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Need easy and cheap DIY Halloween crafts even your kids can help make? We’ve got you covered. A lot of the ideas are easy Halloween crafts for kids and require items that you probably have around your house such as paint, a Sharpie, cardstock paper, and tape.

You may have to break out the glue gun or power tools for outdoor and more complex tasks, but it’s worth the trouble. Planning ahead is your best-bet approach, and you could delegate tasks to your family to tackle the festive duties.

And if you’re in the market for cheap Halloween costumes and candy, shopping on our Halloween deals page is a must. As long as you’re in the Halloween spirit, these tips could also help you in your party planning:

1. Make a DIY Halloween craft from plastic trick-or-treat pails — a pumpkin totem.

A light-up Halloween pumpkin totem made from plastic trick-or-treat pumpkin pails and a witch hat set up in a garden.

Don’t limit your DIY Halloween crafts just to the indoors — impress your party guests and trick-or-treaters with a light up pumpkin totem.

You’ll need:

A person pointing to the holes drilled into the bottom of a plastic trick-or-treat pumpkin pail, and someone stacking multiple pails on a metal rod sticking out of the ground.

Begin by cutting two holes in the bottom of each pumpkin pail:

  • One center hole that’s barely larger than the stake used to assemble them
  • One 1.5-inch hole to pull the sting of lights through.

The 1.5-inch hole is necessary for the light plug to fit through. To make the bottom pumpkin sit flat, run the light cord out the back instead of the bottom.

Insert your stake into the ground, then string white lights through the largest holes. One at a time, lower the pumpkins onto the stake.

Finish off your totem by using wire to attach a witch’s hat to the top. Look for an inexpensive hat at the dollar store or Target’s Dollar Spot, Bullseye Playground.

 

2. Attach DIY paper bats to the inside of a lamp shade with double-sided tape.

A person attaching bat cutouts to the inside of a lamp shade with double sided tape.

Here’s a DIY Halloween craft that your guests will go batty for. Using black cardstock and a bat template (try the one from Made Everyday), lay the template over the paper and cut out the bat. Repeat for each bat.

Add double-stick tape to the back of each bat, and place them strategically on the underside of your lamp shade. Alternatively, bat stickers could help you in a pinch. With the extra cutouts, decorate your walls.

 

3. Use a trick-or-treat pumpkin pail to dress up an outdoor light.

A person covering an outdoor light with a trick-or-treat pumpkin pail, and the pumpkin pail glowing at night.

Secure the pail in place with zip ties and ensure that no part of the light bulb touches the plastic. If your outdoor light shade is large or hard to remove, try cutting a hole in the back of the pail, making it just large enough to slip onto the light.

 

4. Serve chilled creepy crawlies in drinks by freezing plastic spiders in an ice cube tray.

Someone taking ice cubes with plastic spiders in them out of an ice tray and putting them in glass drinkware.

You may want to warn your guests before they scream at you. Grab a pack of plastic spiders, add them to your ice tray with water, and freeze for several hours. Volunteer to make the Halloween party drinks and watch their facial expressions.

 

5. Tie craft pumpkins together to make a DIY fall bunting.

A person tying craft pumpkins together to make a fall bunting, and the finished product hanging across a mantle.

Pumpkin decorations are perfect for Halloween and other fall gatherings. Find styrofoam pumpkins at Dollar Tree, Walmart, or Amazon. Simply attach string to the pumpkin stems and hang in your desired area. If you can only find white pumpkins, use craft acrylic paint to paint them in assorted colors. Consider adding some glitter or glow-in-the-dark paint.

 

 

6. Make DIY Halloween craft monster pencils by gluing pom-poms and googly eyes onto eraser caps.

A person making little monsters by hot gluing pom pom balls and goggly eyes onto Halloween pencils.

Glue a pom-pom ball to the top of a pencil eraser cap. Add googly eyes and pop the eraser cap onto a pencil. These make for great additions to Halloween treat bags. Halloween pencils are plentiful at dollar stores, but if you don’t want to wait for their seasonal stock, Amazon has Halloween themed pencils available now.

 

7. Create the ultimate DIY Halloween teacher’s gift by turning a mason jar into a candy-filled pumpkin.

A person putting candy into mason jars that have been decorated to look like pumpkins.

If you need a fun and creative Halloween craft to bring to school or pass out at a party, this is a project that everyone can help with. Whether it’s cutting out felt leaves or filling it with candy, make this your next weekend craft.

You’ll need:

A person holding up two cans of orange spray paint next to some painted mason jars, and someone painting the lids and rims of the mason jars with brown paint.

Use orange spray paint to coat the outside of a mason jar. To ensure the paint sticks well, use a glass primer first (Rust-Oleum has a paint and primer spray). Try to avoid getting paint on the inside of the jar since you’ll be filling it with treats.

Paint the ring, cap, and a wooden knob (found in the wood section at your local craft store) with brown paint. Let the items dry thoroughly — at least one hour.

A person placing a knob onto the lid of a mason jar to look like the stem of the pumpkin, and another finished mason jar pumpkin surrounded by candy.

Attach felt leaves (here’s a leaf template) and curled green and brown paper to the knob, and secure it to the top of the jar. Fill the jar with candy and gift it. I’m pretty sure your gift recipients will be impressed.

 

8. Make this easy Halloween craft and DIY table lamp with a faux pumpkin and drill.

A plastic pumpkin with small drill holes all over it, and light shining through.

It’s time to light up your Halloween crafts with the help of a drill. This is definitely an adult-only project, but you could let the kiddos choose the pumpkin or help clean as you go. Now, get started!

You’ll need:

A person using a drill and light cord to turn a faux pumpkin into a lamp.

Carefully drill holes all over your craft pumpkin. Create variation by using different-sized drill bits.

Using a 1-inch spade drill bit, cut a hole in the back of the pumpkin that’s large enough for the clip-in light. Voilà!

For a more nontraditional route, choose faux pumpkins in bright colors like teal and hot pink for added fun. You could always use them for another celebration.

 

9. Use spray paint to transform a trick-or-treat pumpkin pail into a DIY Halloween faux copper flower pot.

A person holding up a can of copper spray paint and a trick-or-treat pumpkin pail, and the faux copper flower pot finished piece with flowers in it.

Spray the outside of a pumpkin pail with hammered copper spray paint. Once dry, pop in a fall plant and enjoy. When Halloween is over, turn the jack-o-lantern face around to continue enjoying this easy Halloween craft through the fall season.

 

10. Cut and hang black trash bags over doorways for an easy DIY Halloween decoration.

Black trash bags cut into strips hanging on the ceiling of a front porch for decoration.

When you’re in a pinch for a quick DIY Halloween craft, a black trash bag can come in handy. With the bag laying flat, use sharp scissors to create a fringed look (1-inch wide strips). Be sure not to cut all the way through, and it’s ok if the lines aren’t straight. Tape or staple the fringed bag for a creepy doorway effect.

 

 

11. Turn candleholders into mummies with gauze and googly eyes for easy Halloween crafts.

Candle holders lit and unlit with gauze wrapped around around them, googly eyes glued on to make them look like mummys

Talk about cheap and easy Halloween crafts for kids. You literally only need three items to get this done. Plus, it’ll look cool on your party table or even on your front porch for trick-or-treaters.

You’ll need:

Wrap gauze around each candle holder and secure it with a hot glue gun. Glue googly eyes to complete the look. Most of these items can be purchased at Dollar Tree for a cheaper price.

Someone wrapping a glass candle holder in gauze and applying some googly eyes to make it look like a mummy.

 

12. Turn lollipops into edible spiders with pipe cleaners and googly eyes.

Pipe cleaners being twisted around a lollipop candy.

I’m not a fan of real spiders, but edible ones are manageable as long as they don’t look too scary. Kids will get a kick out of making these tasty arachnids.

You’ll need:

Twist four pipe cleaners around the base of a lollipop, bending the ends to look like feet. Finalize your design by gluing on googly eyes.

If you’re afraid you’ll end up with too much candy, then check out these fun ways to use leftover Halloween candy!

 

13. Fill a mason jar with styrofoam, moss, and gauze to make a Ghost in a Jar.

 

Mason jars are craft essentials because they’re so versatile … and super easy DIY Halloween crafts.

Head to your local craft store (or trusty Amazon) and grab the following items:

Instructions:

  1. Use the Sharpie to trace the inside of the lid onto the disk.
  2. Cut out the circle and glue it to the underside of the lid.
  3. With the disk glued in place, stick your twig into it.
  4. Cut a small piece of gauze and loosely wrap it around the Styrofoam ball.
  5. Add eyes to the ball with the Sharpie.
  6. Hang the “ghost” onto one of the twigs, and screw the jar onto the lid.

You could add mini LED lights to really make the ghost glow.

 

14. Use cotton balls, paper, and glue for Halloween crafts for preschoolers.

Preschoolers will appreciate this bootiful craft because they can customize it with cutouts and brightly colored construction paper. Draw an outline of a ghost on the paper, glue the cotton balls, and cut out eyes and a mouth to glue on top of the balls. Orange glitter spray would work well here. Now, hang it where everyone can see it.

 

15. Give your guests DIY Halloween treat bags.

Even with store-bought treat bags, you can add some pizzazz with stickers; custom thank-you cards, and hand-selected candy and favors. Buying pre-printed Halloween paper bags saves time, but even plain brown paper bags have the ability to be fun Halloween crafts for kids.

Before your party, set up a bag-filling station with an assortment of items and let your family decorate and add items. A trip to Dollar Tree is what will keep this project extremely low in cost.

 

 

16. Fill jars or vases with cotton balls, spider rings, and glow sticks to make Halloween centerpieces.

someone putting glow sticks into mason jar filled with cotton balls and fake spiders and jar lit up

Not only does this craft tackle the theme, but it doubles as a light source — perfect for lining your porch, driveway, backyard, or on your party tables.

You’ll need:

Add cotton balls to a glass Mason jar. Gently squeeze in spider rings along the sides and add glow sticks to create a spooky effect. You can keep them for next year, too. Just replace the glow sticks!

 

17. Build a Halloween fairy garden in a cauldron pot.

A woman putting a small fairy witch into a Halloween themed fairy garden

If you’re crafty (which you obviously are if you’re reading this), you can make this Halloween idea using a large terracotta pot, an apple crate, a witch’s cauldron, or even a mini teacup. Just add rocks, moss, flowers, and miniatures to finish your theme. We have the step-by-step instructions for the Halloween fairy garden so it’s easier to assemble.

 

18. Attach full size candy together to form Halloween stick figures.

Sometimes those huge assorted candy bags come with too many of the items that you may not like. You could always just pass them off to trick-or-treaters or assign a fun craft to your bored youngins.

You’ll need:

Instructions:

  1. Hot glue the round chocolate face to the front of the mini bar.
  2. Flip the body face down and hot glue the arms.
  3. Glue a piece of ribbon to the back of the head to hang (optional).

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19. Decorate rocks with silly faces using acrylic paint.

Scare your friends and family with spooky — and perhaps friendly looking — painted rocks. Acrylic paint from Dollar Tree will keep this budget friendly.

You’ll need:

After the paint is dry, draw on faces and hot glue googly eyes. Glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint would be a cool option for after-dark Halloween games.

 

20. Create a Halloween wreath for your front door.

Don’t you love easy DIY Halloween crafts that only require two items? I sure do. Grab a 14-inch (at least) foam wreath form and Halloween washi tape. Wrap the tape around the foam, walk to your front door, hang it, and go eat a snack (you deserve it). You may need to stick a little tape or hot glue the initial wrap to secure it in place.

 

 

21. Paint craft sticks and turn them into Halloween stick puppets.

Sharpies, acrylic paint, craft sticks, googly eyes, and your imagination are all the supplies that are needed to tackle this super easy craft. Of course, you could always buy pre-colored craft sticks. Set up a craft table to share in the fun by letting others make their own stick.

 

22. Melt crayons over faux pumpkins to create a colorful downpour look.

You won’t need much to create this unique and colorful Halloween craft. It’s actually perfect for year-round decor.

You’ll need:

Two photos side-by-side; a person and hearing a crayon to the top of an artificial pumpkin. A person using a blow dryer to melt the colorful crayons onto an artificial pumpkin.

Instructions:

  1. Peel the paper from the crayons and glue to the top of the pumpkin, with the tip pointing outward.
  2. Before melting, place the pumpkin on a drop cloth to catch the drips.
  3. Point your blow dryer or heat gun directly over the crayons (then different angles) until they begin melting.
  4. Let cool to harden.

 

23. Use pushpins and acrylic paint to add elegance to your real pumpkins.

As you can tell, acrylic paint should be in your craft box year-round. Here’s a chance to jazz up your real pumpkins. You can either steadily paint them in neat vertical stripes or use painter’s tape to form clean lines. Gold pushpins can really take your pumpkin up a level.

 

24. Use a Sharpie to turn regular wine glasses into wicked goblets for Halloween drinks.

glasses of wine with a red beverage in them and spiderwebs drawn on the stem of the glasses

You’ll need wine glasses and an oil-based Sharpie for this craft, which is perfect for adults during and after your party.

Use an oil-based Sharpie to design a simple cobweb design on the stem of each wine glass. You may spend a little more on the Sharpie, but you can make a ton of Dollar Tree Halloween wine glasses with it!

Tip: Use the Sharpie to personalize each wine glass with a guest’s name and decorate the stems with this simple spider web effect.

someone holding wine glass next to a sharpie paint pen and drawing on stem of wine glass

You could even throw a party and make your own costume (be sure to use Spirit Halloween savings tips)!

 

25. Wrap glass bottles with Witch’s Brew labels to dress up drinks.

We told you that templates were the way to go! Here’s a quick and free way to bring a smile to your party guests. Print the Witch’s Brew template and tape them around each bottle. Plan to do this the day before your party, and enlist help.

 

25 Easy & Cheap DIY Halloween Crafts Anyone Can Make