Simple Halloween Crafts for kids

This is a guest post by Blythe Tai from Education.com

It’s almost time for the spookiest holiday of the year: Halloween! There’s something magical about the lead-up to October 31st; While it’s a great holiday for people of all ages, young children might feel a little left out during the Halloween season. A lot are too young to go to haunted houses, watch scary movies, and carve pumpkins. But never fear; there are a lot of Halloween activities that are great for little children! We’ve selected some of the best Halloween activities for kids aged 3-6.

Halloween Craft for Kids 1: Spider Craft

Make some leggy spiders with your child for a fun and simple Halloween craft! Take a paper egg carton, and help your child cut out one section out of the carton. Place the carton section open-side down on the workspace, and invite your child to paint it. Any shade will work for a colorful spider, but Halloween spiders look best in black. Once the paint is dry, help your child poke four holes on each side of the spider, then have him/her insert a pipe cleaner into each hole and bend to form the legs. Put the finishing touches on your spider by gluing on a pair of googly eyes and bending the pipe cleaners to give the spider knees and feet. These spiders stand nicely on their own, but they also look great in groups and arranged on yarn webs.

Halloween Artsy Craft 2: Ghost Prints

This ghost painting is fun for very small children! Over newspaper or an easy-to-clean floor, have your child sit on a chair with his clean feet planted on the ground. Explain to your child that you’re going to be making a ghost with his foot! Carefully brush white paint onto the sole of your child’s foot, or have him place his foot on a paper plate filled with white paint. Place a piece of black paper in front of your child and have him step on it firmly. Help your child wipe off the excess paint on his foot. Once the footprint dries, let your child add black eyes and a mouth to his footprint to turn it into a howling ghost! Kids that are beginning to write can trace phrases such as “Boo!” or “Happy Halloween!” on a separate strip of paper, then glue it next to the ghost on the black sheet.

Halloween Craft for kids 3: Picasso Pumpkins

A lot of kids are too young to carve their own pumpkin, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out on making a Jack-o’-lantern! This découpage Jack-o’-lantern is inspired by the works of Picasso, and will add a unique and quirky twist to your lineup of glowing Halloween pumpkins. You can help prepare this craft for your child by ripping out pictures of faces from magazines or, for very small children, cutting out individual facial features from pictures. Give your child a small pumpkin, a paint brush, and a disposable container filled with glue. Have your child select the first feature that he wants on his pumpkin face, then show your child how to carefully brush glue onto the back of the picture before placing it on the pumpkin. Let your child continue until the pumpkin has an entire face! If desired, add a finishing touch the artistic pumpkin by placing yarn or felt on the top for hair.