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Seasons and Holidays

What to Do With Leftover Halloween Candy, Pumpkins, and Costumes: Activities for Kids

What to do with leftover Halloween candy, pumpkins, and costumes: candy math, candy science experiments, pumpkin and dress-up activities for kids, plus what to do with candy you won't eat.

By Fun Factory Editors · Edited by Lindsey Tolchinsky · Updated · 6 min read

Kids sorting leftover Halloween candy by color
On this page
  1. Candy math and sorting
  2. Candy science experiments
  3. Pumpkin activities after Halloween
  4. Costume dress-up and pretend play
  5. What to do with candy you won't eat
  6. Safety notes for little ones
  7. More from the Playbook
  8. Get more activities like these in the Fun Factory app
  9. Sources
  10. Frequently asked questions

The short answer: turn leftover Halloween candy into games and experiments. Sort it, graph it, and see what dissolves or floats. Then bowl with the pumpkins, roast the seeds, and put the costumes in a dress-up bin. Candy you won't eat can be traded, frozen for baking, or put away. For kids under 4, use wrappers, pumpkins, and costumes instead of the candy itself.

Candy math and sorting

These use candy as a game piece and work best for ages 4 and up at a table with a grown-up nearby. Keep hard candy, gum, and nuts away from kids under 4.

Candy sort and graph

Ages 4–9, Time: 15 min, Mess: Low

You’ll need

Leftover candy, paper, crayons

Steps

Sort by color, shape, or wrapper, then draw a bar graph of which pile is biggest.

Candy estimation jar

Ages 5–12, Time: 10 min, Mess: None

You’ll need

A clear jar, wrapped candy

Steps

Fill the jar, have everyone write a guess, then count together.

Candy weigh-in

Ages 6–12, Time: 15 min, Mess: None

You’ll need

A kitchen scale, wrapped candy

Steps

Guess which piece weighs most, then weigh them and line them up from lightest to heaviest.

Candy science experiments

Ages 4 and up. Do these at the kitchen table with a towel underneath.

Sink or float

Ages 4–10, Time: 15 min, Mess: Medium (water)

You’ll need

A bowl of water, a few kinds of candy, a towel

Steps

Guess first, then drop each piece in. Some float, some sink, some fizz or melt.

SAFETY

Stay within arm's reach of any water.

Dissolving race

Ages 5–12, Time: 20 min, Mess: Medium (water)

You’ll need

Clear cups, warm and cold tap water, identical candies

Steps

Drop one candy into each cup at the same time and watch which disappears first.

SAFETY

Use warm tap water, not hot.

Candy-coating rainbow

Ages 4–10, Time: 10 min, Mess: Medium (water)

Candy science experiment with colors spreading in water

You’ll need

A white plate, candy-coated pieces in different colors, warm water

Steps

Line the candies around the edge of the plate, pour a little warm water in the middle, and watch the colors spread.

Gummy towers

Ages 6–12, Time: 20 min, Mess: Medium

You’ll need

Toothpicks, gummy candy

Steps

Use gummies as joints and toothpicks as beams. See whose tower stands tallest.

SAFETY

Keep toothpicks with kids 6 and up.

Pumpkin activities after Halloween

Uncarved pumpkins last for weeks. Carved ones are best used in a day or two.

Pumpkin bowling

Ages 2–10, Time: 15 min, Mess: None

Pumpkin bowling with plastic bottles

You’ll need

A small pumpkin, empty plastic bottles

Steps

Set up the bottles in a hallway and roll the pumpkin at them.

SAFETY

For kids 2–3, use pumpkins bigger than a fist.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ages 4–12, Time: 30 min, Mess: Medium

You’ll need

Pumpkin seeds, a baking sheet, oil, salt

Steps

Kids scoop, rinse and spread the seeds. An adult handles the oven.

SAFETY

Seeds are a choking risk for kids under 4, so keep them for older kids.

Pumpkin hammering

Ages 6–12, Time: 20 min, Mess: Low

You’ll need

An uncarved pumpkin, golf tees, a toy or small hammer

Steps

Tap golf tees into the pumpkin in patterns.

SAFETY

An adult stays next to them the whole time.

Pumpkin decay watch

Ages 4–12, Time: 5 min a day, Mess: None (outside)

You’ll need

A carved pumpkin, a phone camera

Steps

Put it outside and take a photo every day to see how it changes. Look, don't touch, once it gets moldy.

Costume dress-up and pretend play

Costumes get more use after Halloween than on it.

Dress-up bin

Ages 2–10, Time: 20+ min, Mess: Low

You’ll need

Costumes, hats, a bin

Steps

Put everything in one bin and let them mix and match.

SAFETY

Remove masks and anything with cords or strings for kids under 3.

Costume fashion show

Ages 3–12, Time: 15 min, Mess: None

Child in a dress-up costume after Halloween

You’ll need

Costumes, music

Steps

Clear a runway in the hallway and take turns walking it.

Costume story time

Ages 4–12, Time: 15 min, Mess: None

You’ll need

Costumes

Steps

Each person dresses as a character and the family makes up a story together. Works well for siblings of different ages.

For mixed-age play ideas, see Activities for Siblings of Different Ages.

What to do with candy you won't eat

There's no single right amount. Many families choose a small amount a day, like one or two pieces after dinner, and put the rest out of sight. Deciding it ahead of time makes it easier to stick to.

  • Switch Witch: kids leave some candy out overnight and find a small toy or book in its place in the morning.
  • Trade it in: swap candy for an outing, like a trip to the park or a movie night at home.
  • Freeze it: chocolate can go in a freezer bag to chop into cookies or pancakes later.
  • Save it for crafts: hold back a bag for gingerbread houses in December.

Safety notes for little ones

  • Keep hard candy, gum, and nuts away from kids under 4. HealthyChildren.org lists hard and gooey candy and nuts among the foods that are choking risks for young children.
  • For kids under 3, skip anything small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube, a common choking-size check.
  • Use pumpkins and gourds bigger than a fist for kids 1–3.
  • Toddlers can join in without candy: fill and dump an empty trick-or-treat bucket, or glue clean, empty wrappers onto paper with an adult right there, and keep loose wrappers out of reach.
  • Remove masks and anything with cords or strings from the dress-up bin for kids under 3.
  • Toss any candy with torn or open wrappers.

For more toddler ideas, see No-Mess Activities for Toddlers.

More from the Playbook

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What can kids do with leftover Halloween candy?

Sort and graph it, fill an estimation jar, run a sink-or-float test or a dissolving race, or build gummy towers.

What is the Switch Witch?

A family tradition where kids leave some of their candy out overnight and find a small toy or book in its place in the morning.

What do you do with pumpkins after Halloween?

Bowl with small pumpkins, roast the seeds, tap golf tees into an uncarved pumpkin, or watch a carved one change outside.

Can you reuse Halloween costumes?

Yes. Put them in a dress-up bin, hold a hallway fashion show, or use them for family pretend play.

How long does Halloween candy last?

Sealed, store-bought candy keeps for months. Virginia Tech food safety experts, citing the National Confectioners Association, say hard candy lasts up to a year, milk and white chocolate 8–10 months, and dark chocolate 1–2 years when stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Throw out candy with torn or open packaging.

More from the Playbook