When we were children, our parents sent us to school with bags of Reese’s Cups, Skittles, and M&Ms. But now that more and more teal pumpkins are cropping up and 1 in 13 children has a food allergy, many schools are kindly asking that parents send in food-free holiday treats.

Move beyond party favor knick-knacks destined for the trash with these food-free Halloween treats your child’s class will find frightfully delightful:

• Mini Flashlights – a useful gift that’ll come in handy trick or treating and telling spooky stories around the campfire. These even come with lanyards and batteries.

• Halloween Stationary Set: Each child receives a treat bag containing a pencil, eraser, stamp, ruler bookmark, and sticker.

• Halloween Sensory Squishies: Filled with non-toxic water beads, these characters are more cute than scary, but squeezing them is strangely relaxing.

• Halloween Books: If you feel strongly about promoting literacy, a book always makes a thoughtful gift. For the little ones, you can get “The Night Before Halloween” or “How to Catch a Monster” for about $5 a piece. Ages 6+ might get engrossed in a Halloween activity book or bust a gut over Halloween Mad Libs, while older kids (ages 7+) might like splitting up this Goosebumps set (20/$56).

• Halloweek Rubber Duckies: All dressed up for the holidays, the class will love this twist on the classic bath and pool toy.

• 24-Piece Halloween Jigsaw Puzzles: Encourage patience and focus with 12 different styles of Halloween puzzle. It’s affordable enough you can throw it into a goodie bag with other treats if you please.

• Halloween Wreath Craft Kits: It’s always nice when your child has fun creating, then that fun adorns the house for a month, and goes away until next year!

• Halloween Monster Mini Plush: There’s nothing more endearing than a child toting around a beloved character. For a 10-year window of time, the house can never have too many plushies.

• Glowing LED Ghosts: Glowing ghosts are not only fun toys to play with, but they make cute table or window decorations once the children have outgrown them.

• Super Hero Cape Costumes: Dress up is highly popular for the under 10 crowd. Role playing is good for language development, emotional regulation, and self-esteem.

If you’re a teacher looking for a unique in-class activity, ask us about our custom craft bags.

Bonus Read:

Parents, be sure to check out our Guide to a Perfectly Haunting Halloween Day from Dawn ‘til Dusk for games, snacks, movies, and activities to make this holiday extra-special for your children.