Candy Salad: How to Turn a Social Media Trend into a Family Activity!

By Corliss Jacobs 

My younger siblings went to a cast party recently, where one of the activities was making a candy salad. For those of you who don’t know, candy salad is a trend that originated on TikTok. In it, a group of people come together, each one bringing a big bag of a different type of candy. Next, they pass around a bowl, with each person introducing themselves, their age, and then a random fact about themselves, usually something terrible that happened to them in their childhoods (couldn’t tell you why).  Then, they state the candy they brought and dump it into the bowl. This goes on until each person adds their candy to the bowl. Then they mix it all together, and voila! A candy salad, ready to be eaten! 

When the party ended, I took some of the leftover candy salad and ate it, finding it surprisingly delicious. It made me wish I had a big group of friends to make candy salad with. Then I remembered I have a whole family, and an idea popped into my head. Why couldn’t candy salad be a family activity? With Halloween being over, all that extra trick-or-treat candy would need to go somewhere! Plus, as I experienced firsthand, it is a hit party snack! With a few tweaks, it could be a good way to get kids into preparing for a party, learning to share, or working together! So here is my family-friendly version of Candy Salad: 

1. Tell your kids to each gather up one kind of their Halloween candy into a pile. Note: Specify if it is chocolate or fruity candy. Mixing chocolate and gummies is a terrible, horrifying idea that should in no circumstances be attempted. You have been warned. 

2. Gather them around a big bowl, and explain to them that you are all going to work together to make a candy salad. 

3. Go around the room, have them say their name, and then they can name whatever category you choose — a favorite Halloween movie, activity, or what their costume is. Then let them dump the candy in. 

4. When everyone has added their candy, let everyone help mix the candy salad together. Then you can use your salad for a party, gathering, or movie night! 

You have put a family twist on a tasty trend! I am going to try this with my siblings, when we all sit down and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. We are going to use it as a movie snack, but you can use it for whatever you want with your family! The best part? There is no social media required! Let your kids’ imaginations take over with this sweet sharing activity!