Getting crafty with the kids is one of the best ways to build excitement for Halloween without dipping into anything too terrifying. It’s all about the giggles, the gluey fingers, and the creation of charmingly spooky decorations. Forget the gore and frights; we’re diving into a world of friendly ghosts, silly spiders, and goofy monsters that even the littlest ones can enjoy making and displaying. These projects use simple materials you likely already have or can easily find, making prep work minimal and fun maximal!
The goal here is spooky fun, not scary nightmares. Think bright colours mixed with traditional black and orange, lots of googly eyes, and funny expressions. These crafts are fantastic for developing fine motor skills, encouraging creativity, and best of all, spending quality time together during the Halloween season. So, clear a space on the kitchen table, grab your supplies, and let’s conjure up some delightful decorations!
Friendly Neighbourhood Spiders
Spiders often get a bad rap, especially around Halloween, but our crafty crawlers are more cute than creepy! We’ll make spiders that are easy to handle and fun to look at, perfect for scattering around the house or hanging from doorways.
Egg Carton Creepers
This is a classic for a reason – it’s simple, uses recycled materials, and the results are adorable.
What you’ll need:
- Cardboard egg cartons (the bumpy kind)
- Black paint (or any colour your little monster prefers!)
- Paintbrushes
- Pipe cleaners (black, brown, or even glittery ones)
- Googly eyes (the more, the merrier!)
- Glue (PVA or a glue gun with adult supervision)
- Scissors
How to make them:
- First, an adult should carefully cut the egg carton into individual cups. Trim the edges so each cup sits relatively flat upside down. Each cup is one spider body.
- Let the kids paint the egg cups. Black is traditional, but purple, green, or orange spiders look fantastic too! Let them dry completely.
- While they dry, cut the pipe cleaners. Each spider needs eight legs. Cutting standard pipe cleaners in half usually makes good-sized legs, so you’ll need four pipe cleaners per spider, cut in half.
- Once the paint is dry, carefully poke four small holes on each side of the egg cup rim using the pointy end of the scissors or a skewer (adult job!).
- Help your child thread one pipe cleaner half through a hole on one side and out the hole directly opposite. Bend the ends downwards to make two legs. Repeat this three more times for each spider, distributing the legs evenly.
- Bend the pipe cleaner legs into shape – a little zig-zag makes them look ready to crawl!
- Finally, glue on the googly eyes. Two is standard, but a multi-eyed spider can be extra fun! Let the glue dry.
Paper Plate Web Weavers
These spiders hang out on their own easy-to-make webs.
What you’ll need:
- Paper plates (the thinner, cheaper kind work best)
- Black paint and paintbrush
- White yarn or string
- Hole punch
- Black construction paper
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
How to make them:
- Paint the centre of the paper plate black (or leave it white if you prefer a contrast). Let it dry. You can also paint the rim a different colour like orange or purple.
- Use the hole punch to make holes evenly spaced around the rim of the paper plate. About 8-12 holes work well.
- Cut a long piece of white yarn. Tie one end through a hole.
- Now, let your child weave the yarn back and forth across the plate, threading it through the holes to create a web pattern. It doesn’t need to be perfect! Secure the end by tying it off or taping it to the back.
- Time to make the spider! Cut a simple spider body shape from the black construction paper – think a small circle for the head and a larger oval for the body, connected.
- Cut thin strips of black paper for legs (eight of them!). Accordion-fold the strips to give them some bounce.
- Glue the legs onto the back of the spider’s body.
- Glue googly eyes onto the spider’s head.
- Once the spider is assembled and dry, glue it onto the yarn web on the paper plate. You can even add a small loop of yarn to the top hole for hanging.
Gleeful Ghosts and Ghouls
Ghosts don’t have to be terrifying apparitions! Our Halloween ghosts are lightweight, airy, and perfect for floating around the room.
Lollipop Ghosts
These are super simple, double as a treat, and are great for party favours or classroom handouts.
What you’ll need:
- Round lollipops (like Tootsie Pops or Dum Dums)
- White tissues or white fabric squares (about 5×5 inches)
- Thin ribbon or string (orange, black, or white)
- Black marker pen (fine tip)
How to make them:
- Take one lollipop. Drape two tissues over the top of the lollipop head, staggering them slightly for better coverage. If using fabric, one square is usually enough.
- Gather the tissue/fabric tightly around the neck of the lollipop, just under the candy part.
- Cut a piece of ribbon or string (about 6 inches long) and tie it securely around the gathered tissue/fabric to hold it in place. Trim the ends neatly.
- Fluff out the bottom of the tissue/fabric to make it look flowy like a ghost.
- Use the black marker to draw a simple ghost face (two eyes and maybe a small ‘o’ mouth) onto the covered lollipop head. Keep it friendly!
And just like that, you have an adorable, edible ghost!
Cotton Ball Spooks
These fluffy ghosts are fun to make and have a great tactile element.
What you’ll need:
- White or light blue construction paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- White school glue (PVA)
- Cotton balls
- Black construction paper scraps
- String or thread for hanging (optional)
How to make them:
- Draw a simple ghost shape onto the white or light blue paper. Think of a classic sheet ghost outline – rounded top, wavy bottom. Make it a decent size to allow for plenty of cotton balls.
- Carefully cut out the ghost shape.
- Spread a generous layer of glue all over the ghost shape, staying within the lines.
- Gently pull the cotton balls apart slightly to make them fluffier and cover more area.
- Stick the fluffed cotton balls onto the glue-covered ghost shape until the entire surface is covered and looks soft and puffy. Pat them down gently.
- While the glue is still wet, cut out two small oval eyes and an optional mouth shape (like a surprised ‘O’) from the black construction paper.
- Stick the black paper eyes and mouth onto the cotton balls.
- Let the ghost dry completely. If you want to hang it, carefully punch a small hole near the top and thread a piece of string through it.
Safety First! Always supervise young children when using scissors or hot glue guns. Ensure craft areas are well-ventilated if using paints or strong adhesives. Keep small items like googly eyes and beads away from very young children who might put them in their mouths.
Mischievous Monsters Mania
Monster crafts offer unlimited creativity! There are no rules for what a monster should look like, so kids can let their imaginations run wild with colours, shapes, eyes, and textures.
Toilet Paper Roll Monsters
Another fantastic recycling craft that turns humble cardboard tubes into hilarious creatures.
What you’ll need:
- Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls (cut in half)
- Paint (various colours)
- Paintbrushes
- Construction paper (various colours)
- Googly eyes (various sizes)
- Glue
- Scissors
- Optional extras: yarn for hair, pom-poms, pipe cleaners for arms/antennae, markers
How to make them:
- Paint the cardboard tubes in bright, monstrous colours. Let them dry completely. You could paint stripes, spots, or just solid colours.
- While the tubes dry, plan your monster features. Will it have one eye or five? Horns or antennae? Crazy hair?
- Cut out shapes from construction paper: mouths (smiling, frowning, toothy), tongues, arms, feet, horns, spots, stripes.
- Once the paint is dry, start assembling your monster! Glue on the googly eyes – try different sizes and placements for funny effects.
- Glue on the mouths, tongues, and any other paper features.
- Add extras! Glue yarn scraps to the top inside edge for hair. Attach pipe cleaner arms by poking holes (adult job!) or using strong glue. Stick on pom-pom noses or warts.
- Use markers to add details like freckles, scars (friendly ones!), or patterns.
Line up your finished monsters for a quirky Halloween display!
Paper Bag Monster Puppets
These puppets provide not just a craft activity but also endless playtime possibilities afterwards.
What you’ll need:
- Paper lunch bags (brown or coloured)
- Construction paper (various colours)
- Googly eyes
- Glue stick or liquid glue
- Scissors
- Markers, crayons, or paint
- Optional extras: yarn, pom-poms, felt scraps, pipe cleaners
How to make them:
- Lay the paper bag flat with the square bottom flap facing up. This flap will be the monster’s mouth area.
- Decorate the main body of the bag. Kids can paint it, colour it with crayons/markers, or cover it with coloured construction paper. Let any paint dry.
- Cut out monster features from construction paper: eyes (or use googly eyes!), teeth (pointy, square, or one big fang!), horns, ears, arms, spots, scales – anything goes!
- Glue the features onto the bag. The main eyes usually go on the top part of the bag (above the flap).
- Lift the bottom flap slightly. Glue teeth along the inside edge of the flap and/or the edge of the bag underneath it, so they show when the puppet ‘talks’. A big red tongue glued inside the flap looks great too.
- Add more embellishments like yarn hair glued to the top, pom-pom noses, or pipe cleaner antennae.
- Let everything dry completely. To use the puppet, slide a hand inside the bag, placing fingers into the flap section to operate the mouth.
These craft ideas are just starting points. Encourage your children to mix colours, add glitter (if you dare!), and invent their own spooky-silly creatures. The most important part is having fun together and creating happy Halloween memories, one googly eye and pipe cleaner leg at a time. Happy crafting!
