7 Easy Halloween Activities for Little Kids
7 Easy Halloween Activities for Little Kids That Don’t Cost Much
Last year, I wrote about keeping Halloween fun for teenagers, and it got me thinking about all the Halloweens we’ve celebrated over the years, especially when my kids were little.
It’s funny how much changes. My kids are older now, and while we still enjoy Halloween, it’s definitely not the same as it was when they were small. I sometimes miss those years of costumes, crafts, and the excitement over the simplest things. We did a lot of activities together over the years. Some were planned, some happened because I suddenly realized Halloween was only a few days away, and others were just little things that turned into fun memories.
So, I thought I’d share some easy Halloween activities for little kids, including things we actually did over the years and a few ideas I would absolutely try if I were doing those years over again… and since I know how quickly holiday activities can add up, most of these don’t require much money or preparation.
1. Make Halloween Costumes with What You Have
I love a cute Halloween costumes and family costumes, but buying new costumes for several children or the whole family… every year can get expensive, especially when they’re only going to wear them once or twice.
Over the years, we’ve dressed up as a family several times, though not every year. We’ve bought costumes, made costumes, and thrown together a few at the last minute. Honestly, some of the ones we came up with ourselves were pretty cute!
🧠 Our Little Zombies
One year, we struggled with costume ideas. The boys wanted to be something a little “scarier”, but I really wanted us to do a family theme… so, we decided to make zombies.
The boys wore their old baseball uniforms from the year before, clothes we weren’t worried about ruining. My daughters wore regular clothes, once carried a backpack so she looked like a zombie schoolgirl, and the other wore a shirt that said “cheer”, becoming a zombie cheerleader. My husband and I dressed up too. He went as a zombie railroader… essentially wearing his normal clothes and hard hat with some face paint. I went as a zombie barista, which was basically normal clothes, a green apron, and a coffee cup.
It was pretty simple, and the kids looked great. I didn’t have to spend a fortune on costumes, and we used things we already had around the house. The clothes were either old or stained, making adding some paint not an issue. I also used a little glue to add some leaves here and there. My hubby and I didn’t add any to our clothes, but we did our faces. Below you can see us, though I can’t find one with my husband in it… he did dress and was a trooper.
♥️ Our Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards
Another year, we had an Alice in Wonderland theme going. My daughter really liked the Queen of Hearts, and I ended up buying her costume and then making oversized playing cards to go along with it. They were surprisingly easy to make!
I used poster board and drew large playing card numbers and symbols on them. I traced the designs with a pencil, so the outlines left a slight indentation in the poster board, then filled them in with red or black Sharpie. I did small numbers, so I didn’t have to draw more than I needed to. That’s really about all there was to it.
I don’t have photographs of the actual process, but I do have pictures of our finished costumes. I may even recreate one of the cards sometime because it would make a fun little DIY project to share.
🕷️ Spider-Man, a Tired Mom, and a Little Worker
We had another Halloween where the costumes were a little more last-minute. Halloween snuck up on me this year, and we worked with what we already had.
My daughter ended up dressing as a tired mom. She wore normal clothes, carried a baby, had messy hair, and had her cup of coffee. My oldest son wasn’t quite as particular about what he wanted to be that year. We ended up putting together a work outfit with a reflective vest, a hard hat, and a work shirt, inspired by the kind of things his dad wears for work. My youngest had a Spiderman mask and he paired it with normal clothes and a backpack. His concept was Spiderman heading to school, but he forgot to take his mask off… I thought it was inventive.
Nothing terribly complicated, but everyone had a costume.
I think that’s one of the things I enjoyed about making our own costumes. We didn’t need everything to be perfect, and the kids could get creative with what we already owned.
If I were putting costumes together for little kids today, I’d probably start by looking through what we already owned. There are so many possibilities with a little imagination.
A few easy ideas:
- A scarecrow: Overalls, a flannel shirt, a little face paint, and some yarn or raffia.
- A black cat: Black clothes, a homemade tail, and a pair of ears.
- A ghost: A white shirt or poncho decorated with a ghost face… or classic sheet!
- An athlete: A uniform from a sport they already play.
- A favorite book character: Start with clothes you already have and add a few recognizable accessories.
I’d also let the kids help come up with their own costumes. Sometimes their ideas are much better than anything we would think of!
🎃 Sometimes Buying a Costume Is Worth It, too!
Of course, we didn’t make all our Halloween costumes. There were plenty of years when we bought them, and honestly, some of those purchases turned out to be well worth the money.
One year, the kids really wanted to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so we bought the better masks and shells… and shirts. My husband was April, so I had to buy a red wig and I was Shredder, so I wore black with a Shredder mask.
Buying all those pieces might sound a little expensive, especially with several kids, but they didn’t just wear them for Halloween. They played with those costumes for several years afterward. I think we got something like five years of use out of them! My daughter wore that red wig while playing Ariel for years. They reused the shirts in everyday life… and I can say we got our money’s worth.
I think that’s something worth considering when you’re shopping for Halloween costumes, especially for little kids who love dressing up. A costume doesn’t necessarily have to be something they wear once and then put away forever. Masks, capes, hats, and other costume pieces can become part of their everyday dress-up collection.
Sometimes making a costume with things you already have is the best option, and sometimes spending a little money on something they’ll continue playing with makes just as much sense.
🎃 Grab a few of these helpful costume supplies!
2. Decorate Pumpkins Without All the Carving
I enjoy carved pumpkins, but anyone who has tried to carve several pumpkins with little kids knows that most of the actual carving ends up being done by the adults.
Pumpkin decorating is an easy way to let younger children do more of the project themselves.
We’ve painted pumpkins over the years, and some of the designs my kids came up with were pretty entertaining. We used acrylic paint so they could sit outside but even with that, I would put them on the porch to avoid the elements. We also used a hairdryer between coats of paint.
For little kids, I’d try a few different ways to decorate pumpkins:
- Use washable paint and let them create their own designs (but I’d keep those pumpkins inside so the design stays)
- Give them Halloween stickers to decorate mini pumpkins
- Make silly pumpkin faces using paper shapes and removable adhesive
- Allow the pumpkins to be a theme vs. the costumes… think Wizard of Oz pumpkins instead of costumes!
You could pick up several small pumpkins and make an afternoon of it. If you have more than one child, let everyone decorate a pumpkin to display together.
🎃 Get these pumpkin decorating supplies!
3. Make Your Own Halloween Treat Bags
A few years ago, we decided to make our own Halloween treat bags, and this turned into one of my favorite Halloween projects.
We used plain canvas bags, felt, glue, and a little imagination. Each kid decorated a bag with whatever Halloween designs they wanted. I made one too!
My kids were a little older when we did this project, and we even learned a little sewing along the way. We still have the bags, and they’ve held up wonderfully.
If I had little ones again, I would absolutely do this project, just with a few changes. Instead of cutting complicated felt designs or sewing, I’d let them use fabric markers, fabric paint, or large felt shapes that an adult had already cut out.
They could make pumpkins, ghosts, black cats, candy corn, or whatever else they wanted… and the best part… they have their own special bag to take trick-or-treating. You can even bring it out again the following year. My kids have used them every year since they’ve made them, without me asking… it is just their Halloween treat bag!
I have a full tutorial for our DIY Halloween Treat Bags, including a free printable stencil, if you’d like to make your own. Below are our examples.
This is one side of their bags, but they did both sides of them. You can see a couple painted pumpkins here too… I think they decided the mess of carving wasn’t always worth it.
Here is the one I did. If you look at it you can see the Spider shadow from the other side of the bag, and that is because I added a big spider to the second side. If you check out the DIY Halloween Treat Bags post, you can see that side too. I have a hard time with which one I like more!
4. Make a Themed Halloween Snack or Meal
Sometimes changing up an ordinary meal is enough to make the day feel special. You don’t even have to make anything new to make it special. Cookie cutters can turn any sandwich into a pumpkin or bat shaped sandwich. A little green spinach powder or natural dye can make mac and cheese feel a little spooky.
We’ve made hot dog mummies before, and they’re an easy way to turn something ordinary into a Halloween dinner. You simply wrap strips of crescent roll dough around hot dogs, leaving a little space for the face, and bake until the dough is golden, and the hot dogs are heated through. Add a couple of mustard or ketchup dots for eyes, and you have mummies!
For very young children, remember that hot dogs can be a choking hazard, so cut them lengthwise and into age-appropriate pieces before serving.
There are plenty of other simple Halloween foods ideas to try, too.
Here are a few easy Halloween food ideas…
- Pumpkin oranges: Peel clementines and add a little piece of celery for the stem
- Banana ghosts: Cut bananas in half and add little chocolate chip faces
- Halloween snack mix: Mix pretzels, popcorn, and a candy corn or other festive candy
- Cookie cutter shaped sandwiches: For deli meat, cut everything with the same cutter and assemble. For peanut butter, cut bread and assemble.
- Green mac and cheese: Use some spinach powder (which helps kiddos get their greens) or natural dye to make it green!
If you are wanting more, try some of these ideas…
- Spiderweb pizza: Add cheese in a web pattern and use black olives to make little spiders
- Pumpkin grilled cheese: Cut out the top slice with a cookie cutter so the cheese shows through on top
- Mummy hotdogs: Wrap strips of crescent dough around the hot dog
- Bell pepper stuffed pumpkins: Cut out faces and stuff with any mixture you like
- Pumpkin rice Krispy treats: Roll krispy mixture into balls, it is a fun alternative
- Halloween bark: This is so customizable and fun!
I wouldn’t necessarily make all of these in one day. Just pick one or two and have a little fun with dinner or snack time.
5. Have a Halloween Movie or Story Night
We still enjoy Halloween movies in our house, even with older kids. In fact, some of the movies we watch are the same ones we watched when they were younger.
Halloween is a great excuse to bring out some of the classics. For little kids, a few movies to consider are:
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- Spookley the Square Pumpkin
- Monsters, Inc.
- Mickey’s House of Villains
- Hotel Transylvania
You could let each child choose a favorite, make some popcorn, and turn off the lights for a family movie night, and if your kiddos are too young to sit through a movie, make it a Halloween story night instead. Grab a few Halloween picture books from the library, get comfortable on the couch, and spend some time reading together.
🎃 Check out my Halloween favorites here… books, movies, games, and more!
6. Try a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
This is one of those activities I have done with my kids both little and as teenagers. They look different depending on the age, but this can be a lot of fun and there are several ways to do this.
Simple Scavenger/Treasure Hunt
You could hide little pumpkins, ghosts, or Halloween-themed objects or pictures around the house and let the kids search for them, much like an egg hut at Easter. These small, closeable pumpkins are great for hiding treats and can be reused every year.
You can just hide things to be found, or you can write simple clues or riddles for elementary kids. For instance, if you hide something by the fireplace, you can suggest that the next item can be found near a place that brings warmth.
You can even have kids go clue to clue, with clues in something like the mini pumpkins mentioned above, and then have a bigger prize at the end. This could be a great way to give the kids Halloween candy vs trick or treating.
Take the Scavenger Hut Outside
Take the scavenger hunt out of the house! Make a list of things that the kids need to find while on a walk or trick or treating. Once they have found everything, they can get a prize. A few things to search for could include:
- A black cat
- A pumpkin
- A spider (real or fake)
- A witch’s hat
- A ghost
- A piece of candy corn
Obviously, little kids will need your help, and since you will be there, make this fun and turn it into a photo scavenger hunt. This will help make memories and be fun for the kids.
As my kids got older and were able to drive, we even sent them on scavenger hunts using clues. Once they reached a location, they had to send me a picture of themselves at the place or with whatever they were supposed to find. Then I’d send the next clue. They really enjoyed it!
So, this is one of those activities that can grow with your kids. What starts as finding little pumpkins around the living room could eventually become a much bigger adventure.
7. Make Your Own Halloween Decorations
Another fun way to celebrate Halloween with little kids is to make some of your own decorations. Over the years, we’ve made quite a few Halloween crafts, and some have become keepsakes that I still enjoy bringing out.
I love that these projects don’t have to cost much, and they give the kids something they can proudly display around the house. Plus, some of them are a great way to remember just how little those hands and feet once were!
Halloween Footprint Ghosts
One of my favorite Halloween keepsakes is our ghost footprints. Using white paint on little feet, we made footprints on a dark background and added little faces to turn them into ghosts.
I framed ours, and I love how it turned out! It’s such a simple project, but when you have several children, all those little ghosts together make a pretty cute Halloween decoration.
You could make one with each child’s footprints, or make a new one every year to see how much they’ve grown.
Candy Corn Footprint Keepsakes
Another cute Halloween footprint craft we made was candy corn feet!
For this one, we painted the bottoms of the feet in the familiar candy corn colors of yellow, orange, and white, then pressed them onto paper to make little candy corn footprints.
I think these are especially adorable for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers because those little feet grow so quickly.
They’re simple enough that you don’t need a whole afternoon to make them, and you end up with a sweet little keepsake.
Make a Halloween Mummy
We’ve also made Halloween mummies using empty cans, black construction paper, googly eyes, and gauze. They’re a fun way to reuse something that would otherwise end up in the recycling bin!
Once finished, they can be used as decorations, pencil holders, or even little containers for Halloween treats.
This is a project we originally did with older kids, but you could easily adapt it for little ones by using plastic cups instead of metal cans and helping with the wrapping and gluing.
I have a full tutorial showing how to make these Halloween mummies, including pictures of the steps and supplies we used.
A Few More Easy Halloween Crafts for Little Kids
If you’re looking for a few more simple Halloween crafts, there are plenty of things you can make with supplies you probably already have around the house.
- Paper Plate Pumpkins: Paint paper plates orange, add a green paper stem, and let the kids create their own jack-o’-lantern faces.
- Paper Plate Ghosts: Use white paper plates, draw silly or spooky faces, and attach strips of white crepe paper to the bottoms for floating ghosts.
- Toilet Paper Roll Monsters: Save a few cardboard tubes and let the kids turn them into silly monsters using paint, construction paper, and googly eyes.
- Cotton Ball Ghosts: Draw a ghost shape on black construction paper, fill it in with glued-on cotton balls, and add a little face.
- Paper Chain Halloween Garland: Make orange, black, purple, and green paper chains to hang across doorways or decorate a mantel.
- Popsicle Stick Spiderwebs: Glue three craft sticks together in a star shape, then wrap white yarn around them to create little spiderwebs.
You don’t need to make anything elaborate, and you certainly don’t need to buy a bunch of special supplies. Just choose something your kids will enjoy and let them get creative!
🎃 Grab most of the supplies you will need here!
Final Thoughts… Have Fun with It!
Looking back at all these pictures, I think it’s funny how many of the things we made ended up being used for years. We bought costumes that turned into dress-up clothes, made Halloween bags that the kids still use, and created decorations that I wouldn’t part with now.
I think that’s something I appreciate a little more now that my kids are older. You never really know what they’re going to remember or what silly little activity might turn into a tradition.
If you’re looking for Halloween activities for little kids, I hope you’ve found a few ideas you’d like to try. You don’t have to do everything, and you definitely don’t have to spend a fortune. Sometimes the best ideas come from using what you already have and letting the kids take it from there. If your kids are getting a little older, check out my Low-Cost Halloween Ideas for Teens. Halloween might look a little different as they grow, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop!
Do you have a favorite Halloween craft, activity, or family tradition? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below or share your Halloween fun with me on Instagram or Facebook at @bemandfam.
Happy Halloween!
BEM + Fam 🙂
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