Simple Halloween Crafts

I think Halloween is my favourite time of year for craft activities. Perhaps it is because the evenings are getting darker and therefore Adam is willing to do some crafting rather than rather running around. We also can’t resist spider crafts to scare Dad-Dad. Here are some of our favourite Simple Halloween Crafts.

Halloween can be one of the most exciting days of the year for little ones, with the promise of fancy dress costumes and mountains of sweet treats making it almost as fun as Christmas. As adults, many of us have very fond memories of our childhood Halloween traditions, so it can be just as gratifying for us to engage in some special Halloween activities as it is for our children. One of the most creative and social ways to celebrate Halloween is to have a craft day, making Halloween decorations with your children and their friends. This will allow them to maximise their fun while also developing new practical skills.

Of course, Halloween only lasts for one day, but that doesn’t mean that your decorations have to. You could have a Halloween craft day the week before the big event, so that your children can proudly display their work for at least a week, maybe more. This will also get children excited in the run up to the event, although we all know that they don’t need much help with that! Crafting has many benefits for children, helping them to develop drawing and writing skills, as well as encouraging them to be resourceful and to use their imaginations. Follow these simple steps for a successful Halloween craft session.

Resources Needed

Crafting requires a decent stock of supplies, but once you’ve got them you’ll be able to use them for a great many projects in the future. Having a craft box is a great backup for rainy days or when other plans fall through, and can provide hours of uninterrupted entertainment. As far as essentials go, you’ll need plenty of coloured paper and card, coloured pens and pencils, paints, safety scissors and PVA glue, as well as extras such as pipe cleaners and tissue paper. You might want to go the extra mile and get glitter, sequins and ribbons too, especially if your little ones like a bit of glitz.

Once you’ve stocked up on craft supplies, you’ll need to find a large, flat surface for everyone to work on. Depending on how many children will be present, this could be a kitchen table or work surface, a play mat or even the floor. Cover your area in newspaper and you’re almost ready to go! The final thing you’ll need is a sense of fun and enthusiasm, and a willingness to join in with the activities. Your enjoyment will spark the kids’ imaginations and also help you to bond with them, so put down your to-do list and get involved.

Bring the Ideas

If you’re working with younger children, you may well need to provide a lot of the craft ideas and lead them through the crafting process. Imagine yourself almost as a Blue Peter presenter, showing them what to do before they have a go themselves. This means that you’ll need to plan in advance what you’re going to make and be sure that you know what you’re doing! If your children are a bit older, they might prefer to bring their own ideas to the table, but it always helps to have something in mind in case they get stuck. Here are a few examples of easy Halloween craft ideas:

Lollipop Ghosts

This is a very quick and simple idea that is perfect for giving out to trick-or-treaters. You’ll need some individually wrapped lollipops, white handkerchiefs and white tissue paper, elastic bands, coloured ribbons and a black marker.

Simply take your lollipop and wrap the handkerchief or tissue paper over it, so that the lollipop resembles a head and the rest of the material splays out underneath it like a skirt, or ghost. Then fix the elastic band under the lollipop to fix in place and tie your coloured ribbon around it. Use the black marker to draw on eyes and maybe a mouth, and you’re done! You could experiment with different colours of ribbon, or stick to a classic orange and black Halloween theme.

Paper Plate Spiders

This is a simple decoration idea that also allows kids to use their own creative judgement. All you need is paper plates, coloured pipe cleaners, string, paints, glue and some plastic googly eyes. Ask the children to choose a colour and use it to paint their paper plates, then use the glue to attach four pipe cleaners to each side, for legs. These can be the same colour as the plate or different, depending on what they prefer.

Wait for this to dry, then stick as many googly eyes as needed onto the centre of the plate. They can also add glitter and other decorations if they wish. Finally, use a pen to make a hole at the top of the plate and thread the string through, then hang it above a door to scare visitors! You can also use elastic here to create a fun bouncing effect.

Toilet Roll Monsters

Although this might not sound particularly scary, it can be a great way for kids to use their imaginations and create something really unique. You’ll need toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes, pipe cleaners, plastic googly eyes, card, glue, paints and any other decorative extras you have. Start off by painting the tube any colour, and then glue on pipe cleaners on either side as arms. Of course, the monster might just have two arms, or it might have more!

Then add the googly eyes, as many as needed, and use glitter, stickers and sequins to create a truly individual monster. You could cut sharp teeth out of card to stick on, and add string to hang up or simply stand on a windowsill or mantlepiece. Be prepared for kids to demand making multiples of these, so you might end up with a whole house full of little monsters!

Here are some other Halloween crafts to inspire you. Simply click on the image for further instructions how to make each craft: