• 103 topics

Halloween Debate Topics

Light arguments for the last week of October.

Halloween Debate Topics

Is a creaking door scarier than a howl?

Read it out, then tap Yes or No for every raised hand.

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All 103 topics

Candy and treats 23

  • Are homemade treats better than store-bought candy at a party? A) Yes. Someone made them for this party, and it shows. B) No. Wrapped candy is what everyone hopes to find on the table.
  • Are roasted pumpkin seeds the best thing to come out of a pumpkin? A) Yes. Salty, crunchy and free with every jack-o'-lantern. B) No. The best thing to come out of a pumpkin is the face.
  • Are sour candies better than sweet ones? A) Yes. A sour one wakes you up, and you can only eat a few. B) No. Halloween is the sweet holiday. Sour is for the rest of the year.
  • Does pumpkin spice belong in everything in October? A) Yes. It is one month a year. Let it have the month. B) No. Some things should just taste like themselves.
  • Is a caramel apple better than a candy apple? A) Yes. Soft caramel you can bite. The hard red shell fights back. B) No. The shiny red apple is the one that looks like Halloween.
  • Is black licorice a treat? A) Yes. Its fans are loyal, and the color suits the night. B) No. It is the piece left at the bottom of every bowl.
  • Is candy corn actually good? A) Yes. Sweet, soft and gone by the handful. It is October in a bag. B) No. It tastes like a candle and only sells because of its shape.
  • Is chocolate better Halloween candy than anything fruity? A) Yes. Chocolate is the first thing traded for and the first thing gone. B) No. Fruity candy lasts longer and does not melt in a pocket.
  • Is gum a fair treat? A) Yes. It lasts longer than any chocolate. B) No. Gum is for the car ride, not for a Halloween door.
  • Is hard candy the most disappointing thing to find in the bag? A) Yes. It is what a house gives when it forgot to shop. B) No. It lasts longest, and somebody in every family loves it.
  • Is it fair to hand out raisins instead of candy? A) Yes. A treat is a treat, and the bowl belongs to the house. B) No. Halloween is the one night candy is the whole point.
  • Is one giant treat better than a bag of small ones? A) Yes. One huge bar is a story you tell at school. B) No. Small ones mean variety, and variety means trades.
  • Is September too early to buy Halloween candy? A) Yes. It will be eaten long before the night and bought twice. B) No. Early buyers get the good bags before the shelves empty.
  • Is trading candy the best part of the night? A) Yes. The deals on the living room floor are the real game. B) No. The best part is the doorbells. Trading is tidying up.
  • Should a house that runs out of candy turn off the porch light? A) Yes. A dark porch is the kind way to say we are done. B) No. Stay at the door and wave. The costumes are worth seeing.
  • Should all the candy be sorted before any of it is eaten? A) Yes. Sorting is the ceremony. Piles first, then the feast. B) No. Nobody walks that far to do filing.
  • Should brothers and sisters pool their candy and split it evenly? A) Yes. No fights, and the youngest is not left with a small bag. B) No. Whoever walked farther earned more.
  • Should full-size candy bars be the rule on Halloween? A) Yes. One real bar beats a fistful of tiny ones, and kids remember that house. B) No. Small pieces mean the bowl lasts until the last kid.
  • Should Halloween candy be made to last until Thanksgiving? A) Yes. A piece a day keeps Halloween going for weeks. B) No. Candy tastes best that week. After that it is just a stale pile.
  • Should parents get a share of the candy? A) Yes. They walked the whole route and carried the coats. B) No. The kid wore the costume and rang the bells. The bag is theirs.
  • Should stickers and small toys count as a treat? A) Yes. A toy lasts longer than a mouthful of sugar. B) No. The words are trick or treat, and a treat is something you eat.
  • Should the trick-or-treater get to choose from the bowl? A) Yes. Choosing is half the fun, and nobody leaves with a candy they dislike. B) No. The host hands it out. That is fair and keeps the line moving.
  • Should you eat your best candy first? A) Yes. Enjoy it while the night still feels like Halloween. B) No. Save it. A good ending makes the whole bag better.

Trick-or-treating 20

  • Can a take-one bowl left on the porch be trusted? A) Yes. Most kids take one, and it beats an empty doorstep. B) No. The third group empties it, and that is the end of the bowl.
  • Is a dark porch light a clear enough sign that a house is not taking part? A) Yes. Everyone knows the rule: light on, knock. Light off, walk past. B) No. Bulbs burn out. A note on the door is clearer.
  • Is a pillowcase a better candy bag than a plastic pumpkin? A) Yes. It holds three times as much and never cracks. B) No. The pumpkin has a handle, and it looks the part.
  • Is handing out candy more fun than collecting it? A) Yes. You see every costume on the street without walking a step. B) No. The fun is the hunt, and you cannot hunt from a doorway.
  • Is it better to plan a route than to wander? A) Yes. A plan hits the best houses before the candy runs out. B) No. Wandering is how you find the house nobody knew about.
  • Is it rude to skip a house that has its light on? A) Yes. They bought the candy and they are waiting by the door. B) No. No one counts. There are more houses than time.
  • Is rain a good enough reason to call off trick-or-treating? A) Yes. Soggy costumes and wet candy are no one's idea of fun. B) No. A raincoat over the costume, and half the crowd is gone.
  • Is thirteen too old to trick-or-treat? A) Yes. By thirteen it is time to hand out the candy instead. B) No. Anyone willing to put on a costume and say the words can join in.
  • Is trick-or-treating better on your own street than in a busier neighborhood? A) Yes. Your neighbors know you, and the walk home is short. B) No. More houses with lights on means a better night.
  • Is trunk-or-treat as good as going door to door? A) Yes. All the candy and all your friends in one parking lot. B) No. The walk from porch to porch in the dark is the adventure.
  • Should a house play spooky music for trick-or-treaters? A) Yes. A creaky soundtrack makes the walk up the path a dare. B) No. Little kids turn around, and the neighbors hear it all night.
  • Should apartment buildings hold their own trick-or-treat, floor by floor? A) Yes. It is warm and dry, and every door is ten steps apart. B) No. Hallways are not streets. Not every neighbor signed up for it.
  • Should only one kid in the group ring the doorbell? A) Yes. One ring is polite. The door is already opening. B) No. Ringing the bell is half of what a five-year-old came for.
  • Should the best decorated houses be visited first? A) Yes. A house that tried that hard deserves a full audience. B) No. Save them for last. End the night on the best one.
  • Should the dog come trick-or-treating? A) Yes. It gets a walk and a costume, and it gets admired. B) No. Doorbells, crowds and strangers in masks are hard on a dog.
  • Should the whole street agree on trick-or-treat hours? A) Yes. Everyone knows when to be ready and when it is over. B) No. Families keep different hours. The porch light already says it.
  • Should the youngest in the group set the walking pace? A) Yes. The night is only fun if the smallest legs can keep up. B) No. Take turns. Small legs can ride in the wagon for a block.
  • Should trick-or-treating end at nine o'clock? A) Yes. Little kids are asleep and porch lights are going dark. B) No. Older kids start late. Let the night run while lights are on.
  • Should you have to say trick or treat to get candy? A) Yes. Those three words are the whole deal. B) No. A shy four-year-old in a dinosaur suit has done enough.
  • Should you have to wear a costume to get candy? A) Yes. No costume, no candy. It is not a free candy night. B) No. Some kids could not get one. Do not turn them away.

Costumes 20

  • Are group costumes better than solo ones? A) Yes. A whole set of crayons walking down the street wins every time. B) No. A group costume falls apart when one person stays home.
  • Can a last-minute costume be as good as a planned one? A) Yes. A sheet, a marker and a good idea have won plenty of contests. B) No. It shows. Planned costumes have the details.
  • Does a costume have to be scary to count as a Halloween costume? A) Yes. Halloween is the spooky night. A taco is for another party. B) No. Dressing up is the tradition. What you dress as is up to you.
  • Does a winter coat ruin a costume? A) Yes. Nobody can tell a superhero from a snowman under a parka. B) No. Plan the costume around the coat and the problem is gone.
  • Is a bedsheet ghost still a good costume? A) Yes. It is the classic. Everyone knows it from across the street. B) No. It is what you wear when you forgot it was Halloween.
  • Is a classic costume better than whatever is new this year? A) Yes. A witch, a ghost or a pumpkin never goes out of date. B) No. New ideas keep the street from looking the same every year.
  • Is a comfortable costume better than an impressive one? A) Yes. You are in it for hours and for many blocks. B) No. It is one night. Be amazing and sit down tomorrow.
  • Is a costume a failure if you have to explain it? A) Yes. If nobody gets it at the door, it did not work. B) No. The clever ones always need a sentence. That is their charm.
  • Is a homemade costume better than a store-bought one? A) Yes. Nobody else on the street will have the same one. B) No. A bought costume looks right, fits and is ready tonight.
  • Is a pun the best kind of costume? A) Yes. A groan at every door is a kind of applause. B) No. A pun is funny once. A great costume is great all night.
  • Is face paint better than a mask? A) Yes. You can see and talk, and it never slips off. B) No. A mask goes on in a second and comes off for dinner.
  • Is it fine to wear the same costume two years in a row? A) Yes. A good costume deserves a second night. B) No. A new costume is half the fun of the whole month.
  • Should a costume be kept secret until Halloween night? A) Yes. The reveal is the best moment. Do not spend it early. B) No. Telling friends early stops three of you coming as the same thing.
  • Should a costume be something you made up, not a character everyone knows? A) Yes. An invented creature is yours alone. B) No. People light up when they recognize who you are.
  • Should adults dress up to hand out candy? A) Yes. A host in costume turns the doorstep into a show. B) No. The kids are the show. The host only needs a full bowl.
  • Should brothers and sisters wear matching costumes? A) Yes. Salt and pepper get more candy than salt alone. B) No. Everyone should get to be the thing they picked.
  • Should pets wear costumes? A) Yes. A dog dressed as a pumpkin makes a whole street smile. B) No. The pet did not ask for it and cannot say no.
  • Should schools set a rule that costumes must be homemade? A) Yes. Everyone starts equal, and making it is a project. B) No. Not every family has the time or the supplies.
  • Should teachers wear costumes to school on Halloween? A) Yes. A principal dressed as a crayon makes the whole day. B) No. Someone has to look like they are still in charge.
  • Should the costume contest prize go to the most homemade costume? A) Yes. Reward the work, not the price tag. B) No. The best costume is the best costume, however it was made.

Pumpkins and spooky things 20

  • Are fake spiders creepier than fake skeletons? A) Yes. Spiders can hide anywhere, and that is the trouble. B) No. A skeleton is person-sized and looks straight at you.
  • Are ghosts a better Halloween symbol than pumpkins? A) Yes. Halloween is about what goes bump in the night. B) No. The glowing pumpkin on the step is how you know it is Halloween.
  • Are haunted houses actually fun? A) Yes. The scream and the laugh right after it are the point. B) No. Paying to be nervous in a line is not a treat.
  • Are scary stories better than scary movies? A) Yes. Your own imagination builds the monster, so it fits you. B) No. A movie has the music, the dark room and the jump.
  • Are silly decorations better than spooky ones? A) Yes. A skeleton in sunglasses makes every age laugh. B) No. Halloween is the one time a yard is allowed to be eerie.
  • Is a black cat crossing your path good luck? A) Yes. Any cat that chooses to walk near you is a good sign. B) No. On this night of all nights, would you really test it?
  • Is a corn maze better at night? A) Yes. In the dark every turn is a guess. B) No. By day you can enjoy it and still find the way out.
  • Is a creaking door scarier than a howl? A) Yes. A creak means something is in the house with you. B) No. A howl means it is big, and it is coming.
  • Is a fake graveyard in the front yard too much? A) Yes. Some neighbors would rather not look at headstones for a month. B) No. Foam stones with joke names are pure Halloween.
  • Is a ghost story better with the lights off? A) Yes. Dark makes every listener lean in. B) No. Lights on, the teller's face does half the work.
  • Is a painted pumpkin as good as a carved one? A) Yes. No mess, more colors, and it lasts for weeks. B) No. A pumpkin with no candle inside is only a decoration.
  • Is a pumpkin patch better than buying a pumpkin at the store? A) Yes. You walk the rows and find the one that is yours. B) No. The store pumpkin is clean and round, and it is right by the door.
  • Is a real pumpkin better than a plastic one? A) Yes. The smell, the seeds and the carving are the tradition. B) No. A plastic one is ready every year and never sags.
  • Is bobbing for apples still a good party game? A) Yes. It is loud, silly and older than anyone at the party. B) No. Everyone ends up soaked and nobody wants the apple.
  • Is fog the best Halloween decoration? A) Yes. Fog turns an ordinary yard into a movie. B) No. You cannot see any of the other decorations through it.
  • Is Halloween better when it is a little bit scary? A) Yes. A small shiver is what sets it apart from every other party. B) No. Costumes and candy are plenty. Nobody needs the fright.
  • Is it more fun to do the scaring than to be scared? A) Yes. You plan it, you wait, and you get the reaction. B) No. The jump and the laugh belong to the one who got scared.
  • Should a jack-o'-lantern have a scary face? A) Yes. It sits on the step to spook the street. Give it teeth. B) No. A grin welcomes the little kids up the path.
  • Should a pumpkin be carved a week early? A) Yes. A week of glowing on the step, not one night. B) No. Carve it the day before so it is fresh for the 31st.
  • Should yard decorations that jump out at people be off limits? A) Yes. Small children walk up that path too. B) No. A good jump is what people come to that house for.

School, parties and the calendar 20

  • Is a costume parade a better party ending than a costume contest? A) Yes. A parade lets every costume be seen. B) No. A contest gives the night a finish, and a winner to cheer.
  • Is a Halloween movie night better than a Halloween party? A) Yes. Blankets, popcorn and no costume to worry about. B) No. You can watch a movie on any night of the year.
  • Is a Halloween party better than trick-or-treating? A) Yes. Games, food and friends in one warm room. B) No. A party can happen any night. Trick-or-treating cannot.
  • Is Halloween more fun for kids than for adults? A) Yes. Kids get the candy, the costumes and the late night. B) No. Adults get the parties and do not have to share the candy.
  • Is Halloween the best night of the fall? A) Yes. A night when the whole street is outside together. B) No. Fall also has bonfires, football and a long turkey dinner.
  • Is pumpkin carving better as a family job than a solo one? A) Yes. One scoops, one draws, one carves, and all take the credit. B) No. One pumpkin, one artist. Too many hands spoil the face.
  • Is the week before Halloween better than the night itself? A) Yes. The planning, the carving and the countdown are the best part. B) No. Nothing in the week comes close to the first doorbell.
  • Should a class party have games and no candy, since the candy comes later? A) Yes. The night brings plenty. School can do the games. B) No. A Halloween party with no treat is just a Friday.
  • Should a neighborhood give a prize for the best decorated house? A) Yes. A friendly contest makes the whole street try harder. B) No. It turns fun into a competition that someone has to lose.
  • Should Christmas things stay off the shelves until Halloween is over? A) Yes. Let each holiday have its turn. B) No. Shops sell what people are already asking for.
  • Should costumes be allowed at school on Halloween? A) Yes. It is one day, and a costume parade makes it a memory. B) No. Costumes take over the day, and not every kid has one.
  • Should every Halloween party have a costume rule? A) Yes. One person in jeans breaks the spell. B) No. Guests who hate dressing up will just stay home.
  • Should everyone at a Halloween party have to try the mystery box game? A) Yes. Reaching into cold spaghetti is a rite of passage. B) No. A game is only a game if you can sit it out.
  • Should Halloween be moved to the last Saturday of October? A) Yes. No school night, no rushing home from work. B) No. October 31 is the date. It is not Halloween on any other.
  • Should Halloween decorations come down on November 1? A) Yes. A sagging pumpkin in mid-November helps nobody. B) No. Leave the pumpkins. They work until Thanksgiving.
  • Should Halloween decorations wait until October? A) Yes. A holiday that starts in August wears out before it arrives. B) No. People who love it should get to enjoy it longer.
  • Should Halloween last a whole weekend? A) Yes. One night is too short for the party and the route. B) No. It is special because it is one night.
  • Should homework be skipped on Halloween night? A) Yes. One night off will not sink anyone's grades. B) No. Finish it before dark and the evening is free anyway.
  • Should stores wait until October to sell Halloween things? A) Yes. A season means more when it is short. B) No. People who sew costumes need the supplies early.
  • Should the day after Halloween be a day off school? A) Yes. Nobody learns much after a late night and a bag of candy. B) No. A day off for candy is hard to explain to a teacher.

How it works

These Halloween debate topics are 103 light questions for a classroom, a party or the walk home, each with an opening line for Yes and for No. Nothing is gory: the arguments are over candy, costumes and porch lights.

Read the full guide

Candy, costumes and the doorstep

Candy and treats has 23, starting with Is candy corn actually good? Trick-or-treating has 20 on the rules of the doorstep: Is thirteen too old to trick-or-treat? Should you have to wear a costume to get candy? Costumes has 20, among them Is a costume a failure if you have to explain it? Pumpkins and spooky things has 20.

Debate topics for Halloween at school

School, parties and the calendar has 20 that a class can argue from its seats: Should the day after Halloween be a day off school? Should Halloween be moved to the last Saturday of October? The second turns on a fixed date: Halloween is October 31, whatever the weekday.

  • At a party, each speaker argues in character: the pirate makes the case for full-size candy bars, the ghost replies.

Questions and answers

What are good Halloween debate topics for kids?

The 41 Easy cards, which need an opinion and nothing else: Should you eat your best candy first? Is a pillowcase a better candy bag than a plastic pumpkin? Is a bedsheet ghost still a good costume?

What are funny Halloween debate topics?

Is black licorice a treat? Should the dog come trick-or-treating? Is a creaking door scarier than a howl? Does a winter coat ruin a costume? Each has a real case on both sides, which is why they get loud.

What are Halloween debate topics for middle and high school?

The Medium and Hard cards ask for a rule and a reason: Should schools set a rule that costumes must be homemade? Should yard decorations that jump out at people be off limits? Should stores wait until October to sell Halloween things?

How do you run a Halloween debate in class?

Read a card, give one speaker a minute for Yes and another a minute for No, then count hands. Swap sides on the next card so nobody argues only what they already think.

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