40 Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids

Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids

Halloween crafts are such a fun way to celebrate the season without needing anything too fancy. A little paper, paint, glue, and imagination can go a long way!

I rounded up some of the cutest and easiest Halloween craft ideas for kids, including toddler-friendly crafts, preschool Halloween crafts, printable-style ideas, and low-mess options for busy parents.

Halloween Craft Supplies to Have on Hand

Before jumping into the crafts, it helps to have a small stash of supplies ready to go. You definitely do not need everything on this list, but these are great basics for Halloween crafting:

• Construction paper
• Paper plates
• Toilet paper rolls
• Glue sticks
• Washable paint
• Kid-safe scissors
• Googly eyes
• Pipe cleaners
• Cotton balls
• Popsicle sticks
• Yarn
• Black marker
• Orange, black, white, green, and purple paper
• Stickers
• Tissue paper
• Pom poms
• Paper bags
• Coffee filters

A little tip: I like keeping seasonal craft supplies in a small bin so they are easy to grab whenever the kids want to make something festive. If you love quick, ready-to-go activities, you may also want to check out my Halloween printables for coloring pages, pumpkin templates, tags, and other easy seasonal ideas.

1. Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

This paper plate pumpkin craft is one of the easiest Halloween crafts for kids. Have your child paint a paper plate orange, then add a green paper stem and a cute jack-o'-lantern face.

You can make the face silly, sweet, or a little spooky depending on your child's age.

2. Cotton Ball Ghosts

Cotton ball ghosts are soft, simple, and perfect for younger kids. Cut out a ghost shape from white paper, then let your child glue cotton balls all over it.

Add two black paper eyes or draw on a little face with a marker.

3. Toilet Paper Roll Bats

Save those empty toilet paper rolls for this cute Halloween bat craft. Paint the roll black, add paper wings, and glue on googly eyes.

These little bats look adorable lined up on a shelf or hanging from string. For more bat-inspired decorating ideas, take a peek at these Halloween bat decoration ideas too.

4. Popsicle Stick Haunted House

Use popsicle sticks to create a mini haunted house. Kids can paint the sticks black, purple, gray, or brown, then decorate with paper windows, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins.

This is a great craft for older kids who enjoy building and decorating.

5. Paper Bag Monster Puppets

Paper bag puppets are always a hit. Use paper bags, construction paper, googly eyes, yarn, and markers to make funny Halloween monsters.

The best part is that kids can play with them after they are done crafting.

6. Handprint Spiders

This sweet handprint spider craft makes a cute keepsake. Paint your child's hand black and press it onto paper, then repeat with the other hand overlapping to create eight spider legs. Add googly eyes and a little smile to keep it cute.

7. Paper Plate Witch Face

Turn a paper plate into a friendly witch face using green paint, yarn hair, a paper hat, and googly eyes.

Kids can customize their witches with bows, stars, stickers, or silly expressions.

8. Coffee Filter Bats

Coffee filters make beautiful bat wings. Have kids color coffee filters with washable markers, lightly mist them with water, and let them dry. Once dry, attach the wings to a black paper bat body.

9. Pumpkin Sun Catchers

Make a pumpkin sun catcher using orange tissue paper and clear contact paper. Cut out a pumpkin outline from black construction paper, then fill the middle with tissue paper squares.

Hang it in a sunny window for a pretty Halloween decoration.

10. Paper Cup Ghosts

Flip a white paper cup upside down and turn it into a little ghost. Add a face with marker, then glue on strips of white tissue paper or streamers underneath.

These are so cute for decorating a Halloween party table. If you are planning a little Halloween party for kids, these Halloween banana ghosts would be such a fun and easy snack to serve with the crafts.

11. Torn Paper Candy Corn Craft

This is a great fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers. Draw or print a candy corn outline, then let kids glue torn pieces of yellow, orange, and white paper inside.

It is simple, colorful, and low-prep.

12. Egg Carton Spiders

Cut apart an egg carton and paint each section black. Add pipe cleaner legs and googly eyes to make tiny spiders.

Kids can make a whole family of spiders in different sizes and colors.

13. Paper Chain Halloween Garland

Make a Halloween paper chain using strips of orange, black, white, green, and purple paper. Kids can link the strips together with glue or tape. This is an easy Halloween decoration for mantels, doorways, or classroom walls.

14. Q-Tip Skeleton Craft

Use cotton swabs to create a simple skeleton on black paper. Glue the q-tips into a body shape and add a paper skull. This is a fun craft for older kids and a cute way to talk about bones in a very light, kid-friendly way.

15. Leaf Ghosts

Collect fall leaves from outside and paint them white. Once dry, add little ghost faces with a black marker. This Halloween craft is simple, seasonal, and perfect for a fall nature walk.

16. Pumpkin Paper Lanterns

Make a simple pumpkin lantern using orange paper. Cut strips into the paper, roll it into a cylinder, and add a green handle. For a safe glow, place a battery-operated tea light nearby or inside with adult supervision. For more pumpkin fun, you can also print these free printable pumpkin carving stencils for a classic Halloween activity.

17. Black Cat Paper Craft

Cut out a black cat body, tail, ears, and whiskers from construction paper. Add big eyes and a little pink nose. This is an easy Halloween craft that works well for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

18. Ghost Footprint Keepsake

Paint the bottom of your child's foot white and press it onto black paper. Once it dries, turn the footprint into a ghost by adding eyes and a mouth. This makes such a sweet Halloween keepsake for parents or grandparents.

19. Puffy Paint Pumpkins

Mix shaving cream with orange paint and a little glue to create puffy paint. Kids can use it to decorate pumpkin shapes. Once dry, the pumpkins have a fun, fluffy texture.

20. Paper Plate Spider Web

Cut small notches around the edge of a paper plate, then let kids wrap yarn across the plate to create a spider web. Add a little paper or pom pom spider to finish it off.

Halloween Crafts for Toddlers

These Halloween crafts for toddlers are simple, hands-on, and easy to adjust depending on your child's age. Keep the pieces larger, use washable supplies, and let the craft be more about the process than the finished product.

21. Sticker Pumpkin Craft

Cut out a large pumpkin shape and let your toddler decorate it with Halloween stickers. This is a great low-mess Halloween craft for little hands.

22. Sponge Painted Pumpkins

Cut a sponge into a simple shape or use a regular sponge to stamp orange paint onto paper. Toddlers love the stamping motion, and every pumpkin turns out unique.

23. Cotton Ball Spider Web

Draw a spider web on paper and let toddlers glue cotton balls along the lines. You can add a paper spider or a few googly eyes for extra fun.

24. Paper Plate Ghost

Give your toddler a white paper plate and let them add a ghost face with stickers, paper shapes, or washable markers. Glue tissue paper strips to the bottom for a floating ghost look.

25. Pom Pom Pumpkin Painting

Clip a pom pom with a clothespin and let toddlers dip it into orange paint to stamp pumpkins.

This is a fun alternative to brushes and helps keep little hands a bit cleaner.

26. Halloween Sticker Scene

Give your toddler a piece of black or orange paper and a sheet of Halloween stickers.

They can create their own little Halloween scene with pumpkins, ghosts, bats, cats, and stars.

27. Tissue Paper Candy Corn

Cut out a candy corn shape and let toddlers glue on yellow, orange, and white tissue paper. Do not worry about perfect sections - the colorful, crinkly texture is what makes it cute.

28. Pumpkin Face Match

Cut out different pumpkin eyes, noses, and mouths from black paper. Let your toddler glue the pieces onto orange pumpkins to create funny faces. This is a great craft for practicing shapes and facial features.

Halloween Crafts for Preschoolers

Preschoolers love crafts that let them cut, glue, paint, and use their imaginations. These preschool Halloween crafts are still simple, but they give kids a little more room to create.

29. Shape Witch Craft

Use basic shapes to make a witch: a circle face, triangle hat, rectangle hair, and oval eyes. This is a great craft for practicing shapes while making something festive.

30. Paper Strip Pumpkins

Cut orange paper into strips and help kids glue the ends together to create a round pumpkin shape. Add a green stem and curly paper vine on top.

31. Monster Name Craft

Write your child's name in large letters, then let them turn each letter into a silly monster. They can add eyes, teeth, arms, horns, spots, or hair.

32. Popsicle Stick Spider Web

Glue popsicle sticks together in a star shape, then wrap yarn around them to create a spider web.

Add a tiny spider made from a pom pom or paper circle.

33. Paper Roll Mummy

Wrap an empty toilet paper roll with strips of white paper or gauze. Add googly eyes peeking out from the wrap.

This mummy craft is cute, easy, and not too spooky.

34. Witch Hat Decorating

Cut out a large witch hat from black paper and let preschoolers decorate it with stickers, stars, glitter glue, or paper shapes.

This one is perfect for a classroom Halloween craft. And if you want a sweet treat to match the theme, these Halloween witch hat cupcakes would be adorable for a classroom party or Halloween playdate.

35. Pumpkin Patch Collage

Have kids create a pumpkin patch scene with orange paper pumpkins, green vines, brown stems, and a blue or black background.

They can add stars, a moon, bats, or a little fence.

36. Friendly Monster Plates

Paint paper plates in fun monster colors like green, purple, orange, and blue. Add paper teeth, horns, hair, and lots of eyes. These friendly monsters are cute, silly, and perfect for Halloween.

Low-Mess Halloween Crafts for Kids

Sometimes you want a cute Halloween activity without paint everywhere. These low-mess Halloween crafts are perfect for busy afternoons, classrooms, or days when you want easy cleanup.

37. Halloween Coloring Crowns

Make simple Halloween crowns from strips of paper and printable-style shapes like pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and stars. Kids can color the shapes, glue them onto the crown, and wear them all day.

38. Paper Pumpkin Faces

Cut out orange pumpkins and a variety of black paper face pieces. Kids can mix and match the pieces to create different jack-o'-lantern expressions. This is a great no-paint option.

39. Halloween Bookmark Craft

Cut cardstock into bookmark shapes and let kids decorate them with pumpkins, cats, ghosts, bats, and Halloween stickers. These are especially cute for classroom favors or October reading activities. You could also tuck one of these Halloween lunchbox notes for kids into their lunch for an extra festive October surprise.

40. Halloween Paper Wreath

Cut out a large paper wreath base and let kids glue on paper pumpkins, ghosts, bats, leaves, and stars. Hang it on a bedroom door, classroom wall, or playroom shelf for a festive touch. For a grown-up version to hang on your front door, I also have a full round-up of DIY Halloween wreath ideas.

Tips for Making Halloween Crafts with Kids

• Keep it simple. Kids do not need complicated projects to have fun. A few basic supplies and a little imagination are usually more than enough.
• Prep the pieces ahead of time for younger kids. If you are crafting with toddlers or preschoolers, it helps to pre-cut shapes so they can focus on gluing, painting, and decorating.
• Use washable supplies whenever possible. Halloween crafts should be fun, not stressful, so washable paint, washable markers, and glue sticks are always helpful.
• Let go of perfection. The cutest kid crafts are usually the ones that look handmade. Crooked eyes, extra glue, and silly faces are all part of the charm.
• Create a little display area. Kids love seeing their artwork hung up. A mantel, fridge, bulletin board, or simple string with clothespins can turn their Halloween crafts into seasonal decor.

Easy Halloween Craft Ideas by Age

Best Halloween Crafts for Toddlers

For toddlers, I would keep things super simple and focus on stickers, stamping, tissue paper, cotton balls, and large paper shapes.

Great toddler-friendly options include:

• Sticker pumpkin craft
• Sponge painted pumpkins
• Paper plate ghost
• Tissue paper candy corn
• Pom pom pumpkin painting

Best Halloween Crafts for Preschoolers

Preschoolers usually enjoy crafts with a few more steps, especially if they can cut, glue, paint, and decorate.

Great preschool Halloween crafts include:

• Shape witch craft
• Paper roll mummy
• Paper plate spider web
• Monster name craft
• Pumpkin patch collage

Best Halloween Crafts for Older Kids

Older kids may enjoy Halloween crafts that feel a little more detailed or decorative.

Great options for older kids include:

• Popsicle stick haunted house
• Q-tip skeleton craft
• Pumpkin paper lanterns
• Halloween paper wreath
• Popsicle stick spider web

Frequently Asked Questions

More Halloween Ideas for Kids

If you are planning a full Halloween day at home or in the classroom, pair these easy Halloween crafts with a few simple activities. You could set up a little craft table, make Halloween snacks, read a Halloween picture book, or have the kids decorate their own treat bags. If you are putting together treat bags, these free Halloween printable gift tags are a cute way to make them feel extra special. You could also add a few printable boo basket games for a simple Halloween activity kids can do at home, at school, or during a party.

I love keeping Halloween activities cute and simple, especially for younger kids. For another festive kid-friendly idea, these boo basket ideas for kids are such a sweet way to make Halloween feel extra fun. A cozy afternoon of crafting, a few festive decorations, and a sweet little treat can make the season feel special without needing anything too complicated.

Final Thoughts on Halloween Crafts for Kids

These easy Halloween crafts for kids are such a fun way to celebrate the spooky season in a cute, creative, and family-friendly way. Whether you are making paper plate pumpkins, cotton ball ghosts, toilet paper roll bats, or a simple Halloween paper wreath, each craft gives kids a chance to use their imagination and make something festive.

I hope these Halloween craft ideas help you create a sweet seasonal memory with your little ones. Save this list of easy Halloween crafts for kids for a cozy fall afternoon, a classroom Halloween party, or anytime you need a simple October activity that feels fun, creative, and homemade.

Until next time!