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The short answer
The best Halloween crafts for kids are quick, cheap and matched to age: handprint pumpkins and sticky spiderwebs for toddlers, bat headbands and toilet paper roll monsters for preschoolers, and puppets or popsicle stick haunted houses for ages 6 to 10. Below are 25 original crafts with ages, time, supplies, cost estimates and steps.
- Toddlers (2 to 3): Big pieces, washable paint, no googly eyes or beads.
- Preschool (3 to 5): Safety scissors, glue sticks and paper plates.
- Ages 6 to 10: Multi-step builds they can play with afterward.
- Teens, adults and seniors: Wearables, decor and low-pressure group crafts.
- Safety: Adults handle knives, glass and glue guns; use battery lights only.
25
Original crafts with steps
6
Age groups, toddlers to seniors
Under 3
Age group to keep small parts away from (CPSC)
Oct 31
Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday
In this article
Halloween crafts for kids are simple art projects, like paper ghosts, painted pumpkins and cardboard monsters, that children make for decoration, costumes or play in the days before October 31. With Halloween 2026 landing on a Saturday, this week is prime time for a craft afternoon.
Unlike giant idea galleries, every craft here lists an age band, time, a cost estimate, a supply list and numbered steps. So you can pick one in under a minute, check that you have the supplies, and start. For costumes, treats and the rest of the season, visit our Halloween hub.
Halloween crafts for kids: quick picks by age
Use this table to pick Halloween crafts for kids in seconds. Every craft below has a full card with supplies and steps, and costs are rough estimates that assume you already own basics like scissors and glue.
| # | Craft | Ages | Time | Cost (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Handprint pumpkin patch | 2 to 4 (adult helps) | 15 minutes plus drying | Under $3, using washable paint and paper you likely have |
| 2 | Sticky-wall spiderweb | 18 months to 3 | 10 minutes to set up, then free play | About $5 for a roll of clear contact paper (estimate) |
| 3 | Paper plate ghost | 2 to 5 | 10 minutes | Under $1 (estimate) |
| 4 | Sponge-stamp jack-o-lanterns | 2 to 4 | 15 minutes plus drying | About $2 for a kitchen sponge (estimate) |
| 5 | Tissue paper suncatcher pumpkin | 2 to 5 | 15 minutes | About $5 for contact paper and tissue (estimate) |
| 6 | Construction paper bat headband | 3 to 6 | 20 minutes | Under $2 (estimate) |
| 7 | Toilet paper roll monsters | 3 to 8 | 20 minutes | Free to $2 (estimate) |
| 8 | Q-tip skeleton | 4 to 7 | 20 minutes | Under $3 (estimate) |
| 9 | Paper chain countdown | 3 to 7 | 15 minutes | Under $1 (estimate) |
| 10 | Coffee filter spiders | 3 to 7 | 20 minutes plus drying | About $3 (estimate) |
| 11 | Popsicle stick haunted house | 6 to 10 | 45 minutes plus drying | About $5 for a pack of craft sticks (estimate) |
| 12 | Paper bag puppet | 5 to 9 | 25 minutes | Under $2 (estimate) |
| 13 | Glow-in-the-dark jar lanterns | 6 to 12 (adult handles glass) | 30 minutes plus drying | About $5 to $8 for tea lights and tissue (estimate) |
| 14 | Yarn-wrapped mummy | 5 to 10 | 25 minutes | Under $2 if you already have yarn (estimate) |
| 15 | Paper pumpkin lantern | 6 to 10 | 20 minutes | Under $1 (estimate) |
| 16 | Pumpkin painting with no carving | 4 to 12 | 30 minutes plus drying | About $5 to $10 for a pumpkin and paint (estimate) |
| 17 | Halloween fabric-marker T-shirt | 10 and up | 45 minutes | About $8 to $15 for markers and a plain shirt (estimate) |
| 18 | Mini clay ghosts and pumpkins | 10 and up | 1 hour plus drying or baking | About $6 to $10 for a small clay pack (estimate) |
| 19 | Halloween photo backdrop | 11 and up | 45 minutes | About $5 to $10 (estimate) |
| 20 | Haunted terrarium jar | 12 and up | 40 minutes | About $10 to $15 (estimate) |
| 21 | Pool noodle candy corn and eyeballs | Adults (teens can help) | 1 hour | About $5 to $10 (estimate) |
| 22 | Apothecary bottle labels | Adults | 45 minutes | Under $5 if you reuse bottles (estimate) |
| 23 | Cheesecloth ghosts | Adults | 30 minutes plus overnight drying | About $10 to $15 (estimate) |
| 24 | Decorate a mini pumpkin with stickers | Seniors, including memory care | 15 to 20 minutes | About $2 to $4 per person (estimate) |
| 25 | Fall leaf and paper wreath | Seniors and mixed-age groups | 30 minutes | About $5 for a group (estimate) |
Pro tip. Short on time this week? The paper plate ghost, paper chain countdown and paper bag puppet each take 25 minutes or less and use supplies most homes already have.
Easy Halloween crafts for toddlers (ages 2 and 3)
The best Halloween crafts for toddlers use big pieces, washable paint and lots of squishing, stamping and sticking. At ages 2 and 3, the process is the craft, so expect a happy mess rather than a perfect pumpkin.
Also, keep every piece bigger than your child’s mouth. In fact, small items such as googly eyes, pom-poms and beads are the main hazard at this age, so the five ideas below skip them or swap in drawn-on details.
1. Handprint pumpkin patch: best keepsake
This one doubles as a dated keepsake for grandparents, and it takes about five minutes of actual toddler time.
- Ages: 2 to 4 (adult helps)
- Time: 15 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): Under $3, using washable paint and paper you likely have
- Supplies: Washable orange and green paint, a paper plate for paint, white or black cardstock, baby wipes
- Pour a thin layer of orange paint on the paper plate.
- Press your child’s palm in the paint, then press it firmly on the cardstock with fingers pointing down.
- Next, add a green fingerprint stem at the wrist end.
- Once it dries, write the child’s name and the year on the back.
2. Sticky-wall spiderweb: best for no-mess play
Contact paper turns a wall or door into a sticky web, so toddlers can press on paper bugs again and again without glue.
- Ages: 18 months to 3
- Time: 10 minutes to set up, then free play
- Cost (estimate): About $5 for a roll of clear contact paper (estimate)
- Supplies: Clear contact paper, painter’s tape, a black marker, large paper shapes (bats, pumpkins, ghosts) cut by an adult
- Tape a square of contact paper to a wall, sticky side out.
- Then draw a simple web on the paper backing before you peel it, or on the wall side with marker.
- Cut shapes at least the size of your palm.
- Finally, let your toddler stick, peel and re-stick the shapes.
3. Paper plate ghost: best five-minute craft
Because it needs only a plate, glue stick and marker, this is the craft to grab when you have one spare minute before dinner.
- Ages: 2 to 5
- Time: 10 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $1 (estimate)
- Supplies: White paper plate, black marker or crayon, cotton balls (adult-supervised) or torn white tissue paper, glue stick
- First, help your child cover the plate with glue stick.
- Then press torn tissue or cotton balls all over for a fluffy ghost.
- Next, draw two big oval eyes and an O-shaped mouth.
- Punch a hole at the top and add a ribbon to hang it.
4. Sponge-stamp jack-o-lanterns: best for fine-motor practice
Toddlers love stamping, and a chunky sponge is easy for small hands to grip.
- Ages: 2 to 4
- Time: 15 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): About $2 for a kitchen sponge (estimate)
- Supplies: A new kitchen sponge cut into a circle, washable orange paint, paper, a black crayon
- Cut a kitchen sponge into a rough circle about 3 inches wide.
- Dip it in orange paint and stamp it on the paper several times.
- After the paint dries, you or your child can draw jack-o-lantern faces with crayon.
- If you like, add green crayon stems to finish.
5. Tissue paper suncatcher pumpkin: best for windows
This toddler-friendly suncatcher glows in the window and needs no glue at all.
- Ages: 2 to 5
- Time: 15 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $5 for contact paper and tissue (estimate)
- Supplies: Clear contact paper, orange and green tissue paper torn into pieces, a black paper pumpkin outline cut by an adult, tape
- Lay a square of contact paper sticky side up and tape the corners to the table.
- Then place the black pumpkin outline on top.
- Next, let your child press torn tissue pieces inside the outline.
- Finally, seal it with a second sheet of contact paper, trim and tape it to a sunny window.
Pro tip. Toddler attention spans are short, so prep every piece before you call your child to the table. Pre-cut shapes, pre-pour paint and keep wipes within reach.
Halloween crafts for preschoolers and kindergarten (ages 3 to 5)
Halloween crafts for preschoolers work best when kids can cut, glue and choose colors themselves. Children at this age can usually handle safety scissors and glue sticks, so give them more control and fewer adult-only steps.
Also, these five ideas suit a kindergarten classroom, since each one uses cheap paper supplies and finishes in about 20 minutes.
6. Construction paper bat headband: best wearable craft
This headband works as a last-minute costume piece, and kids feel proud wearing something they made.
- Ages: 3 to 6
- Time: 20 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $2 (estimate)
- Supplies: Black construction paper, a strip of paper for the band, white crayon or chalk, safety scissors, tape or stapler (adult)
- First, measure a paper strip around your child’s head and tape the ends.
- Then fold a sheet of black paper in half and draw half a bat on the fold.
- Let your child cut along the line and open it up.
- Finally, tape the bat to the front of the band and add white crayon eyes.
7. Toilet paper roll monsters: best recycled craft
Empty cardboard tubes become a whole monster family, and every one turns out different.
- Ages: 3 to 8
- Time: 20 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Free to $2 (estimate)
- Supplies: Empty toilet paper tubes, washable paint or colored paper, glue stick, markers, paper scraps
- Paint each tube or wrap it in colored paper.
- Then cut paper scraps into horns, teeth, arms or hair.
- Next, glue the pieces on and draw one, two or five eyes.
- Line the monsters up on a shelf as a mini display.
8. Q-tip skeleton: best learning craft
Cotton swabs make easy bones, so this craft sneaks in a little body vocabulary.
- Ages: 4 to 7
- Time: 20 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $3 (estimate)
- Supplies: Black construction paper, cotton swabs, white school glue, a white paper circle or oval for the skull, white crayon
- First, glue the paper skull near the top of the black sheet.
- Then lay a cotton swab down the middle for the spine.
- Next, add swabs for arms, ribs and legs, cutting some in half for shorter bones.
- Finally, draw eyes and a smile on the skull with a black marker.
9. Paper chain countdown: best for countdown fun
If you start it early, each link you tear off shows how many days remain until Halloween night.
- Ages: 3 to 7
- Time: 15 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $1 (estimate)
- Supplies: Orange, black and purple construction paper cut into strips, glue stick or tape
- Count the days left until October 31 and cut that many strips.
- Then loop the first strip into a ring and glue it closed.
- Next, thread the following strip through and close it, alternating colors.
- Hang the chain and remove one link each morning.
10. Coffee filter spiders: best color-mixing craft
Marker ink spreads into tie-dye patterns when kids spray it, which feels like a small science experiment.
- Ages: 3 to 7
- Time: 20 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): About $3 (estimate)
- Supplies: White coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle with water, black pipe cleaners, tape
- First, color all over a flat coffee filter with washable markers.
- Then spray it lightly with water and let the colors bleed together.
- After it dries, scrunch the center and wrap a pipe cleaner around it.
- Finally, tape four bent pipe-cleaner legs to each side.
Halloween crafts for kids ages 6 to 10
Halloween crafts for kids in elementary school can include real tools, simple sewing, and multi-step builds. Kids this age like crafts they can actually play with afterward, so several of these become toys or decorations.
So if you search for paper, popsicle stick or toilet paper roll ideas, this section covers all three. In addition, most of these work as Halloween crafts for kids to do at home on a rainy weekend.
11. Popsicle stick haunted house: best building project
Craft sticks glue into a little house that kids can decorate inside and out.
- Ages: 6 to 10
- Time: 45 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): About $5 for a pack of craft sticks (estimate)
- Supplies: Craft sticks, white school glue or low-temp glue gun (adult), black and purple paint, paper scraps, a marker
- First, glue about 10 sticks side by side on two cross sticks to make a wall, then repeat for three more walls.
- Then glue the walls into a box and add two angled panels for a roof.
- Next, paint the house and let it dry.
- Finally, cut paper windows, a door and tiny ghosts to glue on.
12. Paper bag puppet: best for storytelling
A brown lunch bag becomes a monster, black cat or witch, and kids can put on a puppet show right away.
- Ages: 5 to 9
- Time: 25 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $2 (estimate)
- Supplies: Brown paper lunch bags, construction paper, glue stick, markers, scissors
- Lay the bag flat with the folded bottom flap facing up.
- Then glue the face on the flap and a mouth under it, so the mouth moves when your hand opens and closes.
- Next, add ears, hair or a witch hat from paper scraps.
- Finally, write a short scary-silly script with a sibling and perform it.
13. Glow-in-the-dark jar lanterns: best flame-free light
Clean glass jars plus a battery tea light make a safe glowing lantern for the porch or a bedroom shelf.
- Ages: 6 to 12 (adult handles glass)
- Time: 30 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): About $5 to $8 for tea lights and tissue (estimate)
- Supplies: Clean glass jars, orange or green tissue paper, decoupage glue or watered-down white glue, black paper, a battery tea light
- Brush glue on the outside of the jar.
- Then smooth on tissue paper pieces until the jar is covered, and add a final coat of glue.
- After it dries, glue on black paper eyes and a mouth.
- Drop in a battery tea light, never a real candle, for a safer glow.
14. Yarn-wrapped mummy: best quiet-time craft
Wrapping yarn around a cardboard cutout keeps busy hands calm, so it works well in a car or waiting room.
- Ages: 5 to 10
- Time: 25 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $2 if you already have yarn (estimate)
- Supplies: Cardboard from a cereal box, white yarn, tape, two googly eyes or drawn eyes, scissors
- First, cut a gingerbread-person shape from cardboard.
- Then tape the end of the yarn on the back.
- Next, wrap the yarn around the body in every direction, leaving a gap for eyes.
- Finally, tape the end on the back and glue on the eyes.
15. Paper pumpkin lantern: best paper craft
Strips of orange paper bend into a 3D pumpkin that looks great as a table centerpiece.
- Ages: 6 to 10
- Time: 20 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $1 (estimate)
- Supplies: Orange construction paper cut into 8 strips about 1 inch wide, green paper, a brad fastener or stapler, scissors
- Stack the strips and push a brad through both ends of the stack.
- Then fan the strips out so they bow into a ball shape.
- Next, cut a green paper stem and leaf.
- Finally, tuck the stem into the top and add a curled paper vine.
16. Pumpkin painting with no carving: best for younger siblings too
Painting skips knives completely, which pediatricians recommend for younger kids, and painted pumpkins also last longer than carved ones.
- Ages: 4 to 12
- Time: 30 minutes plus drying
- Cost (estimate): About $5 to $10 for a pumpkin and paint (estimate)
- Supplies: A small pumpkin, acrylic or washable paint, brushes, newspaper, markers
- Wipe the pumpkin clean and dry it.
- Then paint a base coat in any color, even white or teal.
- After it dries, add faces, stripes, polka dots or a monster design.
- Finally, set it on a plate so it does not mark the table.
Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises leaving the carving and cutting to adults. Small children can draw faces with markers instead, then help scoop out the pulp and seeds. If you want carved designs too, our pumpkin carving ideas include stencil-style options.
Halloween crafts for teens and tweens
The best Halloween crafts for teens are ones they can wear, use, or post. Teens and 10-to-12-year-olds want real results, so these projects give a grown-up look without expensive tools.
17. Halloween fabric-marker T-shirt: best wearable
Fabric markers or iron-on vinyl let teens design a Halloween shirt for school spirit days or a party.
- Ages: 10 and up
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $8 to $15 for markers and a plain shirt (estimate)
- Supplies: A plain cotton T-shirt, fabric markers or fabric paint, cardboard to slide inside, a printed design to trace
- Wash and dry the shirt first so the ink grips the fibers.
- Then slide cardboard inside so the color does not bleed through.
- Next, trace or freehand a design such as a skeleton hand, bats or a pun.
- Finally, follow the marker label to heat-set it with an iron (adult supervision for younger tweens).
18. Mini clay ghosts and pumpkins: best desk decor
Air-dry or oven-bake clay makes tiny figures for a desk, a phone stand or gifts for friends.
- Ages: 10 and up
- Time: 1 hour plus drying or baking
- Cost (estimate): About $6 to $10 for a small clay pack (estimate)
- Supplies: Air-dry or polymer clay, a toothpick, acrylic paint, a fine brush
- Roll a small ball and shape it into a ghost or pumpkin.
- Then use a toothpick to press in pumpkin ridges or ghost eyes.
- Next, let air-dry clay dry overnight, or bake polymer clay exactly as the package says (adult runs the oven).
- Finally, paint the details and let them dry.
19. Halloween photo backdrop: best for parties and social posts
A paper-bat wall or a streamer curtain gives friends a place to take group photos at a party.
- Ages: 11 and up
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $5 to $10 (estimate)
- Supplies: Black cardstock, a bat template, painter’s tape, black and orange streamers, string lights (optional)
- Trace and cut 20 to 40 bats in three sizes.
- Then fold each bat’s wings slightly so they look like they are flying.
- Next, tape them in a swooping line across a wall with painter’s tape.
- Finally, hang streamers below and add string lights tested by a recognized lab.
20. Haunted terrarium jar: best gift idea
Moss, rocks and a tiny skeleton in a jar make a moody shelf piece that teens can give as gifts.
- Ages: 12 and up
- Time: 40 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $10 to $15 (estimate)
- Supplies: A clear jar with lid, small pebbles, faux or preserved moss, sticks, a tiny plastic skeleton or clay ghost
- Layer pebbles in the bottom of the jar.
- Then add moss and push a few twigs in as dead trees.
- Next, place the skeleton or clay ghost so it peeks through.
- Finally, close the lid and add a handwritten label tied with twine.
Halloween crafts for adults
Halloween crafts for adults lean toward decor, so these three projects make real porch and mantel pieces. Most use dollar-store or recycled supplies, and each one fits a craft night with friends.
21. Pool noodle candy corn and eyeballs: best outdoor decor
Pool noodles are cheap, light and easy to cut, so they become candy corn garland, eyeball wreaths or bones.
- Ages: Adults (teens can help)
- Time: 1 hour
- Cost (estimate): About $5 to $10 (estimate)
- Supplies: Pool noodles in white, orange and yellow, a serrated kitchen knife, acrylic paint, a wreath form, low-temp glue gun
- First, cut the noodle into slices about 1 inch thick.
- Then paint a colored iris and a black pupil on each slice for eyeballs.
- Next, glue the slices to a wreath form, close together.
- Finally, hang it on the door with a ribbon.
22. Apothecary bottle labels: best mantel display
Old jars and bottles become a witch’s potion shelf when you add aged labels and colored water.
- Ages: Adults
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost (estimate): Under $5 if you reuse bottles (estimate)
- Supplies: Clean glass bottles, printer paper, a tea bag, twine, food coloring, a marker
- Write potion names such as Bat Wing Tonic on paper strips.
- Then dab the labels with a damp tea bag to age them and let them dry.
- Next, glue the labels on and fill the bottles with colored water.
- Finally, tie twine around each neck and group them on a shelf.
23. Cheesecloth ghosts: best yard decor
Fabric stiffener turns floaty cheesecloth into freestanding ghosts that glow under a porch light.
- Ages: Adults
- Time: 30 minutes plus overnight drying
- Cost (estimate): About $10 to $15 (estimate)
- Supplies: Cheesecloth, fabric stiffener or watered-down glue, a balloon on a bottle or a foam head, plastic wrap, a battery tea light
- Cover the form with plastic wrap.
- Then soak cheesecloth in stiffener, squeeze it out and drape it over the form.
- After it dries overnight, lift the ghost off and pop the balloon.
- Finally, glue on felt eyes and set a battery light underneath.
In addition, if you are making Halloween crafts for adults to sell at a fall market, check your city or county rules for vendors first, because requirements differ by place. For more porch and yard ideas, see our Halloween decorations ideas.
Halloween crafts for seniors, including people with dementia
Good Halloween crafts for seniors are simple, low-pressure and focused on the conversation, not the result. The Alzheimer’s Association suggests breaking tasks into one step at a time, focusing on enjoyment rather than achievement, and adapting activities to the person’s abilities.
So for memory care groups or a visit with a grandparent, pick crafts with big pieces, familiar motions and no wrong answers. Also, avoid scary imagery if it might upset someone, and choose friendly pumpkins and smiling ghosts instead.
24. Decorate a mini pumpkin with stickers: best low-effort craft
Foam stickers and mini pumpkins give a quick win, and the pumpkin stays on the windowsill as a reminder of the visit.
- Ages: Seniors, including memory care
- Time: 15 to 20 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $2 to $4 per person (estimate)
- Supplies: Mini pumpkins, large foam stickers, washable markers
- Set out one pumpkin and a small choice of stickers, not dozens.
- Then invite the person to place stickers anywhere they like.
- Next, talk about past Halloweens or favorite fall foods while you work.
- Finally, place the pumpkin where they will see it.
25. Fall leaf and paper wreath: best group project
A wreath built from paper or faux leaves lets each person add a piece, so it works well in an activity room.
- Ages: Seniors and mixed-age groups
- Time: 30 minutes
- Cost (estimate): About $5 for a group (estimate)
- Supplies: A paper plate with the center cut out, faux or paper leaves, glue sticks, a ribbon
- Cut the center out of the plate ahead of time.
- Then pass around leaves and glue sticks.
- Next, let each person glue leaves around the ring, overlapping is fine.
- Finally, add a bow and hang it on the room door.
Pro tip. For hand arthritis or low vision, use jumbo markers, glue sticks instead of squeeze bottles, and high-contrast colors like orange on black.
Cheap Halloween crafts from things you already have
The cheapest Halloween crafts use recycling-bin supplies such as cardboard tubes, paper plates, jars and lunch bags. Most of the 25+ ideas above cost under $5 (estimate) when you start with the household items in this table.
| Item you already have | What to make | Craft number |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet paper and paper towel tubes | Monsters, bats, mummy tubes | 7 |
| Paper plates | Ghosts, wreaths, masks | 3, 25 |
| Glass jars | Lanterns, terrariums, potion bottles | 13, 20, 22 |
| Cereal boxes | Mummy cutouts, stencils, haunted house base | 14 |
| Brown lunch bags | Puppets, treat bags | 12 |
| Old white sheets or T-shirts | Ghost garland, mummy wraps | 23 (swap for cheesecloth) |
| Kitchen sponges | Pumpkin stamps | 4 |
If you need to buy basics, three staples cover most of this list: washable kids paint, construction paper and a low-temperature mini glue gun for adults and older kids.
How to run a Halloween craft station at a party or classroom
A Halloween craft station works best with one craft, pre-cut pieces and a clear finish line. In other words, pick a single project from the toddler or preschool sections and prep enough pieces for every child plus a few spares.
Classroom Halloween crafts for kids: setup checklist
- Prep first: Cut shapes and pre-pour paint before guests arrive.
- Pick fast crafts: Choose 10 to 20 minute projects such as the paper plate ghost, bat headband or paper bag puppet.
- Label and dry: Write names on the back right away and set up a drying spot.
- Mind allergies: Skip food-based crafts like pasta or candy art if you do not know every child’s allergies.
- Plan cleanup: Cover tables with newspaper or a plastic cloth and keep wipes nearby.
Then pair the craft table with games and snacks from our Halloween party ideas, and send kids home with a wearable craft before they head out trick-or-treating.
Halloween craft safety: glue guns, small parts and paint
Halloween craft safety comes down to three things: keep small parts away from kids under 3, keep heat tools with adults, and use flameless lights. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, the federal product-safety regulator) bans small parts in toys intended for children under three, and it defines a small part as anything that fits completely in a test cylinder that approximates a young child’s throat.
Small parts and choking hazards
Because toddlers still put things in their mouths, skip googly eyes, beads, buttons, pom-poms and dried beans for kids under 3. Instead, draw eyes with a marker or cut large paper eyes. Also, sweep the floor after a craft session, since dropped pieces often end up with a crawling sibling.
Glue guns and heat tools
Hot glue can cause burns, so adults should run the glue gun for young kids. For tweens, a low-temperature mini glue gun, a silicone mat and close supervision make it safer. Likewise, adults should handle ovens for polymer clay and irons for heat-setting fabric.
Paint, markers and art materials
Choose washable, non-toxic paint and markers for young children. In the U.S., the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act requires art materials to carry a statement of conformance with the ASTM D-4236 labeling standard, so look for that wording and follow any warnings on the label.
Candles and lights
Finally, never put a real candle in a paper, tissue or fabric craft. The CPSC recommends flameless candles, light sticks or flashlights in pumpkins and anywhere children can reach, and it advises using only decorative lights tested by a recognized testing lab.
Watch out. Glass jars, sharp knives and hot tools belong with adults. Pumpkin carving is an adult job; let kids draw the face and scoop the seeds.
Our verdict
For toddlers, start with the handprint pumpkin or the sticky-wall spiderweb, because both skip small parts and finish fast. For preschoolers, the bat headband and toilet paper roll monsters give kids real control. Meanwhile, school-age kids get the most play out of the paper bag puppet and the popsicle stick haunted house.
Overall, the best Halloween crafts for kids are cheap, quick and safe: big pieces for little ones, adults on knives and glue guns, and battery lights in every lantern.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are easy Halloween crafts for kids to do at home?
Easy Halloween crafts for kids to do at home include paper plate ghosts, toilet paper roll monsters, paper bag puppets, a paper chain countdown and painted pumpkins. Each one uses paper, glue sticks, markers or washable paint that most homes already have, and each takes about 10 to 30 minutes. Pre-cut the pieces for younger kids so they can focus on gluing and decorating.
What Halloween crafts can a 2-year-old do?
A 2-year-old can do handprint pumpkins, sponge-stamp jack-o-lanterns, a sticky contact-paper spiderweb and a tissue paper suncatcher. These use big pieces and washable paint, so there is little to choke on. Skip googly eyes, beads and pom-poms, since the CPSC treats small parts as a choking hazard for children under three, and stay at the table the whole time.
What Halloween crafts can you make with toilet paper rolls?
You can turn toilet paper rolls into monsters, bats, mummies, owls and mini jack-o-lanterns. Paint or wrap the tube in colored paper, then glue on paper wings, horns or teeth and draw faces with markers. Wrapping a tube in white yarn or torn paper strips makes a quick mummy. Tubes are free, so this is one of the cheapest crafts for a classroom.
Are googly eyes safe for toddlers?
Googly eyes are not a good choice for toddlers under 3, because they are small enough to fit in a child’s throat and can pop off when glued. The CPSC bans small parts in toys made for children under three for this reason. Draw eyes with a marker or cut large paper eyes instead, and save googly eyes for kids who no longer put things in their mouths.
What are good Halloween crafts for seniors with dementia?
Good Halloween crafts for seniors with dementia are simple, friendly and step-by-step, such as decorating a mini pumpkin with large foam stickers or adding paper leaves to a group wreath. The Alzheimer’s Association suggests focusing on enjoyment over results and adapting to each person’s abilities. Avoid scary images, offer only a few choices and stop if the person seems tired or anxious.
How can I make cheap Halloween crafts?
Start with the recycling bin. Toilet paper tubes, paper plates, cereal boxes, glass jars and brown lunch bags cover most kid crafts, so many projects cost under a few dollars as a rough estimate. Then buy only a few basics, such as washable paint, construction paper and glue sticks, and reuse them for every craft through the season and into Thanksgiving.
