For a Halloween boo basket, start with the Duplo construction vehicle set for a preschooler who builds, or the Hot Wheels car wash for a kid who races cars. Halloween is on its way, so pick the fillers now and the boo basket is ready for the big night.
This LEGO Duplo set turns the same bricks into several construction machines for a digger-crazy preschooler.
Its 22 pieces come apart and rebuild as a new work truck whenever the current job is done. Tucked into a boo basket, it gives the youngest trick-or-treater a building project beside the candy.
A Paw Patrol Pup Pad from The Dino Movie lets a preschool fan run the team's rescues.
It sits beside the candy in a boo basket, ready for missions once trick-or-treating ends. A fan of the film gets to dream up dinosaur emergencies and send the team to sort each one out.
This Hot Wheels City shark car wash brings jaws to a Halloween boo basket for a car fan.
The maker labels it for ages 3 and up, so the playset works from preschool through grade school. Each car rolls through the shark for a pretend wash, then heads back out to race.
This Melissa & Doug pretend dentist kit gives a candy-loving preschooler a clinic to run after Halloween.
The maker rates it for ages 3 and up, a good fit for the youngest trick-or-treater. Grown-ups take the patient's chair while the young dentist peeks inside and calls out what needs brushing.
Learning Resources Measuring Worms length comparison math toys
Science and discovery
These Learning Resources worms bring a creepy-crawly twist to a Halloween boo basket for young size-checkers.
Your trick-or-treater lays them end to end beside each carved pumpkin to find the tallest jack-o'-lantern. Unlike another bag of candy, the worms turn that pumpkin lineup into a counting game.
Ooly's Rainbow Sparkle watercolor gel crayons go into a boo basket for a trick-or-treater with a drawing habit.
Their metallic sparkle gives pumpkins and ghosts a shine that ordinary crayons lack. Then a wet brush over the lines turns the drawing into a watercolor painting for the fridge.
Hasbro Gaming Spider-Man climb-and-slide board game
Games and puzzles
This Spider-Man Chutes and Ladders board gives a Marvel-loving trick-or-treater a game to share after the candy run.
The Spider-Man theme gives a superhero fan a reason to race across the board with siblings. A long slide down a chute just means another turn to work back toward the top.
PicassoTiles magnetic tiles add a building toy to a boo basket for young builders from preschool up.
The maker labels the set for ages 3 and up, so preschoolers and older siblings can build together. After trick-or-treating, the tiles click into a haunted house to guard the candy haul.
This Hot Wheels Ferrari set gives a young car spotter a matching team of sports cars to race.
At the car-naming stage, real makes matter, so a Ferrari-only team turns each race into a rivalry between designs. A flattened cardboard box with marker roads becomes a city for the cars to cruise.
This TOMY John Deere tractor brings a farm vehicle to the boo basket of a preschool tractor fan.
Small hands steer it down the hallway toward a barn built from a cardboard box. That way the youngest trick-or-treater gets to do the farm driving instead of just watching it.
Fisher-Price Little People Toy Story carnival playset
Dolls and figures
This Little People Toy Story Ferris wheel playset gives a preschool movie fan a fairground at home.
The Toy Story theme lets a fan stage carnival stories set in a world they know. It goes into a boo basket and stays on the playroom floor after the candy runs out.
Bluey's Heeler family in soft stuffed form makes a boo basket treat for a Bluey fan.
Your trick-or-treater can act out a Heeler family trip around the block, deciding who knocks first. Unlike a lone cuddle toy, the whole family lets siblings each take a character and join in.
GUND's Cozys plush panda gives a boo basket something to hug alongside the candy, for any animal lover.
Candy runs out fast, but the panda stays on to be carried home after trick-or-treating. For a panda fan, it makes a keepsake to hold and name instead of another plastic trinket.
Play-Doh modeling dough tucks into a Halloween boo basket for any trick-or-treater with busy hands.
Small fingers roll it into pumpkins and pinch out bat wings, then squash everything back to start again. After trick-or-treating, the candy haul on the table becomes something to copy in dough.
Toyk's water drawing mat gives a preschool painter pictures made with plain water instead of paint.
Ghosts and grinning pumpkins go on in wet strokes, then fade so the next drawing can start. Tucked into a boo basket, it brings a painting project that skips the paint box.
The hand2mind letter tracing pad gives a preschooler practicing the alphabet a hands-on Halloween basket treat.
Small fingers follow each letter's shape on the pad, turning alphabet practice into something to touch. Then it comes out at the kitchen table while the candy haul gets sorted.
For a preschooler copying letters, the LeapFrog Mr Pencil writing toy fits right into a boo basket.
Your trick-or-treater practices letters and simple words alongside the pencil character. Once the candy is sorted, it comes out at the kitchen table for some quiet writing time.
hand2mind Sensory Number Trays give a boo basket a hands-on numbers set for a counting-mad preschooler.
Counting becomes something to handle, digit by digit, rather than just say aloud. Unlike another handful of candy, the trays stay around long after the costume comes off.
Can a preschooler build something from this list alone, then take it apart and start over?
Yes. The Duplo construction set builds construction vehicles whose bricks pull apart and rebuild into a different machine once a job is finished, giving a digger-crazy preschooler a building project tucked in beside the candy.
Which pick goes along for the drive to the pumpkin patch?
A preschooler who colors on the go gets characters already familiar in the PAW Patrol coloring pad, with pages to fill in and stickers to finish each scene at home or in the car, so it packs for the drive to the pumpkin patch.
2 more
Is there a pick where grown-ups join the play after trick-or-treating?
The Melissa & Doug dentist kit hands a candy-loving preschooler the dentist's role: you take the patient's chair while the young dentist peeks inside and announces what needs brushing, a make-believe clinic to run at home after Halloween.
Which pick stays around once the candy runs out?
For any animal lover, the GUND Cozys panda is there to hug alongside the candy and carry home after trick-or-treating, a keepsake to hold and name rather than another plastic trinket.
· We recheck every pick daily and swap out anything that’s no longer available.Rechecked daily
Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
