for each person racing. Have everyone line up at a starting line and race to the finish.

Or take it up a notch have kids keep the eyeball on the spoon while they race through an obstacle course.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Invite families in your neighborhood to enter a carved Pumpkin into the Pumpkin Carving contest. Create different categories for people to vote for pumpkins…Spookiest Pumpkin, Funniest Pumpkin, Most Creative, etc. On Halloween everyone can set out their Pumpkin and families can go around and vote on the pumpkins!

This is a great activity that a family can do together before Halloween!

Pumpkin Toss

Pair up with the people you’ve been in quarantine and have a pumpkin toss. Siblings can make a team and toss the pumpkin back and forth. Purchase the small pumpkins that can easily be tossed back and forth.

Set up a starting line for each partner. After the first toss, make the gap between the partners wider. Continue to widen the gap after each toss until there is one team standing.

Zombie Eyeball Pong

Another great use for the Zombies eyeballs! Attach plastic cups to a board using a glue gun. Write a point on each cup. Kids stand behind a line and see how many points they can get by tossing their eyeball ping pongs into the cups.

Pumpkin Golf

We are obsessed with golf, so adding a little pumpkin golf game to our outdoor Halloween party is another fun way to give away candy!

Halloween Neighborhood Parade

Part of the fun of Halloween is showing off your costume to everyone while you trick or treat. Let the kids dress up and walk down the street of your neighborhood while everyone comes out to cheer them on.

This may be tricky where you live, so maybe just invite a few close neighbors to join you if setting up a large neighborhood parade isn’t possible. The point is the kids get to show off their Halloween costumes!

Ghost and Pumpkin Bowling

This is an easy DIY kids bowling game! It’s perfect for a backyard Halloween party with your family or a small party. Check Kid Friendly Things to Do for details on how to create these cute little ghost pins!

Bonfire and Roast Marshmallows

This is a family favorite at our house! Hot dogs for dinner, roasted over the bonfire. Then finish off a night of outdoor Halloween fun with roasted marshmallows and smores.

More Fun Halloween Ideas

Harry Potter Floating Candles DIY (for outdoors)

More Fall Fun!