Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids: 4 Fun Family Projects
Looking for easy Halloween crafts for kids that won't break the bank or create a huge mess? You're in the right place! We've rounded up four of our founder's favorite Halloween activities for kids that use simple household supplies you probably already have at home. These budget-friendly Halloween crafts are perfect for children ages 3-10 and turn spooky season into quality family time. From magical spell books to glowing luminaries, each project doubles as both a fun activity and a keepsake decoration. Best of all, these DIY Halloween crafts guide your family from setup to cleanup, making creative time stress-free for parents and exciting for kids. Let's dive into our top Halloween craft ideas that will have your little ones begging to create!
Watch Our Founder's Top Halloween Craft Picks
Our founder, Abby, shares why her family is most excited about these Halloween activities this year and what makes each one special. These projects don’t just fill time; they encourage creativity, develop fine motor skills, and promote imaginative play long after the crafting is done. Your kids won't just make decorations—they'll create spell books for pretend play, luminaries that actually light up, and adorable keepsakes you'll treasure for years.
Why These Halloween Crafts Are Perfect for Families
Our favorite part of these Halloween crafts for kids are that they’re designed with busy families in mind. Each craft uses affordable, common household materials like paper plates, cardboard, and markers, so you won't need a special trip to the craft store. Unlike messy pumpkin carving that ends in moldy decorations and squirrel feasts, these Halloween crafts for kids stay fresh all season long.
Skills Developed: Creativity, fine motor skills, imaginative play
Why we love them:
“Anytime a craft doubles as a playtime accessory is a win in our house. My daughter absolutely had to make these imaginary play spell books. They’re simple, budget-friendly, and a great excuse to bust out the glitter glue and pretend to be Ivy from one of her favorite books: Ivy and Bean.“ - Abby Allen
This kid’s Halloween craft transforms ordinary notebooks into magical spell books that spark hours of creative play. Kids can customize their books with mystical symbols, glitter, and their own "spells." The best part? After crafting time is over, these become treasured props for dress-up, storytelling, and imaginative adventures. Parents love that this project uses recycled materials and keeps kids engaged long after the glue dries.
Skills Developed: Cutting, drawing, design thinking
Why we love them: “Spooky Season is the best time of the year for a candle craft! These projects are all the fun of an intricately carved pumpkin, with none of the mess or moldy pumpkins that turn into squirrel feasts.” - Abby Allen
Perfect for all ages, these luminaries are incredibly budget-friendly—you'll just need contact paper, paper plates, a flameless LED candle, and some markers. Kids can design spooky faces, haunted scenes, or festive patterns. Optionally, paint the frame in your favorite Halloween colors like purple, orange, or black. When lit up at night, these DIY Halloween crafts create a magical glow that makes kids proud of their creations. They're safe, reusable year after year, and make beautiful decorations for windowsills or mantels.
View the Halloween Paper Plate Luminary Tutorial on GlueStick >
Skills Developed: Fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, patience, basic weaving and sewing.
Why we love them: “Our 8-year-old is learning to sew, and this is a perfect project for working on the fine motor skills required for hand-sewing. We can’t wait to see how unique each of these projects turn out. They’re sure to be darling, while also budget-friendly.” - Abby Allen
This weaving project introduces children to basic textile techniques in a fun, seasonal way. Kids practice threading, pattern-making, and following multi-step instructions—all valuable skills that build confidence and concentration. Each ghost turns out slightly different, celebrating individual creativity. Parents appreciate that this craft keeps kids engaged for longer periods and results in an adorable decoration or gift. It's an excellent rainy day activity that combines learning with Halloween fun.
Author: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time Required: 20-30 minutes
Skills Developed: Sensory exploration, body awareness, creativity
Why we love them: “How ADORABLE are these? The nostalgia of little handprints is real in my house as my daughter starts to outgrow these cute keepsake crafts. They’re great sensory activities for mini makers that make them feel proud of their creations and their bodies. Plus, they make great gifts.” - Abby Allen
These easy Halloween crafts for kids are perfect for the youngest crafters in your family. Toddlers and preschoolers love the sensory experience of painting their hands and feet, and parents treasure these precious keepsakes that capture how small their little ones once were. The ghost theme makes them seasonally appropriate while remaining sweet rather than scary. Frame them, turn them into cards, or create a gallery wall of handprint art from each year. This is one of those simple Halloween projects for children that becomes a cherished family tradition.
What You'll Need for These Halloween Projects
The beauty of these family Halloween crafts is that you probably have most supplies already! Here's a quick shopping list if you need to stock up:
Basic supplies across all projects:
Paper plates
Construction paper
Markers
Scissors (child-safe and adult)
Glue and glue sticks
Paint (white, black, orange, purple)
Special supplies:
Glitter glue (for spell books)
Contact paper (for luminaries)
Flameless LED candles (for luminaries)
Yarn or string (for weaving)
Googly eyes (optional but fun!)
Pro tip: Before you buy anything, check your recycling bin! Cardboard boxes are great stand-ins for paper plates. Grocery bags and packaging materials work perfectly for Halloween crafts that need brown paper. And your Flameless LED candles can be reused for next season’s holiday luminaries.
Abby’s Tips for Crafting with Kids This Halloween
1. Set up a dedicated craft space. Cover your table with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth to make cleanup easier. Having all supplies organized in one spot helps kids work independently and builds their confidence. Get kids to help find the supplies they’re most interested in using. Getting them involved in the supply gathering process helps avoid kids gettign bored before they even begin.
2. Let kids lead the creative process. While the tutorials provide guidance, encourage your children to add their own flair. Purple ghosts? Sure! Glitter on everything? Why not! The best Halloween activities for kids are the ones where they feel ownership over their creations.
3. Break projects into sessions. If your child's attention span is shorter, split crafts into multiple sessions. Make the base one day, decorate the next. This approach works especially well for the weaving and luminary projects.
4. Make cleanup part of the fun. Use GlueStick’s scavenger hunt approach to encourage kids to put their supplies away again afterward. This teaches responsibility while keeping the energy positive.
5. Display finished projects proudly. In addition to preserving their masterpieces in GlueStick’s digital Art Gallery, celebrate your kids’ work by creating a Halloween gallery wall, using the crafts as table decorations, or giving them as gifts. When kids see their work valued and displayed, it reinforces their creative confidence and makes them eager to try more DIY Halloween crafts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Halloween Crafts for Kids
What age are these Halloween crafts appropriate for?
These projects work for ages 3-10, with varying difficulty levels. The handprint ghost craft is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2-5), while the weaving project challenges older elementary kids (ages 6-10). The spell books and luminaries fall in the middle, working well for ages 4-8 with minimal adult help.
How long do these Halloween activities take?
Most projects take 30-60 minutes from setup to cleanup. The handprint ghost is quickest at 20-30 minutes, while the weaving project may take 60-90 minutes. You can always break longer projects into multiple sessions to match your child's attention span.
Can I do these Halloween crafts with preschoolers?
Absolutely! Three of the four projects are preschool-friendly. The handprint ghosts are especially great for ages 3-5. Mini makers will struggle to do the folding of the spell books, but will have a blast decorating them with glitter glue and other supplies. The luminaries work well with adult help for cutting. The weaving project is better suited for ages 6+ due to the fine motor skills required.
What if I don't have all the supplies?
That's the beauty of these budget-friendly Halloween crafts—they're flexible! Substitute materials freely: use magazine pages instead of colored paper, ribbon instead of yarn, or stickers instead of paint. The tutorials guide you, but creativity and using what you have is encouraged.
Are these Halloween crafts messy?
These projects are relatively low-mess compared to activities like pumpkin carving or slime-making. The handprint craft requires paint, so dress kids in old clothes or smocks. The luminary and weaving projects recommend painting your paper plate, but you can make it less messy using markers or crayons instead. The remaining supplies are mostly dry materials like paper, yarn, and glue. Setup and cleanup guidance is included in each tutorial.
Can we make these at school or daycare?
Yes! These Halloween crafts for kids are perfect for classroom parties, daycare activities, or homeschool groups. They're budget-friendly enough for large groups, and the difficulty levels accommodate mixed-age classrooms.
How can I make these crafts educational?
At GlueStick, we believe every craft naturally builds skills! Creativity, confidence, and critical thinking are inherent in making all of these projects. In addition to these basic core skills, the weaving project teaches patterns and fine motor control. Luminaries explore light and transparency. Spell books encourage literacy and storytelling. Handprint crafts develop body awareness. You can extend learning by discussing Halloween history, reading spooky stories, or incorporating math by counting supplies.
Ready to Unlock Hundreds More Creative Projects?
These four Halloween crafts for kids are just the beginning! GlueStick guides families through creative activities year-round—from holiday crafts to STEM projects to arts and crafts using supplies you already have at home.
What makes GlueStick special?
250+ projects and growing, all organized by theme and skill level
Step-by-step instructions from setup to cleanup
Gamified scavenger hunts that make supply gathering fun
Unlockable pet avatars that reward creativity
Ad-free safe experience for ages 3-10
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