How to Give Out Candy on Halloween

Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without tons of candy—and the people who hand it out! If you’re on candy duty this year, be prepared for lots of fun costumes and get ready to make kids’ nights with some sugary treats. Buy a couple of bags, pop in a scary movie while you wait, and get ready to jump up when the trick or treaters come knocking!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Choosing Delicious Candy

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By getting an assorted bag of the most popular candies, you can make sure that every trick or treater finds something they like. Candies will be grouped by manufacturer, such as Mars or Hershey’s, and type, like fruity or chocolatey. Try to buy a bag of assorted flavors to appeal to all tastes, and get at least 2-3 bags so it’ll last the whole night.^{[1]XResearch source}
Most Popular Halloween Candies:
Reese’s peanut butter cups
Snickers
Twix
Kit Kat
M&Ms
Sour Patch Kids
Skittles
It’s hard to go wrong buying candy for trick or treaters, but there are a few varieties that some kids would rather skip.^{[2]XResearch source}
Less Popular Halloween Candies:
Circus peanuts
Candy corn
Black licorice
Fruit suckers
Tootsie rolls
Smarties
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Give out crackers or non-edible goodies for a healthier alternative. If you’d rather not hand out candy on Halloween, try a healthier alternative food, or go with another kind of goodie altogether! Your house will stand out for its unique treats. Just make sure your alternative is just as cool—or tasty—as candy.^{[3]XResearch source}
- For an edible alternative, give out pretzels, crackers, or fruit snack packs, or organic snacks.
- For a non-edible treat, try giving out glow sticks, plastic rings, bookmarks, figurines, toys like bouncy balls or yo-yos, stickers, or Halloween-themed pencils.
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Don’t hand out homemade treats for safety purposes. Many parents worry that homemade Halloween goodies, like cookies or brownies, might conceal something dangerous, and will throw them away before their kids can eat them. This is especially important if a child has a food allergy; parents don’t know what you used in your homemade treat and won’t want to risk their child having a reaction. Save your baked goodies for a Halloween party, and only give out packaged treats to trick or treaters.
- Make sure the packaging on your candies is intact as well. Ripped candies can pick up dirt and germs, and kids or parents will typically toss them out.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Handing Out Your Treats

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1
Keep your lights on so trick-or-treaters know you’re home. Most trick-or-treaters won’t come up to your house unless they know someone’s home. Turn on your porch light around 6pm to let trick-or-treaters know you’re there and ready to hand out treats!^{[4]XResearch source}
- You can also set out jack-o-lanterns and other fun Halloween decorations, like fake cobwebs, skeletons, and ghosts, to attract trick-or-treaters.
2
Wear your own costume to get into the spirit. Some people like to dress up to give out candy, even if they’re not out with a group of trick-or-treaters themselves. This can be a fun way to get excited for the holiday, and younger trick-or-treaters will love that you’re getting into the spirit.
- Choose something they’ll be able to recognize, like a classic witch or ghost, or something sweet and silly, like a big animal or a cowboy/cowgirl.
- If you dress up as something scary, you could even pop out and try to scare a group of trick-or-treaters, but be careful—you don’t want to scare them too much! Only do this if most of your trick-or-treaters are older kids.
While you’re waiting for trick or treaters, you can put on a scary movie or some fun Halloween music to get into the Halloween spirit. When you open up to a group of trick-or-treaters, they’ll say “Trick or treat!” and hold out their candy bags. You can say something like “Happy Halloween!” or “Wow, look at your costumes!”, or simply smile and hold out your candy bowl.
Tip: Use a themed bowl to add an extra spooky element. Try:
A prank bowl with a zombie hand that moves when they reach for a piece of candy.
A hollowed out pumpkin.
A fun black and orange painted bowl.^{[5]XResearch source}
4
Let kids reach into the bowl so they can pick out their favorites. Trick-or-treaters love to aim for their favorite candies, and you can help them along by simply holding out your bowl and letting them pick whatever they want. Make sure they don’t grab too many by saying something like, “You can grab two, ok?”^{[6]XResearch source}
- If you have extra candy near the end of the night, you can even encourage trick or treaters to grab a handful.
If you’re running low on candy or just want to make sure your stash lasts the night, hand the candy out yourself. Take 1 or 2 pieces from your bowl and place them in each trick or treater’s bag.^{[7]XResearch source}
6
Wish them a happy Halloween before they head to the next house. The trick-or-treaters will probably say thank you as they turn to leave. You can say something like “You’re welcome! Happy Halloween!” or wish them a nice night.
- If you want, you can give them tips about the rest of the neighborhood, too! For example, you could say something like, “Make sure to go all the way to the end of the block. They have lots of candy down there!”
Set a bowl on your porch if you won’t be around to hand out candy yourself or if you don't feel like answering the door all night. You can still hand out candy even if you’ll be out and about on Halloween night! Turn on your porch light and set a bowl of candy or healthy snacks and non-edible items on the front step for trick or treaters to grab from. You can put a little note saying “Please take just one!” to discourage people from grabbing too many.
8
Turn off the lights when you’re ready to go to bed. No trick-or-treaters expect you to stay up all night for them! Around 9 or 9:30pm, when the flow starts to slow down or when you’re ready to turn in, simply turn off your lights to tell trick-or-treaters that you’re done for the night.^{[8]XResearch source}
- If someone rings your doorbell after you’ve turned off your lights, you can still answer the door, but you don’t have to. They should assume that you’re not home, or that you’ve gone to sleep.

Community Q&A

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Question
How much candy should I pass out on Halloween night?
Community Answer
You should prepare 2-3 big bags of candy beforehand. If each trick-or-treater is given one or two pieces of candy, the candy will last the entire night.
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Question
How do I know if a kid has a food allergy?
Community Answer
Ask them, or the kid's guardian if the kid is too young to speak. Have a variety of candy types on hand so every kid gets something. If they have a teal bucket, this could also show they have an allergy.
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How do you make sure there is no poison in the candy?
Community Answer
Check the candy after you're done trick-or-treating. Watch for discoloring, unusual smells, or something else bad you don't recognize. Poisoned candy will noticeably taste, smell, and look different to normal candy. Also look out for wrappers with damage or that look as if they've already been opened. Remember this rhyme: When in doubt, throw it out.
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Tips

If you don’t want to give out candy on Halloween, simply leave your front porch light off. You can also post a sign saying you are out of candy.
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To let families know that your house supports kids with food allergies, leave out a teal-colored pumpkin or bucket on your porch. A teal pumpkin can be bought online through The Teal Pumpkin Project, or you can paint the pumpkin yourself.
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Some kids are allergic to chocolate or peanut butter, so make sure to have candy of other flavors.
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Warnings

Never invite strangers into your house, even if it's just for them to get candy. Even if you are doing it out of good intentions, this might give kids the message that it is okay/safe to walk into strangers' houses.
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Be mindful of kids with food allergies, diabetes, and/or other health issues. When in doubt, give them a non-edible treat.
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