If you’re looking for non-traditional opportunities to spread some spooky cheer, we have a great Halloween idea for you. You may have never heard of reverse trick or treating, but after learning a bit more about it, you will likely want to add it to your list of activities to do with your family this year. Be sure to check out our list of 20 more ways to celebrate Halloween with your family this Halloween season.
The most exciting part of the Halloween season is picking the perfect costume to wear to all of your Halloween events. Kids love picking the perfect costume. Reverse trick or treating will give you another chance to wear that costume!
How To Reverse Trick or Treat
Imagine sitting in the comfort of your home and your doorbell rings. After opening the door, you discover adorable, costume-clad children giving you candy! That’s right, reverse trick or treating means the candy comes to you. If you plan on trying this out in your neighborhood or with your friends, you will want to get a few things prepared before heading out.
Another important concept to reverse trick or treating is to teach kids the spirit of giving. Halloween can certainly be self-centered on getting tons of candy and chocolate for yourself and not necessarily about giving that away to others.
Plan Your Trick or Treat Route
You may want to plan a driving route to visit some friends and loved ones that you haven’t seen much since the pandemic began. This is an easy activity to do while maintaining social distance. Let people know you are stopping by so that they will actually be home. Or keep it a surprise and “Boo” them!
Chatting for a few quick minutes between the screen door will boost everyone’s mood and bring some smiles to Halloween. If someone is uncomfortable with talking face-to-face, leave the goodies on the porch. The point is to make people happy. Get your kids involved in the planning process and ask them who they would like to visit and what they’d like to deliver.
Instead of driving across town to deliver treats, you could also choose to reverse trick or treat in your own neighborhood. Give the neighbors a heads-up by posting about it in your neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor app. See if any other families want to join in on the giving. You may be surprised at how many people are looking for new creative ways to celebrate.
Treat Time!
The easiest treat to pass out is obviously prepackaged candies and other similar goodies. If you are passing things out to close friends and family, baking and assembling little goody bags is a cute option. A quick Pinterest search of fall treats or Halloween treats will lead you in the right direction. Monster cookies, marshmallow ghosts, or dipping Oreos in melted orange candy melts to make pumpkins are all fun to make and easy for kids to help with.
Kids will take so much ownership in the process, if they are allowed to help with the planning, baking, and assembling. After you decide what treats you will make, bake them and place them into Halloween bags to pass out to loved ones. A regular bucket of candy is just as good and may make people more comfortable with the individual packaging. Mini packs of other treats like popcorn and pretzels are a fun alternative as well.
Dress the Part
It is no secret that most kids love to dress up. They will be ecstatic to have this new opportunity to show off that costume. Parents, you should dress up too! Really get into the spirit with the kids and make this a big event. Show them how to go all-out when making someone else’s day a bit brighter. If you knock on a door, are all dressed up, it will make a much bigger impact! Be sure to take some pictures of the whole family in costume to look back on. This is sure to be a great memory.
Have Fun Reverse Trick or Treating
Remember, this is an idea to try out with your family to spread goodness to others. Help your children learn to give back to their community, loved ones, and friends. If you plan on dropping things off at any nursing home or healthcare facility, call beforehand to see if they are accepting donations of food, since these are places where there are higher numbers of at-risk individuals.
Indy with Kids has loads of ideas to try out for the month of October. You may want to try drive-by trick or treating, having a spooky movies night with friends in your own backyard, or organizing the perfect socially distanced trick or treating or trunk or treating in your neighborhood.
Looking for More Spooky Fun?
Check out our 20+ Ideas Celebrate Halloween During COVID.
