GRAND candy games for sweet family fun!

2 hours ago

8 min read

Monday, October 19, 2026

Halloween is just around the corner

and, soon after, the trick-or-treaters will have all their goodies

counted, sorted and stashed away!

Meanwhile, there’s a good chance you’ll have candy left,

perhaps more than you want or need!

If you aren’t sure what to do with those extra sweets,

today’s post is for you!

Halloween is only a few weeks away,

somthere's no better time to stock up on a little sweetness!

We've got some GRAND ideas for turning any extra bags of candy you might have

into fun-filled moments with family all season long!

So, If you do find yourself with extra wrapped candy

once Halloween has come and gone

there are a few ways to make good use of it!

After all, most wrapped candy has a shelf life of 6-12 months

and some (especially chocolate based candy)

can even be frozen up to a year!

So… save that candy!

Did you know there are lots of ways to put leftover Halloween candy to good use?

In the past, we’ve often found ourselves with an extra bag (or two!)

once the trick-or-treaters have come and gone.

Rather than letting it go to waste,

we’ve brought candy to work to share with colleagues,

sometimes freezing it for a few months and then saving it

until midyear, when it’s really appreciated!

We’ve also shared it with visitors at our church office

and with nursing home staff when visiting a loved one.

Donating unopened bags of wrapped candy to a local fire or police department,

our armed services or another charity of your choice

is another thoughtful way to share the sweetness!

But today, we have another idea for those extra bags of candy…

Why not save them for a little family fun in the weeks or months ahead?

After all, who says Halloween candy is just for trick-or-treating?

Not us Grands!

With a little imagination (and a bag of candy or two),

those sweet treats can become the makings

of some seriously GRAND family fun!

With the holiday season coming up, we've gathered some GRAND Candy Games that are easy to play, fun for all ages and perfect for connecting with your Littles and the rest of the family, no matter the time of year!

A Candy Game provides the perfect entertainment

for intergenerational fun!

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve coming soon

or even Family Reunions later in the year,

there will be many opportunities to pull out a bag of candy (or more)

and play a quick game together!

In fact, any of the games below would be fun to play at a birthday party or sleepover!

The best part?

Everyone is rewarded with a small piece of sweetness to enjoy!

So… save that candy!

This dice game may sound a bit familiar,

but this one has a sweet spin to it!

It’s a fast paced version of a Candy Game!

It’s a great game to play around the dining room table

and is especially fun when played at a Thanksgiving gathering

or a New Year’s Eve celebration!

Lots of people can play… in fact, the more the merrier!

Young Littles may need a bit of help from someone sitting next to them,

but they will love rolling the dice and choosing their candy!

MATERIALS NEEDED

• a bag or two of wrapped candy (more if you have a lot of people playing)

• a brown paper lunch bag for each player

• a pair of dice

• a timer

DIRECTIONS

Round 1 - Grab That Candy!

Place all of the candy in a pile in the middle of the table and give each player a brown paper lunch bag. Have your pair of dice ready!

To begin, the first player rolls two dice and if doubles are rolled (two of the same number), they get to grab a piece of candy from the pile in the middle and then put the candy in their bag. If doubles are not rolled, the pair of dice are passed to the next player. The game continues until all of the candy has been taken from the middle and placed inside players’ bags.

WATCH CAREFULLY DURING THIS ROUND… Pay close attention to who grabs your favorite candy during Round 1 because in Round 2, players will have the opportunity to steal from each other!

Round 2 - Steal That Candy!

Now the fun begins! At this point, all the candy that had been grabbed during the first round is inside the brown bags. No one can see what anyone else has!

Begin Round 2 by setting a timer for five minutes. During this round, if a player rolls doubles, they can steal a piece of candy from another player!

HERE”S THE CATCH! If a player rolls doubles and wants to steal a piece of candy from someone else, they have to name a specific player and a specific candy they think is in that player’s bag! (i.e. Laura, I’d like your Snickers bar!) If that player has the candy that’s been requested, they have to give it up! BUT… if that player doesn’t have it, the guesser is out of luck and their turn is over!

The stealing continues until the timer tells everyone to stop! NOTE: At the end of Round 2, you can decide if your group has had enough stealing time. If not, set the timer again for a few additional minutes!

This version of a Candy Game is super fun for everyone involved!

It’s quick and simple to set up with only a few basic supplies needed.

Players take turns as others cheer them on!

MATERIALS NEEDED

• a bag or two (or more) of wrapped candy

• a Ziploc bag for each player

• a spatula (a plastic one that bends works best)

• a blindfold (we use a scarf or even a man’s tie!)

• a timer

DIRECTIONS

One at a time, a blindfolded player holds a Ziploc bag in one hand and a spatula in the other hand. (No need to blindfold younger Littles!)

A timer is set for a predetermined amount of time (30 seconds or 1 minute for most players or longer for young Littles).

When time begins, each player attempts to scoop up as many pieces of candy as they can in the time allowed. It’s harder than you’d think and often hilarious to watch as the blindfolded player has no idea how much candy they are actually capturing in the plastic bag!

If you’d like to keep score, we’d suggest the following: At the end of a turn, the player counts how many pieces of candy they were able to successfully collect. You can decide ahead of time if players keep ALL the candy collected OR if they choose three favorite pieces from the Ziploc bag. You could even provide a prize for the overall winner - the player who has collected the most pieces of candy ($ or a gift card works well for all ages)!

This Candy Game is a well loved one,

often played during the holidays.

It requires some prep ahead of time, but it’s definitely worth it!

MATERIALS NEEDED

• a bag or two (or more) of wrapped candy

• OPTIONAL - dollar bills, coins and/or small toys

• a roll of Saran Wrap

• 2 oven mitts or mittens

• a pair of dice

DIRECTIONS

PREP AHEAD OF TIME: Make the saran wrap cookie ball by pulling the saran wrap out of the roll and wrapping your first object in it. Keep on adding more to your ball by rolling up candy, adding new pieces every few rolls. Turn the ball 90 degrees while rolling to wrap in different directions as you go.

NOTE: If you’d like, you can also add $ (bills or coins), gift cards, small toys, stickers and more!

When you’ve wrapped up all the items to be included, add a piece of tape to mark the edge of the saran wrap to show the beginning of the roll. This will make it easier once play begins!

TIME TO PLAY!

All players sit in a circle on the floor. One player will begin by holding the ball in their lap. When the game begins, the player puts on oven mitts (adults and older Littles) or gloves (younger Littles) and begins to unwrap as much of the ball as they can. Meanwhile, the player to the left of this person holds a pan/bowl with two dice in it. This player rolls the two dice with the goal of rolling doubles. The player continues rolling the dice while the first player keeps unwrapping the ball. When doubles are rolled, play stops!

At this point, the pan with dice gets passed to the left and the saran wrap ball goes to the person who rolled doubles. They put the ball in their lap, put on the oven mitts and try to unroll while the next person attempts to roll doubles. Play continues around the circle in this way until the last piece of candy falls out!

Everything that falls out during a player’s turn, belongs to them!

Sweet Memories… A Bonus Candy Game!

We’ve got one more quick idea for you! The premise of this memory game is one you’ll be familiar with (we know it as The Bridal Shower Game since it often uses common household objects as game pieces).

In this family friendly version, we’re using leftover pieces of wrapped candy. You’ll need one piece of several kinds of candy to play, so perhaps you’ll need to raid your Littles trick or treating stash or negotiate a trade with them!

To prepare ahead of time, lay out a variety of candies on a tray. Cover the tray until you are ready to play. (We’ve done this before a gathering begins and then have it ready to go when needed.)

GAME TIME! When everyone is gathered, uncover the tray and let players have a close look for one minute. Cover the tray once again! Give everyone 3-5 minutes to write down the names of the candies that they remember were on the tray. Littles younger than 4 or 5 may have difficulty with this game, but you can ask them to tell you what candies they remember… perhaps they could get the treat as their prize!

The winner of the game is the player with the best memory!

We’ve given you four ideas for fun family Candy Games!

Hopefully, we’ve got you thinking and maybe… just maybe,

you’ll be running out to pick up an extra bag (or two) of Halloween candy!

Do you know of any other versions of Candy Games?

If so, please share in the comment section at the bottom of this post.

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We’ll be back later this week with another new post for you all!

As Halloween approaches, store shelves are overflowing with sweet treats—making it the absolute best time to stock up! Whether you grab an extra bag or two on sale before the big night, stash away leftover trick-or-treat loot, or even slip a couple of favorite bags into the freezer for later, holding onto that candy opens up a whole world of family fun.

And, remember…