As we all know by now the shops are reminding us it is Halloween next week.Over the years Australian has slowly started to celebrate this traditionally American event. People are now spooki-fying their front lawns, parents are dressing up their children and venturing with them to neighbours homes and knocking and waiting for the door to open to ask “trick or treat!”.

It’s so easy to give a piece of chocolate or candy, it’s all fun and what harm can a little piece of chocolate do? Plenty. In Australia, our children are some of the heaviest children in the world, and kids as young as four are having caps put on their teeth due to early dental decay. If every other home is giving away sweets, why not offer an alternative that their parents will probably thank you for.

We’ve identified some popular items that young children always gravitate to and would appreciate as much as a piece of candy.

Bubbles

What child under 7 doesn’t like bubbles? I’m always surprised how popular the bubbles are for young children. They’re happy to have bubbles blown at them all day. It’s usually one of the most popular item in party bags. Check out your local party supplier for bubble bundle party packs. Kmart and Target sell Bubble Wands for $1.00 each.

Stickers

Another popular item in any party bag. Check out your local mixed business shop or stationery store for any stickers that are on special. Why not order Halloween themed ones in advance?

Playdoh

You can make your own using a few home ingredients and food coloring. We’ve found a few popular recipes here. Or you can buy a party pack and distribute to little scary guests.

Fruit

Hand out bags of cut pieces of fruit. Make your own using fresh fruits and seal bags. Using fresh fruits may prompt the adults to force their children to eat these treats first. After all, they don’t have a long shelf life like candy do.

Jewellery Accessories

Go to your local party supplier or mixed business store and find bulk toy jewellery accessories. Look out for popular items such as  hair accessories, clips, bracelets, toy rings and children’s lip gloss.

Pocket Toys

You can bet to find small toys at your local party supply shop. Look for bouncy balls, yoyo’s, whistles, and other small figurines.

Bottled Water

Kids (and parents) will probably get a little tired and dehydrated from all the walking. Why not hand them a small bottle of water to help hydrate them for the rest of their trick or treating night. Various grocery chains offer cheap bottles of water in bulk. Why not be creative and add a little Halloween element to the bottles.

Glow in the Dark Accessories

What a perfect opportunity to give away glow in the dark accessories. After all, they will be walking around in the dark. You can get Mega Glow Party Packs from Kmart and hand out one or two to each child.

Have you got any other ideas for alternative Halloween treats for kids?