Crafts for Halloween

Turning ordinary days into creative moments, you will both remember

Halloween is getting closer – which means it is officially time for pumpkins, monsters, witches and a little bit of spooky crafting! 🎃👻

If you are looking after children during the weeks leading up to Halloween, crafting is a great way to spend a rainy afternoon together. And you definitely don’t need an enormous collection of craft supplies to get started.

In fact, some of our favourite Halloween crafts for kids use things you probably already have at home: cardboard boxes, empty toilet paper rolls, coloured paper, paint and plenty of imagination.

Here are a few fun Halloween craft ideas for children of different ages.

1. Melted-Crayon Halloween Pumpkins 🎃

Let’s start with one of the more spectacular projects.

Instead of carving a pumpkin, paint it in a colour you like – black, white, dark blue or even bright green can look fantastic.

Once the paint is dry, arrange colourful wax crayons around the top of the pumpkin near the stem. An adult can then carefully heat the crayons with a hairdryer so that the wax begins to melt and run down the sides.

The result is wonderfully messy, colourful and completely unique.

You will need:

  • a pumpkin
  • paint or spray paint
  • wax crayons
  • a hairdryer
  • newspaper or another surface protector

Best for: older children with close adult supervision.

The hairdryer and hot melted wax make this one a project where an adult should definitely take charge of the melting part.

No pumpkin? Try Halloween monster stones!

You can use a similar idea with large smooth stones.

Paint them black, dark blue, purple or a wonderfully horrible monster-green. Once dry, add eyes, teeth, scars, spiders or funny faces.

A few googly eyes instantly turn an ordinary stone into a surprisingly convincing little monster.

This is also a lovely Halloween activity for younger children.

2. Build a Giant Cardboard Haunted House 🏚️👻

If you have an afternoon to spare – and a growing collection of cardboard boxes – this is a brilliant bigger project.

Instead of throwing away delivery boxes, cereal boxes and shoe boxes, use them to create your very own haunted mansion.

Stack different boxes together to create towers, rooms and roofs. Paint everything in spooky colours and decorate the house with:

  • crooked windows
  • ghosts
  • bats
  • spiders
  • witches
  • little cardboard doors
  • toilet-paper-roll towers
  • cobwebs made from wool

The best part is that there really isn’t a wrong way to make a haunted house.

One child may create a dark and terrifying vampire castle while another produces a bright pink mansion inhabited by friendly ghosts. Both are absolutely fine.

For some serious haunted-house inspiration, have a look at the fantastic cardboard version from Project Kid:

https://projectkid.com/cardboard-haunted-house/

Best for: approximately 5+ with help from an adult.

Au Pair tip: Don’t try to make the whole thing yourself because you want it to look perfect. Children usually have much more fun when they are allowed to decide where the windows, ghosts and ridiculous-looking monsters should go.

3. Make Your Own Monster Headbands 👹

This one is easy, inexpensive and works especially well with younger children.

Cut a long strip of coloured paper or card that fits around the child’s head. Then provide whatever craft supplies you happen to have available.

For example:

  • coloured paper
  • stickers
  • googly eyes
  • pipe cleaners
  • ribbon
  • wool
  • pompoms
  • feathers
  • crayons
  • washable paint

Then let everyone invent their own monster.

Does a monster need two eyes?

Absolutely not.

Seven eyes, three ears and orange woolly hair sound much more interesting.

Once the decorations are dry, join the ends of the strip so that it fits comfortably around the child’s head.

You can find another lovely version of the monster headband idea here:

https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/headband-monster-craft-kids.html

Best for: approximately 3+.

4. Halloween Crafts with Toilet Paper Rolls 🦇

I don’t know what it is about toilet paper rolls, but children seem to love crafting with them.

And, admittedly, so do I.

We usually have a box somewhere filled with empty rolls because they are far too useful to throw away.

At Halloween, one toilet paper roll can become almost anything:

👻 a ghost
🦇 a bat
🎃 a pumpkin
🧛 a vampire
🧟 a zombie
🧙 a witch
🐈‍⬛ a black cat
💀 a skeleton

All you really need is paint or coloured paper, glue and a little imagination.

Easy toilet paper roll bat

Paint or cover a toilet paper roll in black paper.

Cut two bat wings from black card and attach them to the back. Add two triangular ears, some funny eyes and a pair of white paper fangs.

Done!

Make several and hang them from a piece of string for an easy homemade Halloween decoration.

There are lots of other paper-roll Halloween ideas here:

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/halloween-toilet-paper-roll-crafts/

Best for: approximately 3+ depending on how much cutting is involved.

5. Creepy-Cute Toilet Paper Roll Spiders 🕷️

While you have the toilet paper rolls out, you might as well make some spiders.

And this is one Halloween spider that doesn’t need to be scary.

Paint a toilet paper roll black, purple, orange or green.

Then add:

  • eight paper or pipe-cleaner legs
  • several googly eyes
  • a silly mouth
  • perhaps even some vampire teeth

Of course, this is also an excellent opportunity to sneak in a tiny bit of learning.

Question for the kids: How many legs does a spider have?

If your finished spider somehow has eleven legs and five eyes, however, we won’t tell anyone.

Best for: approximately 3+.

6. Wicked Witches – Handprint Halloween Art 🧙‍♀️

For smaller children, handprint crafts are hard to beat.

Trace the child’s hand onto green paper and cut out the shape. The hand becomes the witch’s face and wonderfully wild hair.

Add:

  • orange or black paper hair
  • googly eyes
  • a pointy black hat
  • a funny witch’s nose
  • a broom made from paper or a pipe cleaner

You can even turn the handprint into a Halloween card for grandparents or friends.

You can find a step-by-step version here:

https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/handprint-witch/

Best for: approximately 3+ with help cutting out the shapes.

And don’t forget to write the child’s name and the year on the back. Handprint crafts have a habit of turning into lovely little keepsakes several years later.

Halloween Doesn't Have to Be Perfect 🎃

One of the nicest things about Halloween crafting with children is that things are supposed to look a little strange.

A crooked haunted house?

Perfect.

A vampire with one fang?

Even better.

A spider with twelve legs?

Clearly a rare Halloween species.

Crafting together isn’t really about producing something Pinterest-perfect. It gives children the chance to experiment, make decisions and be creative – while giving parents and au pairs an easy activity to enjoy together.

So collect those cardboard boxes, save a few toilet paper rolls and bring out the googly eyes.

Halloween is coming. 👻

What is your favourite Halloween craft to make with children?