Having fun making kids Halloween crafts doesn’t mean you have to blow your budget ordering elaborate materials and kits online. In fact, you probably have everything you need to make spooktacularly simple Halloween crafts for kids in your home already.
Before kids hit sugar coma status, let them get creative, these easy Halloween crafts for kids are not only simple for all ages but easy for adults, too. Think: low on mess, made with the most basic craft supplies and household items, and super-cute. As the leaves turn and the air gets crisp, it’s the perfect time for kids to dive into these hassle-free Halloween crafts. Simple yet delightful, they’re a nod to the beloved fall activities that paint our season with joy.
Here are 19 of our favorite Halloween crafts for kids:
1. Painted Halloween rocks
One of the easiest Halloween crafts with household items? These Halloween painted rocks from Projects With Kids. Kids will love creating these cute, thematic crafts — and grownups will love how simple they are to make.
Materials: Rocks, acrylic paint in orange, purple, yellow and white, paint pens in black and white, paintbrushes, Outdoor Mod Podge.
2. Pine cone pumpkin
The perfect craft after a cozy, fall walk. These pine cone pumpkins from Crayon Box Chronicles are a cute way to “Halloween up” all the pine cones that are on the ground this time of year.
Materials: Pine cones, orange pipe cleaners, green pipe cleaners.
3. Vampire Halloween handprint
You’ll find a number of Halloween handprint ideas on The Best Ideas for Kids, but this little vampire dude is pretty cute — and yes, a cinch to whip together.
Materials: Paint — black and skin color of choice; googly eyes; white, red and black cardstock; red glitter paper; black sharpie.
4. Paper bag scarecrow
Spooky? Not so much. But this paper bag scarecrow craft from Crafts by Amanda could not be easier (or cheaper — Amanda estimates it should cost around a $1!).
Materials: Brown paper lunch bag, white craft glue, googly eyes, ribbon, paint stirrer, two sheets of newspaper, black marker, orange foam flower, construction paper.
5. Bat bottle cap magnets
Flip the script on your kiddo’s Halloween craft by making the craft the magnet to hang other crafts (very meta!). These cute bat bottle cap magnets from I Heart Arts N Crafts take almost no time to make and most of the items you probably already have in your home.
Materials: Black bottle caps, black cardstock, glue, googly eyes, magnets, white paint marker.
6. Popsicle stick haunted houses
These paper and popsicle stick haunted houses from Luisa at tinyn3rds are too cute. Kids can build and decorate their own spooky mansions.
Materials: Popsicle sticks, black paper, hot glue gun, stickers or anything else (they used Wonder Stix) you’d like to decorate with.
7. Spiderwebs
Librarian and mom Sarah-Lyn of EcoCraftKids shares not one and not two but three easy spiderwebs crafts for kids to make. She combined reading books about spiders with the crafting for a great, hands-on learning activity.
Materials:
- Paper plate webs: Paper plates, oil pastels (or crayons) and watered-down tempera paint.
- Popsicle stick webs: Colored popsicle sticks, yarn and hot glue.
- Yarn-wrapped webs: Recycled cardboard (some painted), scissors and yarn.
- Spiders: Of course, adding spiders (plastic toy ones or simple paper cutouts) to any of these webs is the perfect finishing touch.
8. Pine cone spooktakular spider
Help your child turn their autumn finds into this spooky spider from Amanda at Manda Panda Projects. Display the critter in some cottony spider webs to give it the full effect. Here’s the full how-to.
Materials: Pine cone, black paint, black pipe cleaners, googly eyes, white felt or cardstock.
9. Jack o’ lantern paper plate art
This pumpkin plate collage craft from tutor and teacher Yee Kuan is fun for even the youngest little artists. If you’re working with wee ones, adults can cut out the shapes for the leaves, stems and jack-o’-lantern faces, but kids can help tear orange construction paper into large pieces to create the collage pumpkin. Can you say easy masks and instant Halloween decorations?
Materials: Paper plates, orange, black, green and brown construction paper, glue stick, clothespins or popsicle sticks for little hands to hold them.
10. Toilet roll bat
The kids will love hanging these little black bats, created by Bianca at Uncreative Mum, all around the house for Halloween. Parents can help kids paint the toilet paper roll and cut out the wings and ears, and then kids can handle glueing on the eyes, wings and ears, drawing on a mouth and attaching the pipe cleaner “legs” through a couple of punched holes at the bottom of the roll. These are so easy to make and they’ll put all those empty toilet rolls you’re tossing to good use.
Materials: Toilet roll, hole punch, kid-safe paint, black construction paper or cardstock, googly eyes, chalk, pipe cleaners, glue or tape.
11. Ghost lollipops
Crafting doesn’t get simpler than these ghostly lollipops from WooshkahCrafts. Kids can take their favorite lollipops and drape a few tissues overtop. Use string to secure them and let the kids go wild drawing on their best scary “boo” faces. These are perfect for class parties or passing out to trick or treaters on Halloween night.
Materials: Lollipop, tissue, string, Sharpie.
12. Jack-o’-lantern cuties
We’re not going to lie. This is a ridiculously simple craft from Christa Kelly. (We won’t tell the kids if you don’t!) Let them get creative drawing all kinds of scary faces on mandarin oranges, then pile these up on the mantel for decoration — or stack them up as grab ‘n go snacks or party favors. Definitely one of the easiest Halloween crafts out there.
Materials: Cuties, Sharpie.
13. Apple stamp pumpkins
You can use an apple to make a pumpkin — who knew? Just slice an apple in half, press it into paint and then stamp it onto paper. Let it dry and draw on faces. These adorable pumpkins can be used to make Halloween cards, party invites or whatever you like.
Materials: Apples, kid-safe paint, Sharpies, glitter (optional).
14. Ghost bunting
Your house needs a lot of spooking up this year, so put the kids to work on this ghost bunting project from Li’l Crafters that can hang on the mantel, across the windows or anywhere around the house. It’s a cinch to make, too. The best part is you can make this bunting as long or as short as you need.
Materials: Paper towels, cotton balls, string, Sharpie.
15. Spaghetti spiderwebs
If you don’t have the typical craft supplies on hand, head to the kitchen instead. These spiderwebs, created by Andrea Tucker on Instagram, require just raw spaghetti and marshmallows. Connect the spaghetti sticks with marshmallows, and see what shapes and sizes your mini engineers create.
Materials: Spaghetti, big and small marshmallows.
16. Egg carton pumpkin wreath
Turn an empty egg carton into a cute autumn or Halloween wreath from Amanda at Manda Panda Projects. Now that’s easy! And adorable. Here’s the full tutorial.
Materials: Egg carton (or two, if you want a larger wreath), kid-safe paint and brushes, paper plate, glue.
17. Aluminum foil spiders
We love this simple spider craft from Shikha at The Joy of Sharing. At its core … a basic ball of foil! Tape on the legs and eyes and you’ll have a bunch of these critters crawling around. (If you’re raising a tiny entomologist, they’ll know that a real spider has eight legs, not six.)
Materials: Aluminum foil, cardstock paper, googly eyes, tape.
18. Candy mandala
When Halloween is over and no one can bare to look at another piece of candy, why not turn your leftover candy into a pretty autumn craft to will take you through Thanksgiving? Per Kelly of 1der.and.cre8 on Instagram, simply take a piece of cardboard and paint it any color you like. Once it’s dry, set the kids up with the cardboard, colorful leftover candy, and some glue. They can create any number of pretty patterns for their mandala. Did we mention this is easy?
Materials: Leftover Halloween candy, hot glue gun, kid-safe paint (they used gesso), cardboard (they used a pizza round).
19. Halloween candles
Thanks to this inspiration from mom Kristian Alguire, you can pull those glass jars out of the recycling bin and turn them into a Halloween candle craft to make with the kids. Tear up tissue paper, apply Mod Podge overtop and glue on the spooky faces. The kids will love lighting these up in the window on Halloween night.
Materials: Glass jars, tissue paper, Mod Podge, black construction paper, glue stick, candles (or battery-operated. candles)
