Costumes and candy make Halloween very popular with kids.
Children eagerly anticipate Halloween almost as much as Christmas. You can get in on the ghoulish fun by creating a devilishly delightful Halloween basket. Because Halloween is a big industry, there are many products and goodies to choose from besides chocolate bars. Of course candy is going to be the main feature, but games, toys and books can also be Halloween basket fillers. Just remember not to give young children baskets that contain small pieces.
Fun Stuff
Plastic skeletons work as Halloween toys and decorations.
If the little ones have enough candy, think about a basket filled with games and toys instead. Stencils, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords and Silly String will keep them busy for hours. Little ones especially like temporary tattoos, spider rings and candy necklaces. Many everyday products and toys come in Halloween versions, like pencils and erasers, notepads, PEZ dispensers, Slinkys, stickers, Play-Doh, balls and prisms. Make the fun last longer with a few Halloween story books.
Trick or Treat Survival Kit
Kids like to wear face paint at Halloween.
Create a basket with all the supplies needed for a successful night of trick-or-treating. Include a flashlight and batteries, glow sticks, face and body paint and a tote bag for the big haul they will bring home. Even if the kids already have a costume, they can have fun dressing up in masks, Dracula teeth, Halloween socks and wigs. Throw in a bag or two of candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters.
Creepy Crawly Basket
A toy spider adds a creepy crawly effect to Halloween candy.
Nothing says Halloween like creepy crawly creatures. Fill your basket with brown or green shredded paper to simulate grass or dirt. Add gummy candy versions of earth worms, tarantulas, snails and rats. Tuck in a few plastic or candy coffins for a graveyard effect. You also can include plastic bugs, snakes and lizards. The plastic versions will be fun to play with after the candy is eaten. Wrap up your confection infestation with spider webs.
Blood and Gore
There is more to Halloween than candy.
Those with a stronger stomach will devour a basket full of candy body parts like eyeball lollipops, candy warts and gummy fingers and brains. Send the kids screaming with scary costume enhancements like fake blood packets, Dracula fangs and scars. Anything with slime will be a big hit. To complete the gore fest, add a scary movie and microwaveable popcorn. And just in case they are afraid of the dark, tuck in a night light.
Black and Orange Candy
Orange and black candy include licorice, pumpkins and candy corn.
There are plenty of candies in the traditional Halloween colors of black and orange. Orange candies include candy corn, jelly beans, pumpkins, M&Ms, Reese's peanut butter cups, rock candy and orange-wrapped chocolates. The choices for black candy are more limited but licorice, dark chocolate and taffy wrapped in black wax paper are easy to find. Decorate cookies with orange and black sprinkles or frosting. For contrast, use straw as a filler in the basket.
