5 Things To Do With Halloween Candy Besides Eat It

After the Halloween haul, when the candy is piled high and waiting for pleas of “just one more” — not to mention the mental gymnastics you’re doing to justify that eighth bite-sized chocolate bar — you may find yourself wondering if there’s a way out of this sugar rabbit hole.

How does one wade through a stack of sweets, but still bypass a family-wide candy hangover? That Halloween loot doesn’t have to meet the untimely end of a trashcan to save your family from itself.

Here are five ways to get through the load of candy, without the post-Halloween binge.

Barter

Let the negotiating begin! Whether your child got a bunch of treats they just don’t like, or would rather something else, use the candy as a means to teach kids about bartering. Let them trade a few chocolates for a snack-sized bag of chips, or maybe an extra 15 minutes of play before bedtime. Shift their focus from eating candy, to what that candy can do for them.

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Vend

Take bartering to the next level with a homemade vending machine to teach kids about buying, selling and stocking. Grab a cardboard box with dividers and let your child sort the candy, and assign prices to the different kinds. Younger kids can learn about types of money and how they add up, while older ones can learn about comparison prices — how much should they charge for a lollipop versus a chocolate bar?

Switch

Meet the Switch Witch, the Elf on the Shelf of Halloween. Only this character isn’t disciplinary, she’s just looking for some sweet, sweet candy. Before bed, your little ones leave a pile of candy in front of the plush Switch Witch and awake to a gift in its place. The gift can be something fun from the dollar store, or even something you know they need, like sports equipment or books.

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Craft

Skip the beads and buttons for jellies and licorice for some candy-inspired crafting. Sure, your kids will probably sneak a few bites during crafting (and you may too!), but the idea is to have them think creatively about the candy. Sculpt with Starbursts, make a wreath of hard candies, turn almost any sweet treat into a stamp or string a bunch into a necklace — there’s a candy craft for all!

Experiment

Let the mad scientist loose by giving your little ones free rein with some sweet science experiments. See what happens when you put Skittles or gummies in water, or when a marshmallow meets the microwave. Try building a candy house and testing which melted materials make the best cement, or drop a Warhead or Pop Rocks in baking soda and water then watch the bubbles erupt!