Spooky season is here, and it’s time to get crafty with the little ghouls and goblins! Whether you’re planning a haunted hangout or just looking for some frighteningly fun activities, we’ve brewed up a cauldron of 28 boo-tiful modern Halloween crafts and activities to keep your little monsters entertained.
Two weeks to Halloween. The grand dream of an heirloom hand-sewn costume has turned into, “What can I make out of this trash bag and glue gun…?” A demon squirrel has eaten the face off of your lovingly-carved jack-o-lantern. The grocery store is OUT OF REESE’S, and the kids are HAUNTING you with demands for ANYTHING Halloween.
Quel nightmare, mon cher!
Well, fret no more – we’ve got you, boo. We’ve bundled up 24 of our own kids’ Halloween crafts, and these treats (+ 1 actual magic trick!) will help you celebrate with a fresh, modern vibe.
We’ve organized our collection by theme, so you can use the links below to jump straight to a specific topic of interest in this article…
Our Favorite Fresh Kids Halloween Crafts, Art Projects, and Activities
All of these instant printables & projects offer scads of flexibility and multiple variations on the theme, so kids (or adults) of ALL ages will be able to partake in the frightfully fun festivities.
Use these ideas for a Halloween countdown or as part of a creative Halloween bucket list.
OoOooo, and you can add to the wicked fun with our Halloween playlist on Spotify (suitable for bats and ghouls of all ages).
General Halloween-Themed Crafts and Activities for Kids
1. A Kids Halloween Book Collection
Pick a read-aloud from our favorite kids Halloween picture books. Looking for the perfect Halloween-themed picture books for kids? Browse this list of over 80 Halloween children’s books about ghosts, witches, monsters, trick-or-treating, and more to get your kids excited for Halloween. Pair these old classics and modern favorites with one of the projects you’ve found here!
2. Halloween Reading Bingo
Give your child’s reading routine a seasonal twist with book bingo for Halloween! Featuring 24 Halloween-themed prompts, it’s a playful way to encourage kids to explore festive books and seasonal favorites all month long.
3. Halloween Countdown Lists
Plan your October with our free printable Halloween countdowns, featuring customizable lists for movies, books, and bucket list activities! With four unique designs, it’s a festive way for parents and kids to enjoy the spooky season together.
4. Halloween Family Movies + Crafts
Find a Halloween-themed family movie & craft to make for every night of October! Find something spooky to stream with our collection of 25 family-friendly Halloween movies, all conveniently paired with a Perfect for dark and stormy nights or a Halloween at home! (Our Edward Scissorhands-inspired art project is one of my favorites for older kids).
5. Black Cat Luminary Paper Bag Craft
Grab brown paper bags to make black cat paper bag luminaries. The glowing eyes of these eerie black cat luminaries light up the night for a flame-free, kid-safe DIY Halloween decoration to remember!
6. Halloween Nature Collages
Conjure up the Halloween spirit with trick-or-treat nature collages. Embrace the magic of October by merging the beauty of nature supplies with the whimsy of Halloween landscapes. This delightful kids collage project invites children to explore the outdoors, gather autumn treasures, and turn them into enchanting Halloween scenes.
7. Halloween-Themed Blind Drawings
Explore the magic of imagination with Halloween blind drawing exercises for kids, inspired by Hilma af Klint’s séance artwork! These creative, sensory-rich activities encourage kids to let loose and embrace spontaneity with spooky scenes, ghosts, and abstract shapes, blending Halloween fun with artistic discovery.
8. A Halloween Coloring Book
Download free printable Halloween coloring pages. Send your fright night entertainment worries back to the dark side with these October-themed mini doodle pages suitable for festive bats and ghouls of all ages.
It’s Halloween made EASY – simply print for a special coloring/drawing activity. The little pages make perfect party favors, classroom activities, and sugar-free treats. You can even turn them into a tiny book with a quick stake (er, hole punch) through the corner and ribbon!
9. DIY Halloween Bingo
Get ready for some spooky fun with this DIY Halloween bingo. It’s perfect for October family game nights, and with lots of versions kids can design (or parents can instantly print), your Halloween party entertainment is sorted.
10. No-Carve Pumpkins
Make a no-carve pumpkin. Save yourself the gooey mess of carving a jack-o-lantern with this collection of unique and fun modern no-carve pumpkins for kids!
11. Easy Kid-Made Halloween Masks
Invite your kids to put together their own costumes this year with the tutorials for our butterfly mask or lion mask. Pair them with a set of paper bag wings or lion-colored joggers for simple kid-made costumes.
12. A DIY Wednesday Addams Doll
Sew a DIY Wednesday Addams doll. If the sarcastic smile and black braids on this CUR-SED DIY doll look familiar, it’s because this softie is an homage to the sardonic star of stage and screen, Ms. Wednesday Addams (snuggle with this one at your own risk, cuddlers). And here’s the best part: it’s half-sewn & half-painted (a Frankenstein of sorts!), so kids can participate too.
Halloween Ghost Crafts for Kids
13. A Recycled Ghost Portrait Craft
Turn an old box into cute cardboard ghost family portraits. Get ready to haunt your walls with a spooktacular family portrait – ghost style! This fun and easy cardboard craft transforms your loved ones into a charming crew of friendly phantoms. These upcycled phantoms make for adorable, not-so-spooky decorations that are sure to get everyone in the spirit of the season.
14. Halloween Ghost Art
Play with mark-making for this paper ghost art project. With so many ways to draw a little ghost, why stop at just one? Stamp them, scratch them out, or scribble one up. Cut them out, erase them, or find one hiding in a charcoal smudge! This exercise in mark-making exploration will have your little ones creating a flock of phantoms with a BOO for you!
15. Easy Mini Sheet Ghosts and Halloween Terrariums
This versatile mini ghost craft is easy for kids and can be used for a bevy of boo-tiful ghost decorations. Visit the tutorial to see how we used ours for little Halloween ghost terrariums and light-up ghosts to add an eerie glow to our October small world play setups.
16. Ecto Cooler!
Revisit a childhood classic and whip up a batch of homemade Ecto Cooler. This healthier recipe is simple to make, but also invites kids to add pizazz to their drink pouches with our dress-up-a-ghost printable.
Kids Monster Crafts and Haunted House Activities
17. Monster Treat Pail Craft
Turn old containers into upcycled monster treat pails. Save a plastic container from the recycling bin and use a little Halloween magic to turn it into a monstrously cute DIY treat pail! The prep for this one is SUPER speedy, so you can spend more time making spectacularly creepy creatures on your pails and less time cleaning up.
18. 2D Haunted Houses
Design your own your own paper haunted house. Use our printable mix-and-match haunted house pieces to build your own EPIC haunted mansion! With bunches of different designs and styles to choose from, your kids will have a monster’s ball crafting the haunted house of their dreams and adding doodled details or artful embellishments.
19. Halloween Drawing Prompts
Use our haunted picture frame drawing prompts for creative Halloween doodling fun. This set of horrifically haunted picture frames is begging to be filled with ghoulish faces, ghostly forms, and ghastly families.
Looking for some wicked inspiration before your kids sit down with a set? This time of year I always revisit my books of sketches & doodles from Edward Gorey, Sir Quinten Blake, Jim Henson, or Tim Burton!
20. Soft Sculpture Creatures
Make DIY soft sculpture creatures with kids. Invite kids to bring creative creatures to life with this soft sculpture art made from recycled plastic bags, brown paper bags, and other household supplies.
Vampire Crafts, Bat Art, and Werewolf Projects for Kids
21. A Vampire Puppet Craft
Put on a Halloween puppet show. DIY your own Dracula puppet to put on a spooky show! These rod puppets are simple enough for kids to make and a fun way to explore the expressive world of puppetry (with templates you can turn into color and design activities for younger puppeteers, too!).
22. Werewolf Family Portraits
Turn torn paper into clever kids werewolf art. Use simple supplies like torn construction paper, a printed photo, and a glue stick for an October art invitation that helps kids turn themselves or family members into werewolves!
23. DIY Bendable Bats
Make a colony of DIY bendable bats. With a piece of wire and some art magic, you can make your own bendy batty buddies with clothespins, magnets, or hung from a string (a great way to scare up some Halloween fun). OR try making your own mini sculptures…we used a couple of sneaky Halloween tricks & treats to create the illusion that our bats have taken flight!
24. Faux Paper Bat Collection
Create a framed faux bat collection. Right this way and welcome, friends, to our mysterious shop of curiosities. Single file, please, as we pass the ghoulish gallery wall of collected bats – from the beautiful to the bizarre! Create your very own artful + creepy collection. With lots of opportunities to make splatters and blots, it’s an art invitation to imagine that will have your littles screaming for more.
Kids Witch Crafts and Magic Spell-Inspired Fun
25. Warlock and Witch Boots Craft
Design witch and warlock boots on a broomstick. Let your littles play Halloween designer with this fun invitation to create! Once they’re done, use supplies from the backyard to make a lovely little broomstick – the perfect vehicle for witches, warlocks, AND displaying high Halloween fashion.
26. A Paint Potions Art Lab
Mix up magical paint potions. Set up a simple art lab to make your own paint potions, explore the magic of household ingredients, and experiment with new painting processes!
27. The Salt Dough Bone Magic Trick
Make a spooky Halloween magic trick.Cursed to stay trapped in a tiny box forever, this misplaced bone wants nothing more than to be reunited with its ghostly owner and does everything it can to steer clear of its matchbox prison.
Visit the post to see the petrifying possession in action and learn the simple, science-based trick behind the magic (free magic box included!) BONUS: These salt dough bones are super fun to make on their own!
28. Enchanted Spider Web Halloween Craft
Craft your own DIY yarn spider web wall-hangings and mobiles. Weave a beautifully tangled web of yarn, fabric scraps, and other materials with this artist-inspired invitation to explore fiber art. With a dash of October style, a sprinkle of art history, and plenty of creative opportunity, this project is sure to cast its spell on you.
Halloween Pumpkin Crafts for Kids
29. Pumpkin Playdough Halloween Sensory Play
Make playdough pumpkins (with pop-In jack-o-lantern features!). It’s Mr. Potato Head meets Halloween with this clever little playdough pumpkin activity. By adding some super simple straw knobs to DIY mix-and-match cardboard features, you can create your playdough jack-o-lanterns!
Good for tons of re-arrangeable toddler fall fun, you can find more ideas in our collection of over 31 easy Halloween sensory play activities.
30. A Jack-O-Lantern Shape Sorter
Recycle a box into a cardboard jack-o-lantern shape sorter. This adorable grinning gourd is a clever DIY shape sorter you can make from a couple of boxes. And once you’re done playing, use a flameless tea light to turn this into a mess-free, forever-fresh jack-o-lantern by night.
31. Cardboard Pumpkins for Face-Making
Turn a cereal box into a jack-o-lantern activity for preschoolers. Give fine motor skill practice a Halloween makeover with this cute set of cardboard pumpkins + cereal box features. Add a few velcro dots, and you have a jack-o-lantern building activity your little ones can use again and again!
32. Kids Pumpkin Art
Make stamped pumpkin art using produce! Grow a festive pumpkin patch of artwork with these fruit and veggie-stamped prints! This lovely project encourages kids to try a fun printing process and explore supplies for mark-making.
Even More Kids Halloween Fun
So now you have a list of kids’ Halloween crafts and art projects a mile long…but how about a costume? We got you.
Use household supplies to make a quick costume with these 30 ideas for a DIY costume your kids can help with! They all use supplies you most likely have around the house, so dive and embrace the spirit of dress-up!
Enjoy this Halloween with your little bats, ghouls, and goblins, friends. We hope this collection of ideas makes it a monstrously memorable, hair-raising good time!
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I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
