20 Easy Halloween Crafts For Kids

Sure, you could buy one of those hollowed out plastic pumpkins for carrying on Halloween, but it’s so much more fun to make your own trick-or-treat bag using this tutorial from Crafting Cheerfully. This Halloween craft is probably best for older kids as it requires sewing. Fortunately, there’s a free template located at the end of the tutorial, so you can get this just right.

It’s hard to wait for Halloween, so let the countdown begin with this Halloween calendar from A Beautiful Mess. Put the kids to work decorating each individual felt square. There’s a corresponding list of activity slips to put in each square (things like “paint pumpkins” or “watch Casper”) but of course you can come up with your own based on what works best for your family or what traditions you have.

Whether you’re decorating for a party or just adding a little festive pop to your house, this witch hat Halloween craft from Mod Podge Rocks will be a hit. It’s easy to make using wooden circles and foam cones, and you and your kids can decorate the hats any way you want: Glitter, washi tape, stickers, or rhinestones are just a few ideas.

If your kid can hold a paint brush, they can do this fun and easy Halloween craft. The no-carve pumpkins take a whole lot of mess out of the pumpkin experience, plus they’ll last longer than a jack-o-lantern. Paper & Stitch painted the entire pumpkin too, which you can definitely do, or you could start with one of those white or light green pumpkin varieties that are trendy right now. From there, get creative with your watercolor design, or incorporate other materials like glitter, rhinestones, and stickers.

I love that monsters always seem to straddle the line between creepy and cute, and these little candy huggers from Lia Griffith are no exception. Use the included PDF file to get the monster printable template. Then, print on a thick craft paper, bend the arms, and secure the candy with a bit of tape or glue as needed.

If you have markers, coffee filters, craft paper, and googly eyes, you could make this cute, easy Halloween craft for kids from One Little Project right now. It may have a tie dye effect, but this Halloween craft is way easier than breaking out dye and using rubber bands. Instead, you and your kids will decorate the filters with markers, then wet them to get the colors to bleed. After drying overnight or in a (very) low oven, you can add the final touches.

Turn your little one’s handprint into a spider or a ghost with this cute no-carve pumpkin. Kids will enjoy this Halloween craft (assuming they like to get their hands dirty) and it’s a fun and quick alternative to pumpkin carving.

There’s just something about glitter paper that makes any craft feel a little more festive. These DIY Halloween spiders from This Grandma Is Fun really couldn’t be much easier. You’ll need sparkly paper, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, some glue, and maybe a hole punch.

Not only does this Halloween craft look cool, but kids will love the process of making it. The tutorial on Crafting A Fun Life walks you through all the steps, but basically you’ll add baking soda to paint, and then put a couple drops of vinegar on the paint to get it to foam up. This creates a fun fizzy texture and a foaming effect kids will enjoy. This one’s messy (aren’t they all?) so make sure to cover your table in newspaper before you begin.

Who doesn’t love a spooky craft that actually has a function. These ghost mason jars are so cute (er, I mean scary) and they come together quickly. No. 2 Pencil suggests using a glass paint, though any chalk paint would work well here, it just may take a few coats. Of course, the googly eyes are what take these from white jars to ghosts. Use these as vases, for storing candy, or even as actual storage for change or other knick-knacks.

Here’s a clever use for those potatoes that are passed their prime: instead of eating them try this Halloween craft for toddlers and preschoolers from My Mommy Style. Cut a potato or two in half the long way and then cut each half horizontally in the center to get these ghostly shapes. Kids will have a blast dipping them in white paint and pressing them onto paper, like a stamp. Paint the face on, or use stickers or googly eyes.

This creepy-but-cool paper bag Halloween craft has the feel of a haunted cemetery. Print out old black and white photos (or scan some of your real family) and glue onto white paper bags. That’s it. Take note, though — white bags works better than brown when it comes to getting that glow. Then use electric tea lights (obviously no real candles, please!) to get these to light-up; they’ll look awesome lining your porch or stairs on Halloween night.

It’s hard to resist a craft for preschoolers and younger elementary kids that they’ll play with after the art project is done (and it’s somewhat educational). This printable agamograph from Pink Stripey Socks is a free on her site. First kids color in the pictures, then cut into strips, then assemble in the right order like a puzzle.

One of the great things about this salt art Halloween craft from This Grandma Is Fun is that you get two days of projects out of it. The hardest part is probably drawing the web, but it doesn’t have to be quite this precise (the tutorial does a nice job of showing you how to recreate this, though). First, you’ll cover the web in Elmer’s glue and sprinkle generously with salt. Let it dry overnight, and then return to the web and add drops o water color paint. When dripped on the web lightly, it’ll bleed in a really beautiful way.

Handmade Charlotte has figured out how to make ghosts elegant by using doilies in this adorable Halloween craft project. Though this looks really involved because of the intricate pattern on the skirt of the ghost, most of the work is already done by the doilies themselves. All you’ll need to do is cut out a ghost shape and use a hole punch to make the face. This kid-friendly Halloween craft is versatile too. You could paint the doily first or use the ghosts to make a garland or cupcake topper.

Start hoarding those cardboard toilet paper rolls now, because this fun Halloween craft for kids of all ages is so fun and imaginative. The sky’s the limit here — you can make monsters, ghost, vampires, or mummies (which are particularly clever when wrapped in remnants of well, toilet paper). It’s helpful for grown-ups to cut out some shapes ahead of time (like spooky mouths or hair) and put out a plate of googly eyes, so the little artistes can spend their time creating.

Rock painting is a time-honored tradition among the kids craft crowd. Why? Probably because it’s incredibly easy and also fun. First things first: Take the little ones on a nature walk or out in the yard to collect flat stones (they don’t have to be as perfect as the ones in the photo). Then get ready to paint spooky pumpkins, spiders, vampires, and whatever else they dream up.

If you’re having a full-on Halloween bash or just a fun family dinner before you go trick-or-treating, these monster party hats are a cute craft that comes together quickly. In this tutorial from Studio DIY, the eyes and the pom-pom topper are made using duct tape, but you can use whatever supplies you have on hand, even if that’s just craft paper and a glue stick.

I love seeing unconventional uses for everyday items. This fun flower pot from Creative Green Living is made by painting a terracotta planter pot; you could also use one of the plastic ones plants often come packaged in. Make your funny spider paint, add some pipe cleaner legs, and voila, a fun and easy Halloween craft for all ages.

Crackers with little treats inside are usually a Christmas tradition, but if you think about it, they’re the perfect thing for Halloween — a holiday that’s all about the treats. These cute Halloween crackers from Lovely Indeed are perfect party favors or you could pass them out to trick-or-treaters, as long as all the candy is wrapped. Your kids will have fun helping you roll these up, but good luck convincing them not to eat the candy.