Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably juggling 50 things at once—pumpkin carving, costume planning, and oh, don’t forget the candy stash you’ve already eaten through (no judgment!). But what if we could throw some fun, easy, and totally mess-free (well, almost) Halloween crafts into the mix to keep the little ones entertained without going full-on Pinterest mom?
Grab your glue guns and spooky vibes because I’ve got 10 unique DIY Halloween crafts that are low-maintenance but high on fun. Bonus: You likely have half this stuff already lying around the house!
1. Paper Plate Pumpkins
• What you need: Paper plates, orange paint or crayons, black construction paper, glue.
• How to make it: Let your kids go wild painting their paper plates orange. Once they’ve dried, cut out some spooky or silly jack-o’-lantern faces from black construction paper and let the kids glue them on. Ta-da! Instant pumpkin that won’t rot on your doorstep.
2. Ghostly Glove Puppets
• What you need: White latex gloves, cotton balls, markers, googly eyes.
• How to make it: Stuff the gloves with cotton balls until they’re puffed out like little ghost hands. Draw on spooky faces (or slap on some googly eyes for extra charm), and you’ve got yourself a puppet show ready to go! Bonus points if you get creative with scary voices.
3. Spooky Toilet Paper Roll Bats
• What you need: Empty toilet paper rolls, black paint or markers, black construction paper, googly eyes.
• How to make it: Paint or color your empty TP rolls black. Then cut out little bat wings from the construction paper and glue them on. Stick on some googly eyes, and you’ve got yourself a whole colony of bats to hang around the house (pun intended!).
4. Monster Rock Painting
• What you need: Smooth rocks (the bigger, the better!), paint, googly eyes, markers.
• How to make it: Next time you’re out for a walk, collect some rocks. When you get home, let the kids paint them into little monsters—green, purple, spots, stripes, the works! Add googly eyes and some marker-drawn teeth, and you’ve got a rock-solid Halloween decoration.
5. Paper Cup Spiders
• What you need: Black paper cups, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue.
• How to make it: Turn those paper cups upside down and poke holes for the pipe cleaner legs. Bend the pipe cleaners so they look like creepy-crawly spider legs. Glue on some googly eyes, and suddenly you’ve got the friendliest (or freakiest) spiders around.
6. DIY Frankenstein Mason Jars
• What you need: Empty jars, green and black paint, paintbrush, glue, googly eyes.
• How to make it: Paint your mason jars Frankenstein green. Add a black painted “hair” at the top, glue on googly eyes, and paint a little mouth and some stitches. These jars are perfect for holding candy or little trinkets—or just looking spooky on the shelf!
7. Popsicle Stick Haunted House
• What you need: Popsicle sticks, paint, glue, markers.
• How to make it: Glue popsicle sticks together in a square to make the base of your haunted house. Let your kids paint the sticks in spooky colors, and then draw on windows, doors, and ghosts. It’s like a gingerbread house but without all the sugar and mess!
8. Handprint Ghosts
• What you need: White paint, black construction paper, markers.
• How to make it: This one’s super simple (and great for toddlers!). Dip your kid’s hand in white paint and have them press it onto black construction paper. Once the paint dries, use a black marker to add little ghost faces. You’ve got yourself a hauntingly cute keepsake.
9. Egg Carton Eyeballs
• What you need: Empty egg cartons, paint, googly eyes, markers.
• How to make it: Cut the individual egg cups out of the carton and paint them like creepy eyeballs—red veins, green or blue irises, whatever freaks you out! Glue on googly eyes for an extra pop of spookiness. Scatter these around your Halloween party for an eerie vibe.
10. Pumpkin Balloon Characters
• What you need: Orange balloons, markers, string, googly eyes (optional).
• How to make it: Blow up some orange balloons and let your kids draw on jack-o’-lantern faces with markers. Add some string to hang them around the house. If you’re feeling extra fancy, glue on some googly eyes to give your pumpkin characters more personality. You can even make a whole pumpkin family!
These DIY Halloween crafts are not only budget-friendly but also a blast to make with your kiddos. So, let the creative chaos begin! Whether you’re crafting paper plate pumpkins or turning rocks into monsters, these projects will keep your little goblins busy—and your home decked out in festive style. Happy crafting, and may your glue gun be ever in your favor!
