Organize a Trunk'n Treat for Halloween
A new option to trick or treating is hosting a Trunk'n Treat this year, as a Christian alternative to Halloween. Families will prepare booths that children can walk around to, play games, and receive prizes/candy at.
Steps
- Find a suitable venue for the occasion. Any available parking lot with good lighting, wide lanes, and lots of room will work.
- Set guidelines for "entries", that is, booths or decorated cars, trucks, and vans that park in the parking spaces as a part of the activity. For an event that is friendly to small children and toddlers, scary or loud decorations may not be suitable.
- Recruit volunteers to set up booths, help with parking, and supervise group activities.
- Look for entertainers to perform.
- Decide what type of game/booth do you want to prepare
- Toss games, like bean bag, football, basketball, and ring toss, are simple to set up, require little work to operate, and give good success rates for participants if set up at the age level.
- Fishing games. These can be done with a concealing booth where an assistant attaches a treat to a clothespin when the child drops a line in.
- Bowling. Cheap plastic bowling pins and balls can be bought, lanes marked with masking tape, and a backstop set to stop errant balls. It takes a lot of work to keep the pins set.
- Set up an outdoor projector screen and show some Christian family favourites, such as Prince of Egypt or Veggie Tales.
- Cake walks and musical chairs. Prizes can be assigned to designated seats or "blocks" marked with masking tape along a walking path.
- Balloon darts for older kids. This requires some close supervision, but like fairs and carnivals, kids love to pop balloons with darts, and here, no gambling is involved.
- Face painting and other crafts are fun ideas for your Trunk'n Treat.
- Make a list of supplies will you need to prepare your booth.
- Decide if the children win a prize, or receive candy for participating.
- Make a sign that has a title of your game and explains it.
- Buy enough candy or prizes for the night, you will probably have 50 kids or more come to your booth.
- Place your candy or prizes in your trunk.
- Decorate your car in a way that will attract the children to your booth.
- Remember to dress up in a kid friendly costume.
- Have fun and get excited!
Tips
- Think like a child! Remember what booths/games you enjoyed when you went to Halloween events as a child.
- Go all out when you decorate your car. Make it fun and kid friendly.
- Pick candy and prizes that the children will enjoy and work really hard to win.
- After you dress up be prepared to get your picture taken.
- Pick a fun costume. Think of a character that the children would like to see. Be unique, so no one is the same!
- Remember if you are doing a food or craft booth, you do not need additional candy or prizes, those are enough.
Things You'll Need
- Booth materials.
- Volunteers.
- Treats and prizes.
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