Halloween is not all about sweets and chocolates! A traditional game of apple bobbing is a great way to sneak some fruit into the evening, and how about trying out some other ideas to eat fresh and bring some healthy foods and activities into the night?

Zombie freeze

Get kids dancing on Halloween with a game of zombie musical statues. Pick a killer playlist of scary songs and terrifying tunes and let the movement begin. Bonus points can be awarded for the best zombie pose when the music stops!

Grappling grapes

You may have played the game of dangling doughnuts – in which participants must try their best to eat their hanging treat with no hands – but how about substituting the snack for a small bunch of some tasty grapes? Hang your grape bunches on strings, just above mouth height, and ready your participants with their hands held behind their backs. At the signal, players must eat their grapes as fast as they can – no hands allowed – the first to finish is the winner!       

Active trick or treat

Before Trick or Treating, children in Scotland would often go guising at Halloween. To earn their treats, guisers would not only dress up in spooky costume, but also sing a song, or perform a poem for their neighbours. Instead of going out and about this year, why not challenge your trick or treaters to come up with a short dance, or an active mime to match their costumes (arm flapping vampires, or cauldron stirring witches)? Can you have a competition with friends on an online call? Get creative with your monster moves and keep active throughout the evening!      

Healthy treats

Please Trick or Treaters young and old with a selection of some healthier Halloween treats:

• Baked apple crisps – bake thin slices of apple with your choice of spices for a great autumn snack.
• Spooky fruits – add chocolate raison eyes and a mouth to halved banana pieces to serve up some ghastly banana ghosts. Or, get creative by drawing some ghoulish pumpkin grins to mini oranges or mandarins.
• Kiwi monsters – healthy goggle-eyed green monsters that are bound to get kids giggling.
• Yoghurt bars – spread a layer of yoghurt onto a baking sheet and sprinkle on your choice of toppings (fruit, oats, nuts). Freeze overnight, then break up into tasty pieces ready to eat!
• Popcorn – cinnamon spiced or peppered popcorn is a great snack that’s low in calories, but filling and fun!
• Crazy cheese and crackers – for a scary savoury snack, use a spooky cookie cutter (perhaps a bat, or witches hat) to shape some Halloween cheese slices.
• Melon monster face – put your pumpkin carving skills to new use with this tasty, fruity monster!

Giants, wizards and elves

A great actions game for outdoors or a larger indoor space. Divide players into two teams and set a ‘safe zone’ for each group at opposite sides of the game space. In each round, the teams must decide if they wish to be giants (stand on tip toes and growl), wizards (flutter fingers and yell ‘zap’), or elves (squat low and say ‘eeeee’). As in rock, paper, scissors, each character beats one other. Giants defeat wizards with their stamping feet, wizards cast spells to beat the elves, and elves win against the giants (by tickling their toes)!

Once each group has decided their character, the two teams line up facing one another, standing a few feet apart. The game leader counts down ‘3,2,1…’ and each team does their action. The winning team then has the chance to chase and catch their opponents to bring them onto their side. The loosing team must try to run away back to their ‘safe zone’. The overall winners are the team with the most players at the end of the game! 

Explore more Get Set to Eat Fresh Halloween fun with our roasted pumpkin seed recipe or top squash facts and pumpkin carving tips!