Halloween is one of those times when kids are genuinely excited to sit down and make something. The spooky themes, the bright colors, the googly eyes – it all just works. These Halloween crafts for kids cover a range of skill levels and materials, so there’s something here for toddlers, school-age kids, and everyone in between.
I’ve grouped them by material type so it’s easy to pick something based on what you already have at home. Let’s get into it.
Nature and Found Materials
These Halloween crafts start with things you can find outside or already have in the kitchen. I love how much personality kids can pull out of the most unexpected materials.
1. Cookie Monster Tic-Tac-Toe Rocks
This one is a craft and a game in one, which I really love. You paint flat rocks in two designs – blue Cookie Monster faces and tan chocolate chip cookies – and use them as the playing pieces.
A burlap drawstring bag doubles as the game board once you draw a tic-tac-toe grid on it with a fabric marker. When the game is done, everything packs right back into the bag.
What You’ll Need
- Flat rocks
- Blue and tan acrylic paint
- Black and white paint for details
- Burlap drawstring bag
- Fabric marker
How to Make It
- Wash and dry your flat rocks so the paint sticks well.
- Paint 5 rocks blue for Cookie Monster faces, and 5 rocks tan for cookies.
- Once dry, add black and white details – eyes and mouth for the Cookie Monster rocks, chocolate chip dots for the cookie rocks.
- Use the fabric marker to draw a tic-tac-toe grid on one side of the burlap bag.
- Store all the rocks inside the bag when not in use.
2. Apple Stamp Pumpkins
This is one of the most satisfying Halloween crafts for younger kids because the results look great with almost zero effort. You just cut an apple in half and dip it in orange paint to stamp pumpkin shapes onto white paper.
Once the stamped shapes dry, kids add green stems and black jack-o’-lantern faces with markers or paint. If you want to go further, you can also make little chestnut spiders and bats in the background using googly eyes, pipe cleaner legs, and paper wings.
What You’ll Need
- Apple, halved
- Orange and green paint
- Black marker
- White paper
- Optional: chestnuts, pipe cleaners, paper scraps, googly eyes, glue
How to Make It
- Cut an apple in half crosswise to create a round stamp shape.
- Dip the cut side into orange paint and press firmly onto white paper to stamp pumpkin shapes.
- Let the orange paint dry completely.
- Add a green stem at the top and a jack-o’-lantern face with a black marker or paint.
- Optional: glue googly eyes onto chestnuts, add pipe cleaner legs, and attach paper wings to make spiders and bats in the background.
3. Leaf Ghosts
I love this one because it starts outside. Kids collect fallen tree leaves, paint them white, and add little ghost faces – and just like that, a pile of leaves turns into the cutest Halloween decorations. They look really sweet scattered on a table or strung up as a garland.
The black dot eyes and mouth are all it takes to bring each one to life. Every leaf shape is a little different, so no two ghosts come out the same.
What You’ll Need
- Dried tree leaves
- White acrylic or tempera paint
- Paintbrush
- Black marker
How to Make It
- Head outside and collect a good handful of fallen tree leaves in different shapes and sizes.
- Lay the leaves flat and paint the front of each one white. Let dry completely.
- Flip and paint the back white too if you want them fully covered. Let dry again.
- Use a black marker to draw two oval eyes and a small open mouth on each leaf.
- Display them scattered on a table, tucked into a centerpiece, or strung along a piece of twine as a garland.
4. Lentil Pumpkin Mosaic
I love this one for younger kids. You draw a jack-o’-lantern outline on white cardstock, then kids fill in the pumpkin body by gluing red and orange lentils and add the stem with green split peas. It’s a great sensory activity and the finished pieces look really cool.
It’s also very low-mess compared to a paint-heavy craft, which is always a bonus.
What You’ll Need
- White cardstock
- Black marker
- Red and orange lentils
- Green split peas
- Glue
How to Make It
- Draw a large pumpkin shape with a jack-o’-lantern face on the white cardstock using the black marker.
- Apply a thin layer of glue inside the pumpkin body section.
- Press red and orange lentils into the glue to fill in the pumpkin shape.
- Apply glue to the stem area and press green split peas in to fill it.
- Let the glue dry fully before handling.
Painting, Dot Art and Collage
Some of the best Halloween crafts for kids are built around paint. These ideas keep it fun and accessible – no painting skills required.
5. Paper Plate Eyeballs
These are wonderfully creepy. Kids paint white paper plates with colorful irises, big black pupils, and red veins branching out in all directions. They work as both wall decorations and floor decorations, which I think is really fun.
The more dramatic the veins, the better they look. Encourage kids to go a little overboard with them.
What You’ll Need
- White paper plates
- Acrylic or tempera paint in green, teal, or mixed tones
- Black paint for the pupil
- Red marker or red paint for veins
How to Make It
- Paint the center area of the paper plate with your iris color – green, teal, or a mix.
- Once dry, paint a large black circle in the very center for the pupil.
- Use a red marker or fine brush with red paint to draw veins spreading out from the iris toward the edges of the plate.
- Let everything dry completely before hanging or displaying.
6. Candy Corn Dot Art
This one uses q-tips dipped in paint to build up candy corn characters on black cardstock. The dot-by-dot technique is great for kids who find painting tricky – you just layer white dots at the bottom, orange in the middle, and yellow or green at the top to create the classic candy corn look.
Googly eyes and a black marker mouth give each one a little face. The black background makes the colors pop in the best way.
What You’ll Need
- Black cardstock
- Acrylic paint in white, orange, yellow, and green
- Cotton swabs
- Googly eyes
- Black marker
- Glue
How to Make It
- Dip a cotton swab into white paint and dot the bottom third of your candy corn shape onto the black cardstock.
- Use orange paint to dot the middle third.
- Use yellow or green paint to dot the pointed top.
- Let the paint dry completely.
- Glue on two googly eyes and use a black marker to draw a little mouth.
7. Handprint Ghost Painting
This is one of those Halloween crafts that also makes a really sweet keepsake. Kids paint large ghost figures freehand in white on colored cardstock – blue or purple works beautifully – and then stamp their handprints in white paint to form the ghost’s raised arms.
Black paint dots finish off the face. It’s simple, quick, and the handprint detail makes it personal in the sweetest way.
What You’ll Need
- Blue or purple cardstock
- White and black acrylic or tempera paint
- Paintbrush
How to Make It
- Use a brush to paint a large, rounded ghost body shape in white paint on the colored cardstock.
- While the ghost body is still slightly wet, press a hand coated in white paint on each side to form the arms.
- Let dry completely.
- Dab two black dots for eyes and a small oval for the mouth using a brush or fingertip.
8. Cauldron Collage with Googly Eyes
This one is wonderfully chaotic in the best way. Kids start with a black paper cauldron cutout with a lime green brim on white paper, then go wild filling the cauldron and surrounding space with googly eyes, pom poms, and colorful crayon or marker swirls in orange, green, and purple.
There’s really no wrong way to do this craft, which makes it great for kids of all ages and skill levels. The more eyes, the better.
What You’ll Need
- White paper
- Black paper for the cauldron
- Lime green paper for the brim
- Crayons or markers in orange, green, and purple
- Assorted googly eyes
- Pom poms
- Glue
How to Make It
- Cut a cauldron shape from black paper and a thin strip from lime green paper for the brim.
- Glue the cauldron and brim onto the white paper.
- Use crayons or markers to draw swirling potion bubbles rising out of the cauldron.
- Glue googly eyes and pom poms all over the cauldron and around the swirls.
- Add any extra details with markers to fill in the space.
Cotton Swab and Stamp Crafts
Q-tips and everyday household items make surprisingly great crafting tools. These Halloween crafts for kids are all about using what you have in a creative way.
9. Q-Tip Skeleton Art
This is a classic for a reason. Kids use cotton swabs as bones and arrange them into skeleton figures on colored cardstock – black, red, cream, or yellow all look great. A printed or hand-drawn skull goes at the top, and then kids get to pose the skeleton however they like.
The creative part is figuring out the poses – dancing, waving, jumping. Every one comes out a little different.
What You’ll Need
- Colored cardstock (black, red, cream, or yellow)
- Cotton swabs
- Glue
- Skull stickers or hand-drawn skull cutouts
How to Make It
- Place or draw a skull at the top center of the cardstock.
- Lay out cotton swabs below the skull to plan the skeleton’s pose before gluing – try a fun position like dancing or jumping.
- Glue the swabs down one section at a time: spine first, then ribcage, then arms, then legs.
- Trim swabs with scissors if you need shorter pieces for fingers or toes.
- Press firmly and let the glue dry fully before displaying.
10. Toilet Roll Bubble Cauldron
I love a good toilet paper roll stamp, and this one is really clever. You dip the end of a toilet paper roll in bright green paint and stamp overlapping circles to create bubbling potion rising out of a black cardstock cauldron cutout. The circles look just like cartoon potion bubbles.
The stamping part is satisfying for all ages, and the finished piece looks really striking.
What You’ll Need
- White cardstock
- Black cardstock for the cauldron shape
- Green acrylic or tempera paint
- Toilet paper roll (as the stamp)
- Paint tray or paper plate
How to Make It
- Cut a cauldron shape from black cardstock and glue it onto the white cardstock.
- Pour green paint onto a paint tray or paper plate.
- Dip the open end of the toilet paper roll into the green paint.
- Stamp overlapping circles above the cauldron to create bubbling potion. Fill the space generously.
- Let dry completely before displaying.
11. Handprint Spider Web Plates
Another great handprint Halloween craft – here, kids press their painted hands onto white paper plates to create spiders. The palm becomes the body and the fingers become the legs, which is just such a clever use of a handprint.
Then they draw spiderwebs around the spider with a black marker and add googly eyes to finish it off. These look great hung as a group.
What You’ll Need
- White paper plates
- Black paint
- Black marker for the web
- Googly eyes
- Glue
How to Make It
- Coat a child’s hand in black paint.
- Press the hand firmly onto the center of the paper plate, palm down. The palm is the spider body, the fingers are the legs.
- Let the handprint dry completely.
- Use a black marker to draw a spiderweb pattern across the rest of the plate.
- Glue two googly eyes onto the palm of the handprint.
Pipe Cleaner and Pom Pom Crafts
Pipe cleaners and pom poms are basically the ultimate kids’ craft supplies, and Halloween gives you so many great reasons to break them out.
12. Pipe Cleaner Bead Spiders
These little spiders are cute rather than creepy, which I think makes them even better for younger kids. You thread colorful pony beads onto green pipe cleaners to make the legs, then attach them to a green pom pom body with googly eyes.
Display them on black foam or felt spiderweb cutouts for a really fun Halloween craft that also doubles as a decoration.
What You’ll Need
- Green pom poms
- Green pipe cleaners
- Colorful pony beads
- Googly eyes
- Black foam or felt for the spiderweb
- Glue
How to Make It
- Cut four pipe cleaners in half to make eight leg pieces.
- Thread colorful pony beads onto each pipe cleaner leg, leaving a short unbeaded section at one end for attaching to the body.
- Push all eight legs into the sides of the green pom pom, four on each side.
- Bend the legs at angles so the spider can stand.
- Glue two googly eyes onto the front of the pom pom.
- Cut a spiderweb shape from black foam or felt and place the spider on top.
13. Pipe Cleaner Skeleton Garland
I love this one for older kids who enjoy a little challenge. You twist neon-colored pipe cleaners into dancing skeleton figures – looped head, coiled ribcage, arms, and bent legs – and hang them along a string as a festive garland.
Each figure strikes a different pose, so you end up with a little dancing skeleton parade. The neon colors against the Halloween backdrop look really cheerful and fun.
What You’ll Need
- Neon pipe cleaners in multiple colors
- Thin string or yarn for hanging
How to Make It
- Loop one pipe cleaner into a small circle and twist the ends together to form the skull.
- Coil another pipe cleaner tightly in the center for the ribcage, then extend both ends outward and bend them down to form arms.
- Attach the skull to the top of the ribcage by twisting the ends together.
- Twist another pipe cleaner to the bottom of the ribcage and bend each half into a leg and foot shape.
- Pose the skeleton in a fun position – arms up, legs kicking, mid-jump.
- Make as many as you like and tie each one along a length of string or yarn to create the garland.
Recycled Material Crafts
These Halloween crafts for kids are proof that the best craft supplies are often already in your recycling bin. Egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and cardboard boxes all get a Halloween makeover here.
14. Egg Carton Monster Finger Puppets
These tiny monsters are so much fun and they look really impressive for such a simple base. Each puppet starts as a single egg carton cup, painted in a bright color and decorated with paper spikes, curled paper hair, and googly eyes.
A small paper ring on the bottom lets the cup sit on a finger. Kids end up with a whole set of monsters they can actually play with – not just look at.
What You’ll Need
- Egg carton cups (cut apart)
- Acrylic paint in assorted colors
- Googly eyes
- Paper scraps for spikes and hair
- Glue
- Scissors
- Black marker
How to Make It
- Cut individual cups from the egg carton and trim any rough edges.
- Paint each cup in a bright monster color and let dry.
- Cut small spikes, horns, or curled hair strips from paper scraps and glue them to the top of the cup.
- Glue on googly eyes and use a black marker to add a mouth and any other details.
- Cut a small strip of paper, form it into a ring that fits a finger, and glue it to the bottom of the cup so the puppet can be worn.
15. Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Characters
Toilet paper rolls are basically the perfect craft base, and this set of Halloween characters shows why. You can make a whole lineup – a mummy wrapped in white felt strips, a monster with curly pipe cleaner hair and a roaring mouth, and a witch with yarn hair and a felt cape.
Each one has enough detail to feel really satisfying to make, but the construction is simple enough for school-age kids to handle mostly on their own.
What You’ll Need
- Toilet paper rolls
- Acrylic paint in assorted colors
- Felt in assorted colors
- Pipe cleaners
- Yarn
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
- Black marker
How to Make It
- Paint the toilet paper roll in your character’s base color and let dry.
- For the mummy: cut thin strips of white felt and wrap them diagonally around the roll, leaving small gaps. Glue googly eyes between the strips.
- For the monster: curl pipe cleaners and glue them to the top for hair. Add googly eyes and draw a big roaring mouth with a black marker.
- For the witch: glue lengths of yarn to the top for hair. Cut a small felt cape and hat and glue them in place.
- Add any final details with the black marker.
16. Cardboard Box Spider Game
I love this one because it’s a craft and a game rolled into one. Cut holes all over a plain cardboard box, then kids paint a colorful spider body around each hole and add black legs with a marker. The decorating part is the craft, and the playing part is the reward.
Once it’s done, kids match small pom pom balls to the right colored spider and drop them in. It’s a really fun way to work on color recognition and fine motor skills, and it looks great too.
What You’ll Need
- Cardboard box
- Markers in assorted colors
- Black marker for legs and details
- Scissors or hole punch
- Small pom pom balls in matching colors
How to Make It
- Cut holes all over the front of the cardboard box using scissors or a hole punch.
- Use a different colored marker to draw a circle around each hole to form the spider’s body.
- Use the black marker to draw legs coming out from each circle.
- Sort the pom pom balls by color and set them in a bowl next to the box.
- Kids pick up each pom pom and drop it into the matching colored spider.
Craft Stick and Wooden Spoon Crafts
Popsicle sticks and wooden spoons are underrated Halloween craft supplies. They’re sturdy, paintable, and really versatile – and the results always look a lot more polished than you’d expect.
17. Popsicle Stick Haunted House
This is a bigger project that’s really worth the effort. You build a miniature haunted house by gluing craft sticks together and painting the whole thing orange. Then the decorating begins – cobwebs, paper bats, a pipe cleaner arched doorway, and little ghost and pumpkin cutout embellishments.
It’s one of those Halloween crafts for kids that doubles as a decoration you’ll actually want to display.
What You’ll Need
- Craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
- Orange paint
- Glue
- Black pipe cleaners
- Stretched cotton or fake cobweb
- Paper or foam for bat and pumpkin cutouts
- Sticker embellishments (optional)
How to Make It
- Lay craft sticks side by side and glue horizontal sticks across the back to hold them together. Make panels for the front, sides, and roof of the house.
- Once dry, assemble the panels into a box shape and glue them together. Let the structure dry fully.
- Paint the whole house orange and let dry.
- Bend black pipe cleaners into an arch shape and glue over the doorway opening.
- Stretch cotton cobweb material over the corners and roof.
- Cut bat and pumpkin shapes from paper or foam and glue them around the house as embellishments.
18. Popsicle Stick Monster Faces
This is a simpler craft stick project that’s great for younger kids. You lay wide craft sticks side by side and glue them together to form a flat rectangular panel – paint it orange for a pumpkin or white for a ghost. Then kids decorate it with painted button eyes, drawn-on mouths, and pipe cleaner hair or a stem.
They’re quick to make and look really cute lined up as a set.
What You’ll Need
- Wide craft sticks (jumbo popsicle sticks)
- Orange and white paint
- Buttons
- Black paint or marker
- Pipe cleaners
- Glue
How to Make It
- Lay 5-6 wide craft sticks side by side on a flat surface.
- Glue two horizontal craft sticks across the back to hold the panel together. Let dry.
- Flip the panel over and paint the front orange for a pumpkin or white for a ghost. Let dry.
- Glue button eyes onto the face.
- Draw a mouth with black paint or marker.
- For the pumpkin, twist a green pipe cleaner into a curly stem and glue to the top. For the ghost, glue a few wavy white pipe cleaner pieces as a wispy top.
19. Painted Spoon Halloween Characters
I love the ambition of this set. You paint wooden spoons into a full Halloween character lineup – witch, pumpkin, Frankenstein, ghost, bat, mummy, vampire, and sugar skull. The spoon bowl becomes the head and the handle becomes the body, which works so well for this kind of character craft.
Older kids can tackle the full set of eight, while younger ones might love making just one or two of their favorites.
What You’ll Need
- Wooden spoons
- Acrylic paint in assorted colors
- Felt or paper scraps
- Yarn
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Black marker
How to Make It
- Paint the bowl of each spoon in the base color for that character – orange for pumpkin, green for Frankenstein, white for ghost and mummy, black for bat, and so on.
- Paint the handle in a complementary color for the character’s body. Let all paint dry completely.
- Add felt or paper details – a witch hat, mummy bandage strips, bat wings cut from black paper.
- Glue on googly eyes where needed and use a black marker to draw facial features, stitches, or other character details.
- Add yarn hair for the witch or vampire if desired.
Yarn, Fabric and Wearable Crafts
These Halloween crafts for kids go a step beyond the tabletop – one is wearable, one is textile-based, and one makes a great party prop or favor.
20. Yarn Mummy
This is a really tactile Halloween craft that kids love. You cut a mummy figure from black felt, then wrap it repeatedly with white yarn in a criss-cross pattern to mimic bandages. The black felt peeking through gives it a nice shadowy look.
Googly eyes peeking out from the yarn finish it perfectly. It’s a great one for working on fine motor skills too.
What You’ll Need
- Black felt, cut into a person shape
- White yarn
- Googly eyes
- Glue
How to Make It
- Cut a simple person shape from black felt – a rounded head, body, and four limbs.
- Tie or glue one end of the white yarn to the top of the felt figure to anchor it.
- Wrap the yarn repeatedly around the body in a criss-cross pattern, working from top to bottom. Leave occasional gaps of black felt showing through.
- When you reach the bottom, trim the yarn and glue the end down firmly.
- Glue two googly eyes somewhere near the top of the head, peeking out between the yarn wraps.
21. Tin Foil Monster Headband
This one is wearable, which immediately makes it a hit. You sculpt a headband from aluminum foil, shaping it into a circular band with three tentacle-like stalks on top, each capped with a foil ball and a googly eye. It looks like an alien or monster headband.
It’s simple enough that kids can do most of the shaping themselves, and they love putting it on the moment it’s done.
What You’ll Need
- Aluminum foil
- Googly eyes
- Hot glue
How to Make It
- Tear off a long strip of foil and fold it lengthwise several times until you have a thick, sturdy band. Shape it into a circle that fits around a child’s head and twist the ends together to secure.
- Tear off three shorter strips and roll each into a tight tube to form the stalks.
- Attach the three stalks to the top of the headband by wrapping the base of each stalk around the band and squeezing tightly.
- Crumple a small piece of foil into a ball and press it onto the top of each stalk.
- Use hot glue (adult step) to attach a googly eye to each foil ball.
22. Tissue Paper Ghost Wands
These wands are so sweet and they come together really quickly. You gather pink or white tissue paper around the top of a wooden dowel to create a fluffy ghost shape, secure it at the neck with metallic star garland or a twist tie, and then add black marker dot eyes and a little mouth.
They work beautifully as Halloween party favors or parade props, and kids are excited to carry them around the moment they’re done.
What You’ll Need
- Pink and white tissue paper
- Wooden dowels
- Metallic star garland or twist ties
- Black marker
How to Make It
- Cut or tear several sheets of tissue paper into roughly square pieces, about 30 x 30 cm.
- Stack 4-5 sheets of tissue paper together and scrunch the center around the top of the wooden dowel.
- Pull the tissue paper down around the dowel to form a rounded ghost head shape at the top.
- Tie a piece of metallic star garland or a twist tie snugly around the tissue paper just below the head to create a neck.
- Use a black marker to draw two small dot eyes and a little mouth on the ghost’s face.
Get Crafting!
There are so many good Halloween crafts for kids here that you really can’t go wrong no matter what you pick. Whether you have a full afternoon or just thirty minutes, there’s something on this list that will work for your crew.
My suggestion? Let the kids pick their own. They always end up more invested when they had a say in it – and honestly, the results are usually better too.
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