Fall is in the air, and before you know it, Halloween will come creeping up on us. To help you capture the spirit, we’ve compiled 65 fun and easy Halloween crafts for kids. From sweet and simple to wild and creative, there’s a little something for kids of all ages.
1. Pistachio Shell Pumpkin
This sweet little pumpkin is simply painted pistachio shells glued onto paper and filled in with orange marker or paint. Fun for a combo art/snack activity?
2. Bean Ghost Family
Ah, dried beans—the inspiration for so many adorable crafts. For this one, simply draw ghost outlines on black paper, then glue down beans to fill in the designs.
3. Pasta Spiders
Not so creepy … more like cheerful! These little pasta spiders are no more than a jumbo shell body, eight skinny macaroni noodle legs, a pom-pom head, and googly eyes.
4. Haunted House
If you’re looking for Halloween crafts that incorporate math concepts, try this idea. As your students put together the components of this adorable peekaboo not-so-haunted house, they’ll also learn about shapes.
5. Fingerprint Ghosts
An easy sensory activity for little ones, even toddlers. Black construction paper, white paint, little fingers, googly eyes, and a marker and you’re all set.
7. Handprint Spiders
Another classic activity your little ones will love. Simply have students paint their palm and four fingers (not thumb) and press them to white paper and repeat on the other side. Add googly eyes and a little smile and you’ve got an adorable little arachnid.
8. Paper Bag Ghost
Fun and easy! Ask for donations of paper bags ahead of time. Then paint, scissors, markers, and you’re good to go. Get creative and try other variations like Frankenstein, pumpkins, black cats, etc.
9. Cheesecloth Ghost
This is a really cool craft for kids who are a little bit older. Blow up a balloon (or use a Styrofoam ball), dip cheesecloth in a 2:1 glue and water mixture, then drape over the balloon and allow to dry. Once it’s dry, add eyes and a mouth. Hang at your front door to welcome trick-or-treaters.
10. Paper Fan Pumpkin
Such a charming little Halloween decoration and so simple to make. Fold a piece of orange construction paper into a fan, pinch the middle, and secure the ends together. Add black construction paper eyes, nose, and mouth and a green construction paper stem.
11. Spooky Bottles
A fun Halloween craft using recycled materials. Fill clean, dry plastic bottles (labels removed) with white pom-poms for the ghost. Use orange pom-poms (plus a few green ones at the top for the stem) for the pumpkin. Then, using a black Sharpie, fill in the details.
13. Nature-Inspired Spiders
Check out #39 on this list for instructions on making pinecone spiders. Then create a home for them with stick branches woven with string.
14. Paper Plate Puppet Show
It was a dark and stormy night. … Make your own little Halloween puppet show with simply two paper plates, paint, construction paper, glue, and a craft stick.
Get the tutorial: Paper Plate Puppets
15. Paper Strip Spider
A fun activity that also strengthens fine motor skills. Have students cut thin strips of colored paper—six for the body and eight for the legs. Glue the six strips to form a ball, then attach the eight strips as the legs. Add eyes and your spider is ready to spin!
16. Flower Ghost
A fresh spin on the Halloween ghost. Cut the outline of a floating ghost out of a piece of recycled cardboard. Then, stick flower petals (or leaves, or moss, etc.) between two sheets of clear contact paper and adhere it to the back of the cardboard.
17. Paper Roll Frankenstein
Even the littlest crafters can put together this funny Frankenstein. All you need is a toilet paper roll, scissors (to fringe the hair on top), stick-on googly eyes, a couple of golf tees, and markers. If you’re looking for Halloween crafts for kids that incorporate recycled materials, try this one.
19. Monster Wreath
What a fun sensory activity to do with kids! Provide a large supply of pom-poms in different sizes and colors and wreath forms cut out of cardboard. Have students cover one portion of the circle at a time and arrange pom-poms of their choice to cover the cardboard. Continue until the whole wreath is covered and let it dry. Finally, add a few googly eyes.
20. Pasta Halloween Necklaces
These adorable little Halloween beads made from painted pasta make the best Halloween necklaces when they’re strung together. This would be a really fun buddy activity. The older kids could draw the faces and the younger kids could string the beads.
21. Cotton Ball Ghosts
A preschool classic: cotton balls stretched out and glued onto a ghostly shape. Spooky but not too spooky!
22. Lite Brite–Like Pumpkins
Remember Lite Brites? Hours spent poking colorful pegs into little holes. This craft is along the same lines. Colorful pony beads are poked into holes in baby pumpkins. This one requires an adult helper to punch the holes to create the design.
23. Halloween Paper Garlands
Here’s a fun and easy way to make Halloween decorations. Fold wide strips of paper in a back-and-forth fashion, then cut out the shape desired. Unfold and use pencils to give each little ghost or black cat their own personality.
24. Paper Roll Monsters
There are endless variations on ways to create these adorable Halloween creatures. Set out toilet paper rolls and craft supplies and let your students create their own version.
Learn more: Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Characters
25. Paper Cup Halloween Creatures
Pumpkins and witches and spiders, oh my! Painted paper cups transformed into all kinds of Halloween friends.
Get the tutorial: Paper Cup Halloween Characters
26. Flying Dragon
To begin, make a spiral cut on a paper plate, making the coils smaller and smaller. Add paper wings, a toilet paper roll head, pom-pom eyes and nostrils, and paper ears and tongue. Hang your students’ creations from the ceiling for a festive Halloween look.
27. Room on the Broom Witch
These little witches are fashioned after the character from the book Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. And all you need is construction paper, scissors, glue, and pencils. If you’re looking for simple Halloween crafts for kids, this hits the mark.
28. Beaded Spider
Hama beads are small, hollow plastic beads that melt together when heated. To create the design shown, use pegboard no. 329 or 276, Hama connectors 4902, some black pipe cleaners, and Hama bead numbers 18, 21, and 60.
29. Paper Plate Spider
Who could be afraid of this fun little fellow? Students will glue black construction paper squares onto a paper plate. Then they will fold black strips of paper to form the legs and glue them on. Finally, add googly eyes and a smile.
30. Handprint Castle
Turn handprints into (not so) spooky Halloween castles with this fun activity.
31. Paper Roll Bat
This sweet little guy would look adorable on a Halloween buffet table. For the body, flatten a paper roll, then cut out the shape of the bat’s body, being sure to keep the roll attached at the top and bottom points. Using another paper roll or brown paper, cut out the wings and attach. Then embellish with your own designs.
32. Paper Plate Witch
Is there no end to the adorable crafts you can make with paper plates? This one uses a paper plate painted green for the face, and a black hat cut from construction paper with holes punched out at the bottom. Orange yarn strung through the holes create the hair.
33. Tissue Paper Frankenstein
So simple and so cute! Black and green tissue paper squares are crumpled and glued to a Frankenstein-shaped outline. Then, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and bolts are added to finish it up.
34. Leaf Garland
Halloween crafts for kids that double as decor? Yes, please! Take a nature walk with your students and collect fall leaves. Paint a few black or white and add googly eyes. Then string a group of leaves together to form a whimsical garland.
35. Gluey Spiderwebs
Use a bottle of school glue to draw the web and spider on black paper. Cover the glue with salt and shake off the excess. Dab watercolor paint on top. Watch how the paint slithers along as it soaks in.
36. Cheery Pumpkins
Here are two fun and easy ways to create pumpkin decorations for your classroom. For the first, cut a circle out of a paper bag and have students glue orange squares of different shades to cover. Add a green stem, googly eyes, and a pipe cleaner mouth. For the other, attach orange cellophane to a cut-out pumpkin shape and add a stem and eyes. This one can be hung on a window as a suncatcher.
37. Nature Bats
Collect nature items such as sticks, bark, and leaves. Then let your students use their imaginations to create bats with the materials.
38. Baby Groot
Another fun nature craft. Cut out the shape for Groot’s head from a scrap of cardboard. Glue moss along the top edge for hair. Then add dried flower sprigs for his branches. Add cardboard eyebrows and eyes and draw in a happy smile.
39. Pinecone Spiders
Wrap four pipe cleaners around a round pinecone to create the spider legs for this craft. You may need to adjust the length with a pair of scissors. Then, if you’d like, add small googly eyes. (Did you know that most species of spiders have eight eyes? Some species have six, and most ground-dwelling spiders have no eyes!) Attach a string if you’d like to hang your spiders from the ceiling.
40. Handprint Mummies
What a cute little Halloween memento. Children trace their hand on a piece of colored paper and cut it out to create the body. Then, crisscross white washi tape to create the mummy’s bandages. Add eyes and a smile.
41. Tassel Ghosts
Yarn ghosts are so simple to make. One easy way to teach your students is to have them hold their non-dominant hand out stiffly and wrap yarn loosely around 15 to 25 times. Carefully remove the loop of yarn and tie off the top quarter with a small piece of yarn to create the ghost head. Insert scissors into the bottom half of the yarn loop and snip to create the body. Lace a longer piece of yarn through the head to create the hanger. If you would prefer, students can wrap yarn around a rectangle of cardboard.
42. Bean Mosaic Ghosts
For this ghostly craft, have students glue large white dried beans to a cardboard cutout of a ghost. Once the glue dries, add three black beans for the eyes and mouth. Securely tape a dowel to the back if you wish to turn them into puppets. Add ribbons.
43. Apple Stamp Pumpkin
Apple stamping is an age-old way of creating designs. Simply cut an apple in half vertically, then dip the white surface into paint and press onto paper. Once the pumpkin shapes dry, students can personalize them with markers.
44. Painted Leaf Ghosts
Origami is such a fun skill for kids to learn. There are endless possibilities once you get the hang of it. Check the link below for step-by-step directions to create these fun little ghosts.
Get the tutorial: Easy Origami Ghost Craft for Kids
45. Capsicum Ghosts
Who says you have to have pumpkins to make jack-o’-lanterns? Try these fun mini versions with bell peppers.
46. Modeling Clay Monsters
Kids love playing with clay, and once they tap into their imaginations, the sky is the limit with this Halloween craft. Give each student a lump of clay. Set out various art supplies like colored pasta, feathers, and pipe cleaners and see what they come up with.
47. Paper Luminaries
This activity couldn’t be simpler. Give each student an orange piece of paper (not construction paper—it’s too thick), a black marker, and a pack of crayons and let them create any Halloween design they’d like. When they are done, roll the paper into a cylinder and tape it. Place over a mason jar with a tea light inside and watch it glow!
48. Nature Skeletons
Take your kids out for a nature walk and have them gather small stones and small sticks and leaves. When you get back to the classroom, show them how to assemble their finds into a jaunty skeleton. Finally, have them use a marker to make a face.
49. Stone Spiders
Paint a small, smooth stone black. Once it’s dry, add whatever designs you’d like—stripes, spots, etc. Add googly eyes and a smile. Glue or tape four pipe cleaners to the bottom of the rock and bend them up to form eight spider legs.
50. Bat Planters
What a fun way to hang your favorite greenery in the classroom! Cut the top off of a two-liter plastic bottle and paint it black. Tape on black construction paper bat wings and paint a face on the bottle. Puncture four holes at even distances around the rim of the bottle and add string to serve as the hanger. Finally, add your favorite plant.
51. Autumn Toadstools
These sweet little toadstools can be used as decorations at Halloween or any time. The base is made from a paper towel roll and the tops are card stock circles. Simply cut a slit from one edge to the center of the circle and overlap the paper until the mushroom cap is formed. Paint and decorate any way you’d like.
52. Egg Carton Figures
Collect egg cartons from your students’ families. Cut each carton into individual cups. Using paint and other classroom art supplies, create one or more of the characters shown in the image.
Learn more: Egg Carton Halloween Crafts
53. Paper Roll Mummies
Looking for more Halloween crafts for kids that incorporate recycled materials? This is a very simple craft for younger students that helps them build hand coordination. Simply take cotton string and wrap it around a paper roll until it is mostly covered. Add googly eyes and you’ve got yourself a mini mummy!
55. Owl Pumpkin
Let kids create these owl pumpkin crafts this Halloween for a fun twist on traditional pumpkin decorating. Paint a small pumpkin black. Once it’s dry, add eyes and a beak and painted lines that look like chest feathers. Add paper wings or feathers.
56. Craft Stick Puzzles
Create simple puzzles with craft sticks decorated with a Halloween theme. Show kids a few samples, then let them choose their favorite.
57. Scratch Art Spiderweb
There’s something magical about drawing on a black piece of paper to reveal a rainbow of colors hiding underneath! Have students completely color the inner circle of a paper plate with crayons. Be sure to use a number of different colors. Then, paint over the design with black acrylic paint. Once the paint dries, have students use a wooden skewer to scratch a spiderweb design, revealing the colors underneath.
58. Tissue Paper Mosaic Pumpkins
This mosaic pumpkin craft is so charming because of the different textures and patterns of the paper used. Cut squares of tissue paper, construction paper, and colored paper. Use different shades of orange and different patterns. Then, allow kids to create their own faces from black construction paper. Each one will turn out with its own personality.
59. Colorful Monsters
Eye and mouth cut-outs on bright colorful backgrounds create creepy little monsters. To create the backgrounds, have students use different-color markers to fill in the page. Then, using a dropper, wet the design and watch the colors run together. Once the design dries, add the details.
60. Bat Suncatcher
Splotches of paint fill in the cellophane portions of this bat suncatcher made from clear contact paper.
Learn more: Bat Suncatcher
61. Handprint Haunted House
Kids love Halloween handprint crafts! Here’s another cute way to incorporate handprints into art. Have students paint their hand purple and stamp it on paper. Then, using a black marker, fill in the details.
62. Egg Carton Bat
These spooky little bats are so easy to construct. Just cut a three-cup section from an egg carton. Have students paint it black, and once it dries, add googly eyes and fangs. Connect a string for hanging through the top.
63. Witch Craft
Kids will love these adorable Halloween crafts. First prepare a template from cardboard for one circle and one triangle for each group to trace. Lay out a selection of different papers, yarns, and accessories for students to choose from. Then let students use their imaginations to create their own princess witches.
64. Leaf Print Ghosts
Your students will love these easy-to-make owlets. Using different-colored cupcake liners, simply fold two sides in to form a point, then fold the point down. Add a triangle beak and two googly eyes, then embellish the belly and wings, and you’re all set!
65. Paper Plate Zombies
All you need to make these creepy zombies are paper plates, paint, construction paper, glue, and markers. To make them look even creepier, add lines for the brain coming out the top.