The month of October is a crafter's delight—just take a look at these 10 adorable kid-friendly Halloween crafts as proof! Get inspired by these easy ideas for decorations and activites you can do with the creative kids in your life, such as making glowing latterns, monster wreaths, a countdown clock, and so much more. And when craft time is over, sit down and read one of these spooky, scary chapter books to your kids.
10 Spooktacular Halloween Crafts for Kids
These scary easy crafts for kids will keep your little monsters busy with Halloween decorations, party activities, and quiet play.
1. Glow Stick Lantern
These DIY lanterns will add an ethereal glow to your porch on All Hallow's Eve. You'll just need some empty jars, scissors, and a pack of glow sticks to get started. Parents: For safety's sake, you will want to cut and drain the glow sticks (or at least watch closely if you allow your kids to do it). Kids can shake the jars (with the lid securely fastened) to coat the sides with glow-in-the-dark liquid.
2. Mini Mummy
This doll is simple enough for even the smallest hands to make. All you'll need is 12-gauge-wire (which you can find in the jewelry section of most craft stores), wire cutters and muslin. If your tot is tiny, you may want to shape the wire before letting her wrap it. Once it’s done, your kiddo can bend the mummy any which way.
3. Monster Wreath
One thing is for sure: This Halloween decoration definitely has teeth! It also comes together quickly with colored tulle and a few pieces of Styrofoam. Decorate your monster, then hang it on the door to greet trick-or-treaters.
4. Countdown Calendar
Make the wait for the spookiest time of the year a little more bearable with a surprise for every day of October. This magnetic calendar holds 31 favor tins, each containing a different activity, joke, or treat.
5. Bottle-Top Spiders
Instead of recycling your plastic bottle tops, turn them into spooktacular spiders with pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and tape. It’s cute and creative but simple to do.
6. Owl Apothecary Jars
Add a little pizzazz to your mantelpiece with these adorable jars, or keep them by the door and use them as trick-or-treat bowls. Take empty glass jars and glue on owl figurines to the lids before spray-painting them a seasonal color. Hoo can say no to candy in such cute packaging?
7. Haunting Art
Attach a cutout house (or any other spooky shape) to a canvas and let your child paint to her heart's content. Smaller tots can add stickers or glue on pre-cut bats to make art that's worthy of hanging on the wall.
8. Eye Candy Topiary
Decorate lollipops with tissue paper, card-stock circles, and colored glue to make an eye-mazing centerpiece for your dinner table. Better yet: Take it apart and use as party favors after a monster bash, or hand out to trick-or-treaters.
9. Hocus Pocus Piñatas
The best thing about this craft? It's reusable, so you can bust it out for many Halloween gatherings to come — or tame temper tantrums when more than one child wants to pull the piñata open. It's made from card stock, crepe paper, streamers, and ribbon, and you can customize its size to the size of your party.
10. Jack-o'-Planterns
Take your annual jack-o'-lantern up a notch: Fill it with dirt and compost and then place plants in the carved-out eye, mouth, and crown sections. Anything tall and grassy works well for hair; smaller plants, like succulents, make great eyes.
Halloween Books & Kits
