31 Halloween Crafts for Children: Easy and Fun (2026)

October is the perfect excuse to get messy, creative, and just a little bit spooky. These halloween crafts for children are designed for real kids: simple supplies, easy steps, and results they will actually be proud to hang on the fridge or take to school.

From classic paper plate ghosts to squishy pumpkin slime, every project below uses supplies you probably already have at home. Pick a few for a rainy afternoon, or turn the whole list into a Halloween party craft station. For another no-carve favorite, these mini pumpkin painting ideas are perfect for little hands.

31 halloween crafts for children

1. Paper plate ghosts

The classic for a reason. Kids paint or cover a paper plate white, draw a spooky-cute face with a black marker, and tape on wavy tissue paper strips for a floating tail. Hang them from the ceiling with string and watch them sway like real ghosts. They look best in a whole flock of different sizes.

2. Toilet paper roll mummies

Save those cardboard tubes. Wrap them in strips of white crepe paper or torn tissue, glue on googly eyes, and you have a tiny mummy army. Let kids leave gaps in the wrapping so the brown tube peeks through like ancient bandages. Line them up on a shelf for a mini museum of mummies.

3. Handprint spiders

Trace little hands on black construction paper, cut out two prints, and overlap them to make eight legs. Add googly eyes and a pipe cleaner smile, then hang the spiders from the ceiling on fishing line. Kids love seeing their own hands turned into something spooky.

4. Popsicle stick Frankenstein monsters

Paint wide popsicle sticks green, then draw on zigzag hair, bolts, and a stitched smile with markers. Glue a few sticks together side by side for a bigger monster face. They make great bookmarks or fridge magnets with a magnet strip on the back.

5. Egg carton bats

Cut an egg carton into three-cup sections, paint them black, and fold the outer cups up into wings. Add googly eyes and tiny fangs cut from white paper. Hang a colony of them upside down from a branch or doorway for instant bat cave vibes.

6. Cotton ball ghosts

Draw a ghost outline on dark paper and let kids fill it in by gluing on cotton balls. It is wonderfully tactile and perfect for toddlers who just want to stick things. Add paper eyes and a mouth, and the fluffy ghost practically floats off the page.

7. Paper bag ghost puppets

Turn a brown or white paper lunch bag into a ghost puppet with paint, markers, and tissue streamers. Kids decorate the flat bottom of the bag as the face, then put on puppet shows once the paint dries. It is a craft and a game in one.

8. Pumpkin slime

Mix orange slime with a little pumpkin spice scent and green glitter “vines” for sensory Halloween fun. Kids can stretch it, poke faces into it, and store it in small jars as party favors. It is the messiest craft on this list, so cover the table first.

9. Coffee filter bats

Flattened coffee filters make perfect bat wings. Paint or color them black or purple, fold one in half, and glue on a small black circle body with googly eyes. They dry fast and look great taped to windows.

10. Pinecone owls

Collect pinecones on a nature walk, then turn them into owls with felt wings, googly eyes, and a tiny orange beak. A dab of glue is all it takes, and each owl comes out with its own personality. They make sweet table decorations for a Halloween dinner.

11. Painted monster rocks

Smooth stones become silly monsters with a coat of bright paint and a face drawn in permanent marker. Hide them around the neighborhood for other kids to find, or keep them as Halloween paperweights. Sealing with clear varnish makes them weatherproof.

12. Q-tip skeletons

Glue cotton swabs onto black paper in the shape of a skeleton: spine, ribs, arms, and legs. Add a white paper skull on top. It is a sneaky-good anatomy lesson disguised as a Halloween craft, and older kids love getting the bones in the right places.

13. Torn paper pumpkin collage

Tear orange construction paper into small pieces and glue them onto a pumpkin outline. Tearing instead of cutting builds fine motor skills, and the textured result looks like a real bumpy pumpkin. Add a green stem and curly vine for the finishing touch.

14. Black cat paper plate craft

Paint a paper plate black, cut triangle ears from the rim of a second plate, and glue them on top. Yellow paper eyes, a pink nose, and pipe cleaner whiskers complete the cat. Cut the plate in half first for a peeking-over-the-fence cat variation.

15. Monster corner bookmarks

Fold a square of paper into a corner bookmark, then decorate it as a monster with teeth, horns, and googly eyes. It slides onto the corner of a book page and looks like it is eating the book. A great craft for young readers heading into spooky story season.

16. Mason jar ghost lanterns

Paint the outside of a mason jar white, add a simple ghost face, and drop in a battery tea light. The glow through the paint is soft and spooky without any real flame. Line a few along the porch steps for a welcoming haunted walkway.

17. Paper chain ghost garland

Cut white paper into strips, loop them into a chain, and draw a ghost face on every few links. Kids can make it as long as they want, which keeps them busy for ages. Drape it across doorways, mantels, or the classroom.

18. Cupcake liner spiders

Flatten black cupcake liners for spider bodies and add eight pipe cleaner legs poking out underneath. Googly eyes on top finish the look. Make a whole web of them on a big sheet of paper with white yarn as the web.

19. Balloon ghosts

Blow up white balloons, draw ghost faces with a marker, and drape white fabric over the top for a floating effect. Hang them from trees or the porch for decorations that dance in the wind. They take about two minutes each.

20. Salt dough Halloween ornaments

Mix flour, salt, and water into dough, cut out pumpkin, ghost, and bat shapes with cookie cutters, and bake until hard. Kids paint them once cool, and you thread ribbon through for hanging. They keep for years if stored dry.

21. Tissue paper pumpkin suncatchers

Stick small squares of orange tissue paper onto clear contact paper inside a pumpkin outline. Hang the finished suncatcher in a window and watch the light shine through. Black paper frames make the colors pop.

22. Spider web paper plate lacing

Cut the center out of a paper plate to make a ring, punch holes around the edge, and let kids lace white yarn across to weave a web. Add a plastic spider in the middle. It is excellent practice for little fingers learning to sew.

23. Felt Halloween masks

Cut mask shapes from craft felt, decorate with glued-on felt shapes, glitter, and sequins, then attach elastic. Kids can be cats, bats, pumpkins, or monsters of their own invention. No sewing needed, and felt is forgiving for beginners. Planning a family costume night? These Halloween costume ideas for guys will get the grown-ups in on the fun too.

24. Cardboard haunted house

Cut windows and a door into a cardboard box, paint it dark purple or black, and add tissue paper “glowing” windows with a tea light inside. Kids furnish it with tiny furniture or toy figures. It is a whole weekend project in one box.

25. Footprint Frankenstein art

Paint the bottom of a foot green, press it onto paper, and turn the print into Frankenstein with marker details once dry. The toes become the hair, the heel the chin. It is messy, hilarious, and makes a keepsake grandparents will love.

26. Accordion-fold paper pumpkins

Fold orange paper strips accordion-style, glue the ends into a circle, and pinch the middle to form a pumpkin. Add a green paper stem and a curly pipe cleaner vine. They look great hanging in clusters from the ceiling.

27. Glow-in-the-dark ghost jars

Paint small jars with glow-in-the-dark paint, add ghost faces, and charge them under a lamp. Turn off the lights and watch them glow. Kids are always amazed the first time, and they double as nightlights.

28. Candy corn painted magnets

Cut triangles from cardboard, paint them in candy corn stripes, and glue a magnet on the back. They take minutes to make and look adorable on the fridge. Seal with clear glue for a glossy candy finish.

29. Witch hat headbands

Cut a cone from black construction paper, decorate with stickers, stars, and an orange band, then attach it to a headband. Kids can wear their craft to the Halloween party. Add a paper buckle for a classic witch look.

30. Bubble wrap spider web prints

Paint black spider web lines onto bubble wrap, press paper on top, and peel to reveal a textured web print. Add a hand-drawn spider once dry. The bumpy texture makes every print one of a kind.

31. Cereal box graveyard diorama

Cut the front off a cereal box and build a tiny graveyard inside with paper tombstones, cotton ball fog, and plastic skeletons. Paint the inside dark blue for a night sky. It is part craft, part storytelling, and kids play with it for days.

Halloween craft tips for kids

• Prep the space first: Cover tables with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth. Every craft on this list is easier when cleanup is planned.
• Choose washable supplies: Washable paint, markers, and glue sticks save clothes, furniture, and your sanity.
• Match the craft to the age: Toddlers do best with sticking and tearing (cotton ball ghosts, torn paper pumpkins), while older kids can handle cutting and lacing.
• Batch the supplies: If you are crafting with a group, pre-cut the fiddly bits so kids spend time creating, not waiting.
• Let imperfection win: A lopsided ghost is funnier than a perfect one. Praise the effort and hang everything up.
• Keep a craft box: Save cardboard tubes, jars, and egg cartons year-round. Halloween crafting is basically free when you reuse.

FAQs

What are easy Halloween crafts for toddlers?

Stick to no-cut crafts: cotton ball ghosts, torn paper pumpkin collages, and handprint spiders. They use simple sticking and painting, need almost no adult help beyond setup, and still look great on display.

How do you keep Halloween crafts low-mess?

Use washable supplies, cover the table, and pick crafts like paper chains, bookmarks, and masks that need no paint. Save the slime and footprint painting for days when you have time to clean up.

What supplies do most Halloween kids crafts need?

Construction paper, washable paint, glue sticks, googly eyes, markers, and scissors cover almost everything on this list. Add paper plates, cardboard tubes, and cotton balls and you are set for the whole month.

Can these crafts work for a classroom Halloween party?

Yes. Paper plate ghosts, monster bookmarks, and spider web lacing are ideal for groups because they are cheap, need little drying time, and every child finishes with something to take home.

Final thoughts

The best halloween crafts for children are not the perfect ones, they are the ones kids actually make themselves, giggling the whole way. Pick a few favorites from this list, gather the supplies, and enjoy a spooky season full of glue sticks, googly eyes, and proud little artists. When the season turns festive, keep the kid-friendly fun going with these Elf on the Shelf arrival ideas.