Halloween Crafts for Kids: Easy Ideas by Age

The best Halloween crafts for kids use paper, glue, paint and recycled items you already have at home, and match the child's age: simple handprint or sticker crafts for toddlers, cut-and-glue paper animals for preschoolers, and multi-step projects like lanterns or puppets for school-age children. Below you will find ideas by age, a materials table, safety tips, and a gentle, not-scary Halloween bedtime story to end the day.

Easy Halloween crafts for toddlers (ages 1–3)

Toddlers enjoy the process more than the result. Keep each activity to 10–15 minutes, do all cutting yourself, and stay right next to them.

1. Handprint pumpkin

Paint your toddler's palm orange with washable paint and press it onto paper, fingers pointing down. Turn it upside down and it becomes a pumpkin; add a green stem with a fingerprint. Write the date and child's name for a keepsake.

2. Sticker spider web

Draw a simple web on paper with a thick marker. Give your toddler large stickers (spiders, stars, leaves) to place anywhere on the web. Great for fine motor skills, with no glue needed.

3. Paper plate ghost

Give your child a white paper plate and let them glue on cotton balls (supervised, and put them away afterward). You add two big black paper eyes. Tape a ribbon at the top and hang it up.

4. Pumpkin painting

Use a small pumpkin and washable paint or chunky crayons. No carving and no tools for this age.

Halloween crafts for preschoolers (ages 3–5)

Preschoolers can use child-safe scissors with help, follow two or three steps and love telling you what they made.

5. Paper bat

Fold a black paper rectangle in half, draw half a bat shape along the fold (or use a printable template) and help your child cut it out. Open it, add paper eyes and fold the wings slightly so it "flies". Hang several from a string for a bat garland.

6. Toilet roll monsters

Paint empty cardboard tubes in bright colors. When dry, add googly eyes, paper teeth, pipe cleaner arms and yarn hair. Each child can name their monster and tell its story.

7. Pumpkin paper chain

Cut strips of orange and green paper. Your child loops and glues or tapes them into a chain. Make it a countdown: remove one link each day until Halloween.

8. Friendly ghost windsock

Roll white paper into a tube and tape it. Draw a smiley face, then glue or tape long strips of white crepe paper or tissue to the bottom. Hang it near a window.

Halloween crafts for school-age kids (ages 6–10)

Older children can follow instructions, measure, cut and work more independently.

9. Paper lanterns

Fold an A4 sheet lengthwise, cut slits from the fold toward the edge, open it and roll it into a lantern. Decorate with pumpkin or star cut-outs. Light it only with a battery tea light, never a real candle.

10. Paper bag puppets

Turn brown lunch bags into a black cat, an owl, a friendly witch or a pumpkin. Children can then put on a short puppet show for the family.

11. Printable mask

Print a free mask outline or draw one on cardstock. Kids color, cut, punch holes and add elastic. Make sure the eye holes are large enough to see well.

12. Leaf creatures

Collect autumn leaves on a walk, press them flat for a day, then glue onto paper and add googly eyes and marker details to make owls, bats and foxes.

13. Mini story book

Fold three sheets of paper in half and staple the spine. Your child writes and illustrates their own "not-too-spooky" Halloween story. It is a craft, a writing activity and a bedtime story in one.

Materials table

Craft safety tips

• Small parts: googly eyes, beads, buttons and pom-poms are choking hazards for children under 3. Keep them away from toddlers or replace them with drawn or paper eyes.
• Non-toxic supplies: choose washable, non-toxic paints, markers and glue sticks.
• Scissors: child-safe scissors for preschoolers; adults handle any craft knife.
• No open flames: use battery tea lights in lanterns and jack-o'-lanterns. Real candles near paper decorations are a fire risk.
• Pumpkin carving: adults carve; children scoop seeds and draw the face.
• Masks and costumes: the AAP's Halloween safety tips suggest making sure masks do not block vision; face paint is often a good alternative.
• Clean up: put away small items and plastic bags right after crafting.

Keeping Halloween fun, not frightening

Young children are still learning the difference between pretend and real, so a scary mask or a spooky decoration can upset them, especially close to bedtime. Choose friendly characters (smiling pumpkins, cuddly bats, silly ghosts), let children touch and hold a mask before anyone wears it, and do the craft session earlier in the day. In the evening, a calm routine helps an excited child come back down; we explain why in Winding down: the order matters more than the clock.

A gentle Halloween bedtime story

Here is an original, not-scary story you can read after a day of crafting. Swap in your child's name and their favorite craft.

The Little Paper Bat On Halloween afternoon, Sam folded a piece of black paper, cut carefully along the line, and opened it up. Out came a little paper bat with two round eyes. "Hello," said Sam. "Your name is Pip." That evening, Sam hung Pip by the window. Outside, pumpkins glowed with soft little lights, and children in costumes laughed on their way home. When the house grew quiet, Pip wiggled his paper wings. "I've never seen the night before," he whispered. "Is it scary?" The moon leaned closer. "Not at all," she said. "The night is just the day with its eyes closed. Look: the owl is saying goodnight to the trees. The cat is curled up on the porch. The pumpkins are winking their last winks." Pip looked. The night was blue and silver and very, very calm. He swung gently in the breeze from the window, back and forth, back and forth. In the bed, Sam yawned. "Goodnight, Pip." "Goodnight, Sam," Pip whispered. "Thank you for making me." And the little paper bat and the little child both closed their eyes, while the moon kept watch until morning.

Want more short tales and tips on reading aloud? Try Short bedtime stories: 3 five-minute tales.

Make your child the hero of the story

Children love hearing their own name in a story, and Halloween is a perfect moment for it. With Nori Tales, you can create a personalized children's book where your child and their favorite heroes are the main characters. Each week brings a new 7-chapter book, one chapter per night, in text, illustrated or audio formats, guided by a values-by-age programme for ages 1 to 12. See what suits this age on the Nori Tales page for ages 4–6.

Frequently asked questions

What are easy Halloween crafts for kids?

Handprint pumpkins, paper plate ghosts, paper bats, pumpkin paper chains and toilet roll monsters are among the easiest. They need only paper, glue, paint and a few recycled items, and most take 10–30 minutes.

What Halloween crafts can kids make at home?

Almost all of the crafts above can be made at home with household supplies: paper, cardboard tubes, paper bags, paper plates and autumn leaves. Set out materials on a covered table and choose one craft per session to keep it calm.

What Halloween crafts can you make with paper?

Paper bats, paper chains, windsock ghosts, paper lanterns, paper bag puppets, masks and folded mini story books all use paper as the main material. Black, orange, white and green paper cover most designs.

Are there printable Halloween crafts for kids?

Yes. Simple outlines for bats, pumpkins and masks are easy to print or draw by hand on cardstock. Children color, cut and assemble them, which makes printables a good choice for preschool and school-age kids.

What Halloween crafts are safe for toddlers?

Choose crafts with large pieces and washable paint, such as handprint pumpkins, sticker spider webs and pumpkin painting. Avoid googly eyes, beads and other small parts for children under 3, and supervise closely.

End Halloween with a calm story

After the crafting and costumes, wind down with something gentle. Read chapter 1 free, no account needed, then create a free account to get a weekly personalized book starring your child.