Costumes, trick or treating and loads of candy!
You can see why so many kids love Halloween. But after a night filled with fun and bags full of treats, how do you avoid candy overload and those sugar meltdowns?
Angie Goff is on candy control patrol with four things that have worked with her kids.
Family Tradition
While you’re kids are young, it’s always fun to create your own family traditions. During Halloween, we have found luck following the Elf on the Shelf model.
The "Switch Witch" arrives a week before Halloween, and as the story goes, she and the other witches need candy to fuel their brooms and homes.
If you leave your candy for her Halloween Night, she’ll SWITCH it out for a toy of your choice.
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"Halloween Holly" is another character who helps get rid of all the treats without the tears. In the book, "Halloween Holly" is one of Santa's helpers and will take the candy you leave in her bowl to the North Pole for the elves. The elves rely on candy to stay energized to make all the toys for Christmas.
Donate
Turn trick or treating into a teachable moment.
There are many candy drives following Halloween. The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation collects thousands of pounds of unwanted sweets every Halloween to fill the "free" snack carts for families caring for sick children in D.C. and Maryland.
Check with local dentists too! Many hosts drives so they can send the candy abroad to troops serving.
Freeze It
Did you know most Halloween candy is freezable?
This is a great option because you can use that candy to make crafts with your kids or to use for future playdates down the road.
One idea for Thanksgiving is turning a paper lunch bag into a turkey leg by filling it with leftover candy and twisting it. Add some white construction paper to make it look like a bone and write your child’s name on it.
After your feast, the kids get to tear the leg apart!
Reverse Trick-or-Treating
This trend is starting to catch on. Let the kids dress up and GIVE BACK their candy to the neighbors or places that participate like local nursing homes and senior centers.
Costumes, trick or treating, loads and loads of candy! You can see why so many kids love Halloween. But after a night filled with fun and bags full of treats how do you avoid candy overload and those sugar meltdowns. Angie Goff is on candy control patrol with 4 things that have worked with her kids.
1) Family Tradition: While you’re kids are young it’s always fun to create your own family traditions. During Halloween we have found luck following the Elf on the Shelf model. The Switch Witch arrives a week before Halloween and as the story goes she and the other witches need candy to fuel their brooms and homes. If you leave your candy for her Halloween Night she’ll SWITCH it out for a toy of your choice. “Halloween Holly” is another character who helps get rid of all the treats without the tears. The book and bowl support the story that as Santa’s special helper “Halloween Holly” will take your candy you leave in a bowl to the North Pole to give the elves. The elves rely on candy to stay energized to make all the kids toys for Christmas.
2) Donate: Turn trick or treating into a teachable moment. There are many candy drives following Halloween. A big one in the area is the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation. They collect candy to fill the ‘free’ snack carts for families who are in the hospital to care for their sick children in DC and MD. Check with local dentists too… many hosts drives so they can send the candy abroad to troops serving.
3) Freeze It: Did you know most Halloween candy is freezable. This is a great option because you can use that candy to make crafts with your kids or to use for future playdates down the road. One idea for Thanksgiving is turning a paper lunch bag into a turkey leg by filling it with leftover candy and twisting it. Add some white construction paper to make it look like a bone and write your child’s name on it. It makes for a cute party favor to enjoy after the feast when the kids get to tear the leg apart!
4) Reverse Trick-Or-Treating: This trend is starting to catch on. Let the kids dress up and GIVE BACK their candy to the neighbors or places that participate like local nursing homes and senior centers.
