I’m not usually much of a Halloween person outside of the usual costume-wearing and trick-or-treating but, this year, I’m excited to go all-in with my kids. I’m leaning into finding joy in the little things, so for this spooky season, I’m doing that with touches of whimsical Halloween decor and matching Halloween pajamas for my kiddos. Though I’m certainly no Martha Stewart, I’m confident even I can tackle some of these fun and easy Halloween crafts and activities with my kids this year, too. If you’re looking for some inspiration to get in the Halloween spirit, read on for 40 fun crafts and activities to do with your little ones.
1. Spooky Spider Soap
Your kids won’t be fighting you to get squeaky clean this Halloween. They’ll be looking forward to using these spider soap bars you helped them make. They’re also an alternative to hand out on Halloween night for the kids who can’t eat candy.
2. No Carve Pumpkin Decorating
Halloween isn’t Halloween unless there are pumpkins. This craft doesn’t require for them to be carved, so your kids of all ages have more of an opportunity to participate. Red Ted Art provides instructions to either make a lollipop monster pumpkin, a yarn wrapped spider web, or a mustache pumpkin. Take your pick or make all three!
3. Party Pinata
Are you having a Halloween party this year? Include your kids in the fun, and have them make their very own pinata. You’ll need some old newspaper, a balloon, masking tape, paint, pencil, string, and don’t forget the halloween treats to fill it with.
4. Halloween Luminaries Activity Kit
A great project for toddlers (recommended for ages 3+), these cute Halloween luminaries are jars decorated with paper squares, stickers, glitter glue, and more craft accessories to bring seasonal characters like bats, Jack-o’-Lanterns, ghosts, and more to life. The best part? This kit comes with everything you need for an easy and fun craft time.
5. Pop Tart Haunted Gingerbread Houses
Gingerbread houses aren’t just for the holidays! Delight your kiddos with this spooky craft that uses pop tarts, candy corn, M&Ms, and more to create a haunted gingerbread house. The best part? This fun activity doubles as a piece of fall decor when you’re done!
6. Halloween Coloring Pages
Sometimes you just need a simple at-home activity for kids—and these free, printable coloring pages provide just that! The collection includes a smiley Jack-o’-Lantern, a friendly witch, spooky ghosts, flying bats, and a funny monster.
7. Paper Gnome
Gnomes are so popular during the holidays. For Halloween, the folklore is that gnomes bring good luck. There’s a free template included with this craft, and it will have your little ones wanting to make more than one. Display them in their room or on a window for all your neighbors to see.
8. Witch Halloween Countdown
Count down the days until October 31st with this fun witch countdown that can be easily crafted using colorful construction paper. Use the included templates to cut out all the pieces needed and have your child help you assemble the witch. Then remove a chain link each day of the month until Halloween arrives!
9. Printable ‘You’ve Been Booed!’ Treat Bags
Use craft time to spread a little Halloween cheer to your neighbors by creating “You’ve Been Booed!” treat bags with this easy printable. Simply fill a Ziploc bag with candy and little goodies, attach the printable bag topper, and drop this off on a neighbor’s front step. The recipient will, hopefully, continue the fun by “Booing” another house and passing it on!
10. Light-Up Haunted House Activity Kit
A craft kit from Everymom editor-favorite brand KiwiCo, this set comes with everything kids need to create their very own light-up haunted house. Not only is the end result a spooky Halloween decoration, but the project teaches science and engineering as kiddos construct a battery-operated house with a ghoulish glowing effect—so cool!
11. Glow Stick Jack-o’-Lantern Jars
A creative way to DIY some decor for your front windows or stoop, these glowing Jack-o’-Lantern jars can be created using just a few supplies: a mason jar (or multiple!), glow sticks, and a glass paint pen.
12. Halloween Playdough Mats (+ Printable)
These free, printable playdough mats can be laminated and used time and time again as little ones decorate a Halloween pumpkin, a witch’s cauldron, and a spooky haunted house with playdough. Simply use store-bought Play-Doh or make your own with a DIY recipe, also linked within the blog post above.
13. Ghost Sun Catcher
This cute craft only requires a few supplies (like construction paper, contact paper, and tissue paper) and can be made in only a few minutes. Have your little one cut out small pieces of tissue paper to practice their scissor skills as they craft their very own ghost friend that can be hung in the window for others to enjoy once it’s complete.
14. Egg Carton Halloween Figurines
This easy craft uses recycled egg cartons to create mini Halloween figurines like a pumpkin, witch, ghost, vampire, and Frankenstein. All you need is a clean egg carton, construction paper, paint, and any other fun additions (like Googly eyes, popsicle sticks, buttons, etc.) to bring these little friends to life!
15. Goblin Garland
Use your creativity to make this goblin garland. Each kiddo can make a unique goblin to add to the mix. Gather all the supplies you have around the house, get a little messy, and hang your work of art on a mantle or somewhere for everyone to see.
16. Halloween Candy Pouches (+ Sewing Tutorial & Printable Pattern)
This felt Halloween sewing tutorial is perfect for kiddos just learning to sew and includes step-by-step instructions on how to easily complete the project. In just about 20 minutes, kids can create a cute candy pouch using felt, pins, a sewing needle, and craft thread. This Gluesticks Blog post also includes a handy DIY video to follow along with, too.
17. Paper Plate Black Cat
Nothing says Halloween like a black cat, and this easy craft can be made with household items like paper plates, paint, Googly eyes, and pom-pom balls. Crafts by Amanda also provides parents with a printable pattern that little ones can use to cut out the cat’s shapes.
18. Halloween Mix and Match Cubes
Provide your kids with an art project they can take on-the-go. Color and decorate the templates of the Halloween characters. Glue the different parts to each block, and you have all the time to mix and match the characters for fun.
19. Pumpkin Slime
This four-ingredient slime is an easy, at-home DIY that’s sure to provide kids with hours of fun. Packaging the slime in these mini mason jars also makes an adorable favor for a children’s Halloween party, if you’re hosting this year. (Editor’s Note: Need help getting slime out of your kiddo’s clothes after playtime? Click here for our hack!)
20. Haunted House Craft (+ Printable Template)
Another free template, this one helps kids create a spooktacular haunted house with paper flap doors to hide Jack-o’-Lantern or ghost friends inside. Let your little ones’ creativity soar with this craft by buying or creating lots of fun Halloween accessories to decorate the house inside and out.
21. Popsicle Stick Catapult
Take some popsicle sticks and make them into a Halloween catapult. This STEM project is fun for all ages. Find some Halloween themed items around the house like a Mellowcreme pumpkin candy, and (carefully) see how far they can fly into the air.
22. Handprint Art
Handprint art is one of my favorite crafts, because you can see how small or big your kids’ hands are as they grow. As the years go by, you can eventually make a garland out of them. The Best Ideas for Kids has a few patterns for you to choose from. You’ll need acrylic paint, cardstock, markers or sharpies, a hand, and your imagination.
23. Halloween Scavenger Hunt (+ Printable)
Print out this spooktacular scavenger hunt list right at home and have your kiddos search for items including pumpkins, a scarecrow, spiderwebs, a spooky tree, and more as you walk through your neighborhood this fall.
24. Glittery Glue Spiderwebs
Have you ever thought about spiders being crafty themselves? Think about all the different patterns they make, and different spiders make different types of webs. Have your kids make their own spider web patterns with some glue and glitter. When you’re done, stick them on a window. Your friends and family will be wondering if they’re store bought.
25. Paper Plate Ghosts
Is there anything better than a paper plate craft for littles? Like the paper plate black cat DIY linked above, kids can create a ghost friend by using a paper plate, streamers, and construction paper in this quick and easy craft.
26. Bubbling Cauldron Activity Kit
Another fun Halloween-themed science experiment for little ones ages 5 and up, this cauldron activity kit comes with citric acid and colored baking soda that bubbles and boils in a chemical reaction. Plus, your child can decorate their own witch and lair to create a spooky scene as they watch the cauldron brew!
27. Plastic Spoon Monsters
These friendly monsters come with their own trick-or-treat bags and can be easily created using things you might already have around your house: plastic spoons, felt, pipe cleaners, paint, and a hot glue gun.
28. Printable Candy Bar Wrappers
These DIY candy bar wrappers are great to use as Halloween party favors, as cute gifts for teachers, coaches, or friends, or to jazz up trick or treat candy on October 31st. Simply print out these free, Happiness Is Homemade pages at home, cut them to size, and wrap them around candy bars (Hershey Bars are a perfect fit!) for a fun craft that kids can help with.
29. Coffee Filter Ghost Lollipops
A twist on the classic Kleenex tissue ghosts craft, this version instead uses coffee filters to create these ghoulish treats. You’ll need rounded lollipops, coffee filters, small rubber bands, ribbon, and a marker for this DIY that little kids will love to help assemble.
30. Paper Halloween Luminaries
This craft includes printable coloring pages that kids can decorate before taping into a cylinder to create a paper luminary. During the day, these are cute and colorful Halloween decor, but at night, kids can light up their designs by placing LED tea lights (or candles with adult supervision) into a glass mason jar and adding their paper lantern on top. These would make great outdoor Halloween night decorations, too, to light up your home’s pathway for trick or treaters!
31. Halloween Ribbon Wreath
A more advanced DIY, this ribbon wreath is a fun family craft that can be used as Halloween decor for years to come. After buying a wreath form at a craft store (or online) and picking out an assortment of pretty, Halloween-themed ribbons, simply wrap the ribbons around the wreath and tie each piece with a knot to create this cute piece of seasonal home decor.
32. Candy Corn Rocks
Paint candy corn-themed Halloween characters on rocks and scatter them around town. Not only is it a craft, but it’s an outdoor activity for you to do with the family.
33. Tabletop Halloween Fairy Garden (Video Tutorial Included!)
This cheap and easy project can be thrown together after a quick trip to Michael’s to pick out your favorite Halloween figurines! Then, display it on your coffee table and even reuse it the following year for some fall decor.
34. Halloween Popsicle Stick Crafts
For this one, kids can choose any character they want—from mummies to pumpkins. Once they’re done, you can hang them up for decoration or put a magnet on the back (instructions included) and plaster them on your fridge.
35. Cauldron Halloween Bath Bombs
Topped with a generous layer of bubble frosting, these Halloween bath bombs will make bath time for your little ones equal parts spooky and magical. They can also be packaged up and given as a gift!
36. Vampire Corner Bookmark
Have a little reader on your hands? These corner bookmarks couldn’t be easier to make and are the perfect spooky addition to your in-home library this season. They can also be a party favor or a Halloween party activity!
37. Frankenstein Luminaries
Luminaries are awesome for Halloween because they can be displayed in your window, adding a spooky glow to the front of your home. For this one, a mason jar is a perfect starting point, especially since the black lid serves as Frankenstein’s hair.
38. DIY Floral Fabric Ghosts
These are perfect for any little kids who love spooky season, but also flowers and the color pink! Of course, you can use any fabric you or your kiddos wants so that they match your decor—not just floral!
39. Printable Paper Dolls for Halloween
These printable coloring pages come with several dolls that can be cut out, plus dozens of accessories and a small pet black cat! If you’re feeling tired and need a low-involvement activity for a rainy day, this craft is the one for you.
40. Pumpkin Cottage
If carving pumpkins is a family tradition for you, then keep reading. These pumpkin cottages take your carving mojo to the next level. You and your kiddos will need to do some digging for the right twigs, pinecones, and other accessories, but the finished product is something to behold. Plus, this craft gets your kids outside!
Related Stories:
- 40+ Cute and Creative Family Halloween Costume Ideas
- 25 Easy and Fun Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for Moms
- 40 Adorable Costumes for Baby’s First Halloween
Jaclyn Voran, Contributing Writer
Jaclyn joined The Everymom team as a Contributing Writer in 2020. She brings a strong editorial background as a freelance writer, including being published in The Atlantic. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Kansas.
Rebecca Smith, Editorial Intern
As editorial intern, Rebecca works with The Everymom team on updating existing content, photo sourcing, pitching original articles, and more. She’s passionate about creating authentic and diverse online content, and is thrilled to help women of all ages feel represented by contributing to The Everymom.
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