Which Candy is the Healthiest to Give Out on Halloween?

As Halloween gets closer, a lot of people are asking,  “which candy is the healthiest?”  Many of us are going to the stores this week to buy candy to hand out to kids dressed up going door to door to collect treats. And while, no candy is healthy, there are some options that are better than others.  But my preference for Halloween is to find fun, engaging alternatives to candy.

Additionally, for those of us that are trying to get healthy or stay healthy, having candy around the house can be too tempting.  The next thing you know you are grabbing just one piece and that turns into two or four and now your goals are out the window and you are not feeling so great about that.  Some people buy candy that they don’t like so that they will be less inclined to eat it and thus stay on track with their health goals.  But then, you are giving it to someone else to eat.  What about their health goals?

I have good news for you:  you don’t have to hand out candy on Halloween!! You don’t have to be the house with the best or most candy so that the kids love you because their parents will NOT be happy when their kids are bouncing off the walls from a sugar high.

So, here are some alternatives (hint – skip the Halloween aisle and go to the party isle):

• Glow sticks and/or Glow in the dark bracelets, necklaces, wands.  Even though these only last one night, the kids have a fun time with them during the walk and at home.
• Assorted Party favors.  A bag of different small toys to choose from provides a little something for everyone. Small kids enjoy choosing which toy they will like best.
• Halloween themed rings.  Using these to pretend they are batman or batgirl with special powers that shoot out from the ring provides lots of fun, imaginative play.
• Slap bracelets.  Another fun pretend toy that comes in so many different themes. You can get Disney or other movie themes and, of course, Halloween themed bracelets.
• Small bottles of bubbles.  My girls (ages 4 through 8) love playing with bubbles and so does the dog!
• Paper masks.  Encourage pretend play around the house as a superhero battling the bad guys!
• Bucket of spare change and a spoon.  Each child gets 1 scoop of change that they can count later. This provides an opportunity for a good teaching moment with young kids on how to count money.

Now those are great ideas for younger kids but what about the pre-teens or teenagers that come to your door?

• Snack bags of popcorn.  Promote a family movie night or movie night with friends by providing the popcorn!
• Snack bags of peanuts, trail mix, or pretzels.  These are great items to stash in their backpack for snacking before they head over to their after-school sports practice
• Halloween-themed temporary tattoos.  Some teens might like a black bat or black spider on their arm
• Halloween-themed pencils, pens, and/or erasers. Some of these are for little kids but I did see pens that look like bones on Amazon.

Is Candy Necessary?

Before you think that these are boring, let me tell you that you are supporting brain GROWTH  for the kids in your neighborhood.  According to The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination “pretend play boosts executive functioning skills because through imagination, kids learn to plan ahead, have conscious control of their emotions, and even show exceptional working memory. Through their imaginations they’re learning these skills that contribute to academic success.” ¹

On the contrary, studies from University of Southern California have shown that

high sugar consumption is linked to impaired learning and poor memory performance later on in life.

So, by using these alternatives, you aren’t the boring house on the block!  You are the house that makes kids more successful in school and in life!  Feel good about that!  One person told me that if your child has groaned at you at least once this week, you are doing at great job of being a parent.  So if those teens or kids scuff at your selection and ask where the candy is, tell them you are providing options for them to build relationships and creativity which much better than a temporary sugar high!

I hope that helps!  For those of you that are meeting me for the first time, I am Coach Carolyn Clarke and I help people achieve their best life, 1 healthy habit at a time.  Thanks for taking the time to read this article!  If you would like to see a video where I show some of these things, head over to my Facebook page and watch the video dated 25 October 2021.

References:
1. Taylor, Marjorie. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press.
2. Powell, Cal. (2021, March). Sugar not so nice for your child’s brain development, study suggests. Science Daily. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210331130910.htm.