40 Irresistibly Easy Halloween Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers
There’s lots to love about Halloween, including dressing up little ones in costumes, taking them trick-or-treating and finding your favorite candy in the leftover stash. But one of the best parts of the spooktacular holiday is watching tiny tots show off their artistry and imagination with Halloween arts and crafts. We’ve scoured the internet for some of the best Halloween crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. Ready to have a bewitchingly good time? Whether your child is a budding Edward (safety) Scissorhands or they’re still learning how to finger paint, you’ll find creepy-cool kids’ Halloween craft ideas below that’ll have you both under a creativity spell.
Toddler Halloween crafts are great for many reasons. Not only do they teach tots about the holiday, but they also provide a wonderful opportunity for sensory play and development. Bonus: You likely already have most of the materials you need at home, so these DIY toddler Halloween crafts are parent-friendly too. (For any that involve small pieces—like googly eyes—it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your little one to ensure those items end up in the craft and not your kiddo’s mouth!)
Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
Sensory bins are easy to put together, provide endless amounts of entertainment and are great for building your little one’s sensory and fine motor skills—and this Halloween twist from Fun With Mama is perfect for an afternoon of festive fun.
What you’ll need: Cooked spaghetti; infant-safe orange food coloring; glow-in-the-dark Halloween figures; plastic spiders; a large plastic clear bin; spider webbing
How to make it: Cook your spaghetti and dye it with orange food coloring. Mix and let it dry in the sunlight for around an hour. Add your spaghetti, figurines and spiders into the clear bin. Place the spider web over the container’s opening and sides, and, voila, your sensory bin is ready for use! (Just be sure to supervise your little and ensure nothing goes in their mouth.)
Pumpkin Apple Prints
This sweet toddler Halloween craft from Frugal Mom Eh is the best way to combine fall activities and use up some of those leftover apples from apple picking.
What you’ll need: Orange, brown and green paint; white paper; paper plates; paint brushes; apples; knife; cutting board
How to make it: Cut your apples in half and let them dry (parents, you’ll need to do this step). Put orange paint on one paper plate and green on the other. Spread the orange paint around and press your apple half into it, then use the painted side of the apple to “stamp” your white paper. Use a paintbrush to paint on leaves and stems in green and brown. Once dry, you and your littles can also add jack-o-lantern faces to the paintings with black marker.
Ghostly Footprints
Your kiddo’s small hands and feet make for some adorable crafts, so take advantage while you can! Put a Halloween spin on this traditional project with this adorable “ghost” print from Alli Ward, the blogger behind Made With Happy.
What you’ll need: Black and white acrylic paint; black construction paper; silver Sharpie or paint pen
How to make it: Cover your kiddo’s foot in white paint and press it onto the black construction paper. Once it’s dry, use the black paint to add in the “Ghost’s” eyes and mouth on the heel of the foot. Next, use the paint pen or Sharpie to add in more elements, like spiders or webs, on the corners of the print.
Craft Stick Halloween Puppets
Let your little one’s imagination run wild as they tackle this puppet craft from Creative Family Fun. Not only is it an incredibly easy Halloween craft idea for kids, but it’ll also provide hours of entertainment for your tiny tot.
What you’ll need: Jumbo craft sticks; white, black, and orange craft paint; small self-adhesive googly eyes
How to make it: Just pick up a brush and paint. Help your kiddo use the googly eyes on the sticks once the paint dries.
Mummy Fruit
Dress up the contents of your fruit bowl with the help of a little gauze, a little tape and a lot of fun. This Halloween craft for toddlers from The Decorated Cookie is easy and hilarious.
What you need: Fruit (like a banana, apple and orange); roll of gauze; Scotch tape, self-adhesive googly eyes
How to make it: Wrap gauze around the fruit, securing it with small pieces of tape. Stick googly eyes to the gauze. That’s it!
Homemade Haunted House
Peek a BOO, indeed! This super-fun cut-out toddler Halloween craft from Sarah Jane can offer hours of play. While parents will likely do most of the leg work to create the craft, once it’s finished your tot will have a blast opening and shutting the windows and doors over and over again.
What you need: Haunted house template; scissors; craft knife; black marker; crayons; black, blue, and yellow construction paper
How to make it: Use the house template and black paper to create a haunted house. Cut out the windows and doors with the craft knife, leaving a “hinge” so that they’ll flip open. Glue the yellow paper to the backside of the black; then glue both onto the blue paper. Open the windows and doors so your kiddo can add spooky characters with crayons and markers to peek out.
Spider Web Art
You won’t be the only one getting caught up in these beautiful spider webs created by I Heart Arts N Crafts—your toddler will be spellbound too. Plus, this easy Halloween craft for toddlers is a great way to help your tot practice their colors.
What you need: Watercolor paper; watercolor paint; a white crayon or Elmer’s rubber cement
How to make it: Using the white crayon or rubber cement (parent supervision required!) draw a web on the paper. Once it’s dry, paint over the entire paper with watercolors and watch the spider web pattern appear.
Candy Corn Bunting
Sweeten up any wall with this easy Halloween craft for toddlers from Sweet Charli. Plain paper plates never looked so good!
What you need: Orange and yellow nontoxic acrylic paint; white paper plates; paintbrushes, hole punch; twine
How to make it: Draw two circles on the plate to create the yellow, orange and white “candy corn” layers, and then have your tot paint each. Once they’re finished, cut the paper plates into wedges and punch holes at the top of each. Next, string the wedges through the twine for decorations that look good enough to eat.
Fingerprint Spiders
Get in touch with your spooky side with this thumbprint Halloween craft for toddlers, courtesy of TinkerLab. Bonus: you may already have everything you need for this project on hand!
What you need: Paper; black ink pad or paint; fine tip marker; googly eyes
How to make them: Help your kiddo create the spider’s body with a fingerprint, then help them draw on legs and add googly eyes (or draw them on).
Spooky Wood
Craftulate’s spooky wood provides a spooky spin on a typical walk in the woods. This Halloween craft for toddlers is inexpensive, offers hours of play and will look great as a decoration once it’s finished.
What you need: Black paper; glue; googly eyes; sticks
How to make it: Take a walk with your tot and help them collect small twigs and sticks. To make the craft, glue the twigs and googly eyes onto the paper.
Edible Eyeballs
This incredible and edible Halloween craft for toddlers, from Fun at Home with Kids, offers sensory play to help with development. Plus, it’s bound to make little ones roar with laughter, as this is one instance in which it’s a-okay for them to stick their fingers in the eye! (To make it tasty, swap the gelatin for jello mix.)
What you need: Unflavored gelatin; food coloring; raisins or blueberries; cooking oil; easter eggs or cupcake liners
How to make it: Follow the instructions to make the gelatin mix and then pour it into the bottom half of the egg mold or cupcake liners. Add a raisin to the top to create the “pupil,” then chill in the fridge. Once they’re set, remove them from the molds and let your kiddo poke and prod away!
Haunted Halloween Hands
This Halloween craft for toddlers, from Happy Hooligans, offers lots of sensory play—and, thanks to its use of ice and salt, doubles as a cool science experiment. Your toddler will create hand-shaped ice with objects of different shapes, colors and sizes. But the best part? Making it vanish!
What you need: Surgical gloves; twist ties; small plastic Halloween items like these googly eyes; food coloring; water; salt; spoons; a shallow plastic container
How to make them: Place the plastic pieces into the gloves, add the water and food coloring, seal the glove with a twist tie and then freeze. Once the water inside the glove is frozen solid, slowly cut the glove off the ice hand. Place them in a shallow container for your tot, and help them sprinkle salt and water over the ice to make it disappear.
Yarn Pumpkins
Grow a pumpkin patch of your very own with Design Improvised’s charming Halloween craft for toddlers. You only need a handful of materials for this one and the instructions are easy to follow.
What you need: Orange yarn; green pipe cleaners; twine; scissors
How to make it: Have your tot wrap the yarn around your fingers. Then, take a piece of yarn, wrap it around the yarn loop and tie it tight. Tie in a small piece of the green pipe cleaner for the stem. To make a garland or to display your mini patch around the house, tie the pumpkins to a strand of twine.
Toilet Paper Roll Bats
It’s no secret that toilet paper roll toddler Halloween crafts are extremely popular. They’re easy to create and mostly require materials you probably already have at home. We love this Halloween craft idea from Practically Functional.
What you need: Empty toilet paper roll; black paint; construction paper; googly eyes; glue; scissors; paintbrush
How to make it: Fold in the ends of the toilet paper roll (so it turns into a container), Let your kiddo paint it and let it dry. Now add wings and googly eyes. If you’re looking to take things up a notch, tuck in a wrapped candy as a surprise.
Construction Paper Monster Montage
Play Dr. Frankenstien and create a monster of your very own with just a few materials. This older toddler Halloween craft from Paper and Glue provides inspiration for endless combinations.
What you need: Scissors; construction paper; glue stick; googly eyes
How to make it: Pre-cut different shapes out of construction paper, then let your child’s imagination run wild.
Cupcake Liner Owl
A Little Pinch of Perfect designed a Halloween project that’s a piece of cake even for the littlest hatchlings. With minimal cutting required, it’s a hoot for kids of all ages.
What you need: Standard and mini cupcake liners; orange, brown and black construction paper; scissors; glue stick; brown pen or marker; googly eyes
How to make it: Cut out a paper branch from brown paper, and a half moon out of a standard cupcake liner. Help your kiddo glue the branch and liners to a black sheet of paper, creating your owl. Then, glue the googly eyes and have your tot use the brown marker to decorate the owl.
Ghost Lollipops
Lift anyone’s spirits with this cute and easy Halloween craft for toddlers from Happiness Is Homemade. These adorable ghouls are a breeze to make and add a dose of sweetness to any spooky celebration. You can even make a few to hand out to trick-or-treaters!
What you need: Lollipops of your choice; coffee filters; black Sharpie or marker; small rubber bands; thin ribbon or twine
How to make them: Secure coffee filters over the lollipop with a rubber band to make the ghost’s head. Tie a piece of ribbon over the rubber band, then draw on the ghost’s eyes and mouth using the black marker.
Painted Pumpkin Acorns
Bring the outdoors in with these painted pumpkin acorns from Giggle Hearts. This Halloween craft for toddlers will have your munchkins exploring nature in a whole new light.
What you need: Acorns; orange and green acrylic paint; paintbrush
How to make them: Gather your acorns, clean them if necessary and paint away! Once they’re dry, you can gather the acorns to put in a bowl for decoration.
Pumpkin Handprint
This pumpkin-themed Halloween craft for toddlers, from Teach Me Mommy, doubles as a special keepsake for you and your family.
What you need: One cup salt; 1 cup flour; half-cup water; knife; small drinking glass; orange, brown and green paint; photo of your child
How to make it: Use the first three ingredients to create dough, then roll it out to about a 1-centimeter thick. Cut the dough into the shape of a pumpkin and stem. Have your tot press their hand lightly into the dough so it leaves a print. Use a drinking glass to gently twist out a hole in the palm of the print. Bake it in the oven at 160°F for 3 hours. Once it’s done, take it out and leave overnight to dry out more. The next day, paint the pumpkin, let it dry and add your photo.
If your child has mastered their use of a glue stick and small scissors, they have the potential to conjure up a whole cauldron worth of adorable crafts. From spooky decorations to scary-smart classroom gifts, these fun Halloween craft ideas for preschoolers bring out the spirit of the season.
Mummy Pumpkins
Pumpkin carving isn’t the only way to decorate this spooky season. This Halloween craft for preschoolers from Entertain Your Toddler is cute, easy and, best of all, doesn’t require any sharp tools.
What you’ll need: A pumpkin; white gauze; googly eyes; scissors; glue
How to make it: Help your child glue one end of the gauze to their pumpkin, then wrap it around and glue the other end to the pumpkin too (cut off any extra gauze). Then glue your googly eyes to the pumpkin between the gauze and voila, you have a mummified pumpkin.
Painted Pumpkins
You don’t have to get too fancy when it comes to preschool Halloween crafts. In fact, some of the best ideas are also the simplest. Let your child’s imagination soar with this simple painted pumpkins craft from Where Imagination Grows.
What you’ll need: Pumpkin in your preferred size; acrylic paints; paint brush; paint smock or shirt
How to make it: Set up your station outside or on an inside table lined with newspaper. Set our pumpkins, paints, brushes and cups of water. Outfit your kiddos in their painting shirts or smocks and let them paint away! Allow the pumpkins to dry, then display them on your porch or somewhere indoors.
Colorful Skull Luminaries
Welcome trick-or-treaters with these spooky lanterns from Crafts by Amanda.com. If your kiddo loves stenciling, they’ll proudly take their skills to the next level with this Halloween preschool craft.
What you’ll need: Glass jars; Con-Tact paper; pen; scissors; cosmetic sponge; skull pattern; acrylic paint; tea light candles or LED tea lights
How to make it: Paint the jars. Trace and cut out the skull pattern onto the contact paper. Use it as a stencil to create the ghostly faces, then light them up with tea lights.
Spirit Jugs
Here’s one way to get your kids to drink their milk: Show them the fabulous Halloween lantern they can make once the jug is empty, courtesy of Eighteen25. Bonus: this easy Halloween craft for preschoolers only requires a handful of items you probably already have at home. Make one or make a bunch to light up your porch or walkway for trick-or-treaters.
What you need: An empty, clean gallon milk jug; black permanent marker; craft knife; low-wattage holiday lights
How to make it: Draw a spooky or silly ghost face onto the milk jug. Use a craft knife (parents, this is on you) to cut a hole in the jug’s lower back side so it’s big enough to stuff lights inside.
Tissue Box Monster
Instead of tossing your empty tissue boxes in the recycling bin, get crafty with your kids to create a silly-not-spooky monster family, just like Giggles Galore. You can leave this preschool Halloween craft as is, or stuff it with Halloween candy.
What you need: An empty tissue box; egg carton; white paper or craft foam; paint; googly eyes; glue; scissors
How to make them: Paint and decorate your tissue box as you like. Cut out jagged teeth on either white paper or craft foam and glue the flat side just inside of the box opening. Cut egg-carton eyes (use one, two, three or more); secure googlies to them, and glue on the top of the box.
Halloween Mummy Jar
Cast a spooky light on Halloween night with these mummy jars from the Creative Ramblings blog. This preschool Halloween craft idea is great for little monsters. Only two steps and it’s a wrap!
What you need: Gauze; empty and clean jar; glue; googly eyes; optional holiday lights or tea lights
How it works: Glue the gauze onto the jar and add on googly eyes. To make the jar glow, parents can add a small tea light candle or holiday lights inside the open jar.
Jack-O-Lantern Suncatchers
One of the best ways to keep your little ones entertained is with this Halloween craft for preschoolers from Entertain Your Toddler. It’s also a great way to boost kids’ fine motor skills.
What you’ll need: Con-Tact paper; orange tissue paper; black and green construction paper; scissors; marker; masking tape
How to make it: Once you have your materials assembled, cut out your shapes. Use the orange tissue paper to cut small squares; the black construction paper for small triangles; and the green construction paper for small stems. Next, cut the contact paper into 8 in or 10 in squares. Peel off the backing of the contact paper and tape it to a table or other flat, sturdy surface. Draw a pumpkin for your kiddos on the contact paper and have them decorate it with the orange squares, black triangles (for the face) and a green stem. Peel the back of a second contact paper square and carefully cover the pumpkin, pressing out any pockets of air. Lastly, cut out the shape of the pumpkin and display it in your window
Beaded Pumpkin Pipe Cleaner
Creative Child gives a simple pipe cleaner craft a Halloween makeover with beads. They’re a perfect choice for older preschoolers who love to decorate and play with them (and won’t put one in their mouth!).
What you need: Orange and green pipe cleaners; orange and green pony beads; scissors
How to make it: Have your kiddo string on their beads, then shape the pipe cleaner into the shape of a pumpkin. Make sure to cut any sharp wires before handing it back to them.
Halloween Hand Soap
This fun and easy Halloween craft from Little Bins for Little Hands is a great way to get kids excited about hand-washing, especially before eating those Halloween treats.
What you need: Clear hand wash or sanitizer; small plastic halloween items like these skull beads
How to make it: This one’s super easy: Collect your favorite Halloween items and have your kiddo put them into the bottle of hand sanitizer or hand soap. Make sure they wash their hands afterward!
Tea Light Witches
Hocus-pocus! This bright idea for a Halloween preschool craft, from Smart School House, will cast a spell on grown-ups and kids alike.
What you need: Green flameless tea lights; googly eyes; black, purple and yellow felt; glue; ribbon; purple and black rhinestones
How to make them: Cut out a felt hat, and help your kiddo attach it to the light along with eyes, mouth and any other embellishments. Add a ribbon to hang, and you’re ready to light the way for trick-or-treaters.
Witch’s Potion
This magical DIY Halloween craft from The Craft Train allows your kiddos to stir up their creative juices and uses ingredients you already have in your pantry.
What you need: Water; dish soap; liquid watercolors; salt; clear cups; spoons
How to make it: Set out the materials and allow your little witches and wizards (and potential scientists!) to brew up their own potions. They’ll have fun watching them bubble up, while also learning what happens when different ingredients are mixed together. (Just make sure the kiddos are supervised throughout!)
Witches Broom Halloween Treats
One of the simplest Halloween crafts for preschoolers is this one from Exploring Domesticity. Bonus: It’ll transform those trusty Number 2’s into a spellbinding sweet treat.
What you need: Dum-dums lollipops; pencils; brown craft paper; masking tape
How to make them: Help your child cut the strips of the craft paper into fringes, then wrap it around a new, unsharpened pencil and Dum-dum lollipop. Hold it all together with masking tape.
Halloween Spider Slime
Halloween crafts for preschoolers don’t have to be just about paper and glue. Why not brew up some spider-specked gooeyness too? Lucky you, the folks at The TipToe Fairy have masterminded a super- simple potion.
What you need: Glue; water; liquid starch; glitter; halloween confetti
How to make it: Pour the glue into a bowl and add in the water, glitter and confetti. Stir the mixture and slowly add the starch until the mixture becomes thick and forms a glob. Knead the slime with your hands and use water to get rid of any stickiness. Now for the fun part: Let your kids play with the slime! (Just make sure to supervise them as they play, since the slime is glue-based.)
Glowing Eyes
These eerie eyeballs are watching you! Make your own glowing pair with help from this preschool Halloween craft from Red Ted Art. Then place them in a dark entryway or around the walkway to light a path for trick-or-treaters.
What you need: Stones; white, green and glow in the dark paint; black and red markers; brushes; a sponge
How to make them: Take a walk to collect stones with your kiddo. To make the craft, paint pairs of stones with glow in the dark paint, and then draw on any details.
Cat & Pumpkin Paper Plate Masks
A classic Halloween craft idea for preschoolers is making masks from pumpkins plates. This one from Oh Happy Day sways more cute than spooky, and it’s very easy to make.
What you need: Paper plates; cat and pumpkin template; colorful cardstock; glue stick; scissors; rainbow-striped straws
How to make them: Cut out the templates for your kiddo, then help arrange them on a paper plate and glue. Finish by adding the straw handle.
Vampire Wooden Spoon Puppets
Mwa-ha-ha! Easy Peasy and Fun brings Transylvania straight to your home with this vamped up Halloween craft for preschoolers.
What you need: Wooden spoons; googly eyes; purple and black paint; white puffy paint; black fabric; red ribbon; scissors; paintbrush; glue; black marker
How to make them: Paint the spoons and let them dry. Then, draw on the mouth and hair, and glue on the googly eyes. Once it’s dry, cut a piece of the black fabric and red ribbon and wrap both around the spoon puppet to make a cape. Put on a puppet show with your kiddos or use them to dress up your Halloween dinner table.
Halloween Rock Magnets
Halloween rocks—as does this cool preschool Halloween craft idea from This Heart of Mine. Get ready to show off these Halloween Rock magnets on the fridge! (While this craft is safe for preschoolers, magnets are not. Keep these and the adhesive out of reach of any kiddos.)
What you need: Smooth rocks; paint; paint pens; magnets; strong adhesive glue
How to make them: Help your child paint the rocks a solid color. Once dry, have them add on any details they wish using the paint pens. Once the rocks are ready, glue on the magnets. (For safety reasons, it’s best to do this away from any kids. Also make sure you’re using a strong adhesive to prevent the rocks from falling off.)
Puffy Ghosts
These jolly plush ghosts, courtesy of Thriving Home are super kid-friendly and parent-friendly too—you’ll find all the materials at the drugstore or in your closet.
What you’ll need: White cardstock paper; scissors; glue; cotton balls; black paper
How to make it: Cut out a ghost from the cardstock, add a layer of glue to it and then glue on the cotton balls. Finish the ghost with silly facial features you’ve cut from the black sheet of paper.
Paper Plate Monster Masks
Have a ball—or even a masquerade ball—with this whimsical Halloween craft for preschoolers from Oriental Trading. The more items you have to stick on, the sillier the mask.
What you need: White paper plates; glue stick; markers; construction paper; scissors; paper straws; hot glue gun; 1” circle punch; optional: pipe cleaners and googly eyes
How to make them: Cut a plate in half and have your kiddo decorate it with markers, paper cut-outs, pipe cleaners and other easy-to-glue household items. Then punch out the eyes for them and glue on the straw handle. (Note: Kids should not be handling the hot glue gun and should only handle the hole punch with supervision.)
Mummy Lace-up
Work those fine motor skills and bring on some Halloween-inspired fun with this lacing Halloween craft from Our Kid Things.
What you need: Sturdy white paper plate; white yarn; extra-large googly eyes; black marker; hole punch; scissors; glue
How to make it: Help your child create a face on the plate with the googly eyes and black marker. Next, punch holes around the perimeter of the plate for them, each being about a half-inch apart—then start lacing! Help your child go up, through and across in every which way until your mummy is all bandaged up.
Easy Paper Spider Webs
You can never have enough spider webs on Halloween. This preschool Halloween craft is courtesy of This Heart of Mine—and it’s just as pretty as its wintry-white, snowflake counterparts.
What you need: Black paper; scissors; ruler; twine; glue stick; binder clips
How to make it: Fold the paper in an accordion style, and cut rectangles out of one side. Repeat these steps with another sheet of paper. Using the glue stick, glue both pieces so they form a circle. (You can use the binder clips to help with the gluing process.) Add twine and toy spiders if you like, then hang the spider webs around the house.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Navigate forward to interact with the calendar and select a date. Press the question mark key to get the keyboard shortcuts for changing dates.
