Non-candy Halloween treats and the Teal Pumpkin Project

What the Teal Pumpkin Project is

The Teal Pumpkin Project is a campaign from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). FARE says about 1 in 13 children in the U.S. has a food allergy, about two in every classroom, and about 6 million children in all. The project invites homes to offer non-food treats, such as glow sticks and bubbles, so those children get the fun of trick-or-treating too.

You do not have to give up candy to take part. You can keep two bowls by the door, one with candy and one without, and let each child pick. Some children will choose the glow stick over the chocolate without being asked, which is a nice thing to see from the porch. If you like, paint a small pumpkin teal and set it next to the non-food bowl so families can spot it from the path.

Twelve non-food treats

1. Glow sticks or glow bracelets
2. Small bottles of bubbles
3. Sticker sheets
4. Mini coloring books
5. Small packs of crayons, three or four to a bag
6. Pencils with a fall or Halloween pattern
7. Sidewalk chalk
8. Bookmarks
9. Temporary tattoos
10. Small notepads
11. A printed coloring page, rolled up and tied with yarn
12. A Halloween card your own child colored and signed

Coloring books, crayons and pencils are a good non-food treat. They are cheap to buy in packs, they suit a wide range of ages, and a child can use them the very next morning.

One thing to leave out: tiny toys. For children 4 and under, Weill Cornell advises removing toys with small parts from Halloween treats. Skip little rings, marbles and small figures, and stick to flat, larger things like stickers and paper.

How to set up a non-food bowl tonight

This takes about half an hour and works well as a job for a 3-to-6-year-old helper.

• Gather what you have. Look in the craft drawer first. Spare crayons, sticker sheets and notepads all count.
• Make little bags. Put two or three crayons and one coloring page or sticker sheet in each small paper bag. Your child can count out the crayons.
• Color the pages together. Print a few coloring pages, and have your child color one or two as samples to show at the door.
• Plan for the evening. Halloween 2026 is Saturday, Oct 31. Safe Kids lists the peak trick-or-treat hours as 5:30 to 9:30 PM, so have your bowl ready before dark.
• Mark the bowl. A teal pumpkin, a teal paper sign or a teal bow on the bowl helps families find it quickly.

At the door, hold out both bowls and let the family lead. If a parent steers a child to the non-food bowl, there is no need to ask why, and never press candy on a child who says no.

Why it is worth doing. Non-food treats last. A glow stick lights up the walk home, a sticker sheet comes out at breakfast, and a small coloring book can fill a quiet half hour on Sunday morning. Your own child also learns something simple by helping: that a treat can be about the fun, not only the sugar, and that it is kind to think about the child who comes up the path next.

Talk about it

• "Some kids can't eat some kinds of candy. What could we give them instead?"
• "Which treat would you most like to get at a door?"
• "Can you put three crayons in each bag? Let's count together."
• "What color should we make our pumpkin?"
• "How do you think a child feels when there is a treat just for them?"

More from Storytime Crayons

For the treat bags, print our free coloring pages of a candy bucket and trick-or-treat night, roll each one up, and tie it with a bit of yarn.