6 Simple Halloween Crafts for Kids
Ideas just in time for half-term!
In this blog post, I am rounding up some of our cute and simple Halloween crafts for Kids. All of the activities featured are suitable from age 4, under adult supervision.
Cute and Simple Halloween Crafts: Suggested Materials
Gather the following materials before you start making your simple Halloween crafts. If you don’t have all of these materials to hand, consider alternative resources that you might already have in your craft cupboard or recycling box.
Cardboard
Toilet paper tubes
Egg cartons
Chenille sticks
yarn
pompoms
box of Googly Eyes
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Scissors / craft knife
Pencil
You can read more about suggested art and craft resources to collect here.
6 Cute and Simple Halloween crafts to try with your kids
The whole point of these simple Halloween crafts is to do something creative, yet low-pressure as a family. They don’t have to be perfect of Pinterest worthy!
1. Egg carton spiders
The first of our simple Halloween crafts to try with your children. This particular activity is ideal for a cosy Autumn family afternoon in or as an easy craft to do during the school holidays.
You will need:
an egg carton
chenille sticks / pipe cleaners
non-toxic black paint
googly eyes
glue gun
washi tape
paint markers
Steps:
Prepare Materials: Gather all your craft supplies.
Cut the Egg Carton: Cut the egg carton into individual sections, one for each spider.
Paint the Egg Carton: Coat the egg carton sections with black paint and let them dry.
Create Spider Legs: Cut chenille sticks into eight equal pieces for the spider’s legs.
Attach Legs: Use a glue gun to attach the eight chenille stick legs to the underside of the egg carton, bending the ends to create “feet.”
Add Googly Eyes: Glue googly eyes to the front of the egg carton.
Decorate with Tape or Markers (Optional): Use washi tape or paint markers to add patterns or details.
Let It Dry: Allow the spiders to dry completely.
Display: Use these cute spiders as Halloween decorations in various ways.
2. Baby Zombie
The problem with a lot of Halloween crafts is that they are a little scary for young children. One of the ways we aim to embrace the season (without making it scary) is to lean into cute and simple Halloween crafts.
This baby zombie is one such example – there’s something about giant googly eyes that makes anything cute!
You will need:
cardboard cut into a circle
jumbo sized novelty googly eyes – we bought ours from the Halloween section of a craft store
chenille sticks
glue gun
art marker
craft knife
Steps:
Prepare Materials: Gather your craft supplies.
Cardboard Base: Use the circular cardboard as the zombie’s base.
Attach Googly Eyes: Glue the jumbo-sized googly eyes to the cardboard for the zombie’s eyes.
Craft Zombie Hair: Create hair with chenille sticks attached to the top of the cardboard.
Draw a Mouth: Use an art marker to draw a fun, crooked mouth beneath the eyes.
Add Extra Details: Customize the zombie with features like stitches or scars using the art marker.
Use Craft Knife Safely: If needed, use a craft knife with caution for any cardboard cutting.
Display: Your cute baby zombie craft is ready to display as a whimsical Halloween decoration or craft project.
3. Cardboard Tube Cats
These cute cardboard cats are ideal for a cosy Autumn family afternoon in or as an easy craft to do during the school holidays.
You will need:
toilet paper tubes
black paint
googly eyes
washi tape
chenille sticks
paint markers
glue gun
scissors
Steps:
Prepare Materials: Gather all your crafting supplies.
Paint the Tubes: Apply black paint to the toilet paper tubes. Let them dry.
Cut Tube for Ears: Cut a section from one end of the tube to create cat ears.
Attach Googly Eyes: Use a glue gun to attach googly eyes to the upper part of the tube for the cat’s eyes.
Draw a Face: Use paint markers to draw the cat’s nose, mouth, and whiskers below the eyes.
Create Ears: Bend chenille sticks into ear shapes and attach them to the cut tube ends as the cat’s ears.
Tail and Paws: Cut chenille sticks into smaller pieces to create the cat’s tail and paws. Attach them to the tube.
Washi Tape Collar: Add a collar made of washi tape around the cat’s neck.
Personalize and Decorate: Use paint markers or additional washi tape to add personalized details.
Let It Dry: Ensure all elements are securely attached and allow your Halloween cats to dry completely.
Display: Place your cute Halloween cat decorations around your home to add a festive and spooky touch to your Halloween decor.
4. Rock spider and fly
Who doesn’t end up with a pocket full of rocks after a family walk? Rocks are a great natural resource that can be used for simple Halloween crafts – including this spider and fly idea.
You will need:
rocks
chenille sticks
googly eyes
black paint
glue gun
Steps:
Prepare Materials: Gather all the materials you’ll need for the craft.
Rock Selection: Choose two rocks – one larger for the spider’s body and one smaller for the fly.
Paint the Rocks: Paint both rocks with black paint. Allow them to dry completely.
Spider’s Legs: Cut four chenille sticks into equal parts to create the spider’s legs. Bend the legs into a “V” shape.
Attach Legs: Use a glue gun to attach the bent chenille stick legs to the larger rock (spider’s body) to create its legs. Two legs should be on each side.
Spider’s Eyes: Glue googly eyes to the front of the spider’s body.
Fly’s Wings and Legs: Cut a chenille stick into two equal pieces to create the fly’s wings. Bend them into wing shapes and attach them to the smaller rock (fly’s body) using the glue gun. Cut another chenille stick into small sections and attach these as the fly’s legs.
Fly’s Eyes: Glue googly eyes to the front of the fly’s body.
Let It Dry: Ensure all the elements are securely attached and allow your rock spider and fly to dry completely.
Display: Place your spider and fly rocks as whimsical and spooky decorations on a table top or windowsill.
5. Cute Ghost Mobile
This super easy cute ghost craft is ideal for pre-schoolers and young children alike. All you really need is a few toilet paper rolls and lets be honest, what family doesn’t go through a whole heap of these each week?
Every year, we try to make some seasonal art that will be displayed in the play space. Last year, we made cute mixed media pumpkins from old pizza boxes and this year, we’ve gone for a mobile. These make great (and authentic) artistic additions to the kid’s space.
We recently featured this simple Halloween craft on a separate blog post. You can read all about it here.
6. Mixed Media Pumpkin Collage
We personally prefer our Halloweens on the cute rather than creepy end of the scale – that’s why we loved making this pumpkin collage.
All you need is some cardboard from your recycling box and any orange, black and green craft resources that you might have.
This simple pumpkin collage craft is ideal for pre-schoolers and is a great way to work on developing fine motor skills whilst doing something creative.
You can read more about this craft here.
This post originally featured on my website, thisplayfulhome.com. I am now in the process of transferring all of my work onto Substack. You can read more about the changes here.