Crafting Halloween Memories with My Kids: 9 Spooky and Fun DIY Projects
As a dad of two creative and curious kids, Halloween is a big deal in our household. Every year, we try to come up with new, fun, and spooky crafts to make the holiday even more magical. With a bit of paper, glue, and imagination, we create memories together—and this year, we’ve got a fantastic lineup of Halloween projects that you can easily recreate at home.
Whether your little ones are in preschool or kindergarten, these DIY Halloween crafts are designed to be simple and fun for both kids and parents. Let’s dive into our spooky world of Halloween crafts, and don’t forget—some of these have easy templates you can download right from our site, making the process even simpler.
Halloween Puppets - Spooky Fun on Your Fingers
When it comes to crafts that my kids absolutely love, puppets are always at the top of the list. This year, we decided to take it a step further and create Halloween puppets. From witches to ghosts, these are perfect for imaginative play—and trust me, once your little ones finish, they’ll be putting on their very own puppet show.
These puppets are easy to assemble with our downloadable templates. Just print, cut, and add a few simple folds. Not only are they great for hand-eye coordination, but they also spark creativity as your child creates stories with their new Halloween characters.
Shop the Halloween Puppet Templates and get started on your own spooky puppet show.
Halloween Diorama - Create Your Own Spooky Scene
This Halloween Diorama was a game-changer for us. My daughter and I spent a rainy afternoon crafting this together, and it’s now proudly displayed on our mantel. With bats, ghosts, and a spooky haunted house, this 3D scene was not only fun to build but also a great way for us to talk about Halloween stories and let our imaginations run wild.
The process is super simple: using our diorama kit, just cut out the shapes, color, and assemble to create your own mini haunted world. It’s a craft that’s bound to keep your kids engaged for a long time, especially if they love storytelling.
Download the Halloween Diorama Template for your very own haunted scene.
Skeleton Handprint Craft - A Family Favorite
This handprint skeleton craft is a great mix of spooky and personal! My kids had such a fun time adding their own handprints to bring this skeleton to life.
To start, we printed out the skeleton template with the skeleton’s body and arm already drawn—everything except for the hand. My kids then dipped their hands in white paint and stamped their handprints where the skeleton’s hand should be. It was such a fun way to add a personal touch to this classic Halloween craft!
The best part? It’s super simple and makes for a fun decoration for the holiday season. Kids love seeing their handprints become part of a skeleton!
Get the Handprint Skeleton Template and make your own spooky keepsake.
Spooky paper Bats - A Simple and Fun Halloween Craft
One of the kids’ favorite Halloween crafts is these adorable paper bats. They love how they can bring these spooky, yet friendly, bats to life. To create them, we simply cut out the bat shape from black construction paper and fold it accordion-style to give the wings some texture and depth. The little eyes and fangs are added with googly eyes and small bits of paper to make the bat look playful and a little bit mischievous. It’s the perfect craft for younger kids, as it’s simple but delivers a fun result that they can proudly display during Halloween.
Plus, it’s easy to involve the whole family — older siblings can help with cutting and folding, while younger kids get creative with gluing the eyes and fangs. They’re easy to hang up or leave on a table for that extra spooky touch at home!
Paper Plate Black Cat - Purr-fectly Spooky
This spooky black cat craft is a fun and simple way to get into the Halloween spirit! My kids loved making it, especially adding their own touch with playdough for the eyes and nose.
Start by painting a paper plate black, and while it dries, cut out the cat’s ears, whiskers, and tail. We used playdough to mold the eyes and nose, which made the face extra cute! Once the paint dried, we cut the plate to shape the cat’s body and attached all the pieces.
The result? A fun, handmade black cat perfect for Halloween decorations! My kids were so proud of their final creation!
Frankenstein Paper Plate Craft - DIY Monster Mask
What’s Halloween without a Frankenstein’s monster? This paper plate mask was a blast to make with my kids. We used green tissue paper to give it that classic Frankenstein’s look, and the kids loved getting creative with the scars and stitches.
Once you’re done, you can use it as a mask or just hang it up as part of your Halloween decorations. Either way, it’s a fun craft that’s sure to get your little ones excited for the spooky season.
Yarn Pumpkins: A Fun, Messy Adventure with the Kids!
If you’re ready to get a little sticky and create something adorable with the kids, these yarn pumpkins are a perfect Halloween craft! My little ones had a blast making them, though I will admit, the glue was everywhere by the end—totally worth it!
Start by inflating a small balloon for each pumpkin. You don’t need it too big; think about the size of a small orange. Next, we dipped orange yarn into a mix of glue and water. Pro tip: it’s a good idea to wring out the extra glue before you start wrapping, or you’ll have glue trails all over the place (learned that one the hard way!). Then, the kids had a great time wrapping the sticky yarn around the balloons. We made sure to cover the whole thing in crisscross patterns, leaving small gaps so the pumpkin looks nice and airy.
Once our balloons were fully wrapped, we set them out to dry. The waiting part was tough for my two, but after a good night’s sleep, the balloons were ready to pop! The look on their faces when the balloon shriveled up and left behind the perfect little pumpkin was priceless. We then carefully pulled out the balloon, and voilà—a yarn pumpkin!
For the finishing touches, we twisted green and brown pipe cleaners to make the stem and vine. You can get creative here—add a few twists, make the vine curly, or even throw on some tiny leaves. My daughter decided her pumpkin needed two vines because, well, why not? These yarn pumpkins make the cutest fall decorations and are such a fun way to spend time crafting together.
Origami Pumpkin - Simple, Yet Spooky
Origami might sound complicated, but this pumpkin craft is incredibly easy and a great introduction to folding for young kids. My son was so proud when he folded his very own pumpkin, and we even added a fun face to give it some character.
With just a few folds and a bit of patience, you’ll have a cute little pumpkin to add to your Halloween decorations. It’s perfect for honing fine motor skills and keeping kids entertained with something simple yet rewarding.
Shop the Origami Pumpkin Template and start folding today.
Messy Pumpkin Splatter Art: Hans-On Halloween Fun!
This pumpkin craft is all about getting a little messy with creativity, which my kids absolutely loved! To start, you can download the pumpkin template and get everything set up for a fun painting session. The great thing about this project is that it lets your little ones engage with the painting process hands-on—literally!
First, squirt a generous amount of orange paint into the middle of the pumpkin outline. Now for the fun part: your child can spread the paint using their hands! Gently pressing their fingers, they can smear the paint outward to give the pumpkin that splattered look.
Next, take some paper towels and blot the paint to smooth out the texture. This part helps the surface get ready for the details! Once the paint dries a bit, grab some black markers and help your child draw the facial features of the jack-o’-lantern. Follow it up with white markers to add those extra highlights, making the face stand out with a fun, glowing effect!
The final result? A cool, spooky pumpkin design that your kids will feel proud of creating with their own hands. It’s a fantastic decoration for Halloween, and the process itself is a blast!
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Each of these crafts has been tested and approved by my kids, and they’re all guaranteed to bring some spooky fun into your Halloween season. Plus, with downloadable templates and easy-to-follow instructions, they’re designed to be simple enough for little hands but exciting enough to keep them engaged.
Happy Halloween crafting!
