These five Halloween crafts are great to do with kids in the holidays. They're cheap, cheerful and simple. They all use things you might have lying round your house, in your recycling bin or that can easily be bought for not much money.
Dancing skeleton cards
You will need (per card)
3 paper straws
1 piece black a4 card
Scissors
Glue
White paint
Black sharpie pen
Fold the piece of black card in half.
To make the legs - Take one of the straws and cut it into 5 pieces, two will make the thighs, two the shins and one the hip bone. Make the thigh pieces slightly longer than the shins.
To make the arms - take another straw and again cut into 5 pieces for the hands and forearms, upper arms and shoulders. The hand and forearm sections will be longer than the upper arms.
Take the third straw and cut a 6cm backbone, then three shorter pieces for the ribs.
Pinch the two feet pieces about 1cm from one end so they bend, this makes the ankles, repeat with the two forearms to create the hands and wrists.
Pinch the ribs and hips in the middle to flatten them slightly.
Arrange the pieces onto the piece of card into the shape of a dancing skeleton. Then glue in place.
Make the head by dabbing your thumb into some white paint and then pressing it onto the paper. Repeat till you build up a skull shape. You could also use a piece of white paper cut into a skull shape.
When the pain is dry use the black sharpie to draw on eye sockets, nose and teeth.
Milk bottle ghoul lanterns
You will need (per ghost)
1 led nightlight
1 clean empty plastic milk carton
Coloured tissue, crepe or sugar paper
Scissors
Black sharpie pen
Carefully cut the bottom from the milk carton (you may need to get an adult to help you)
Draw two eye sockets onto the carton either side of the handle. Colour in. To make the black extra black, leave to dry for a minute or two and then go over the area again.
Draw a mouth and fill in as above.
To make the hair. Cut a rectangle of paper approximately 20x15cm. Carefully cut slits along the long side about 1cm apart and about 10cm deep. Roll the rectangle up and twist the bottom so it stays rolled. Drop it into the top opening of the carton.
Turn the nightlight on and place the ghoul on top.
note! if you use a larger 4 or 6 pint cartons you may need to use a string of battery operated fairy lights instead of the tea light.
Ghost tassels
You will need
Ball of white wool
Length of coloured wool or string to hang the ghosts by.
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors
Piece of card approximately 14cm by 8cm
To make one ghost. Take the piece of card and wrap the wool around the short side approximately 70 times then cut the wool. (Don’t pull the wool too tight when wrapping.)
Cut two pieces of wool each approximately 25cm long.
Slip one of the pieces of wool under the bundle on one side and tie a tight double knot. (to make the knot really tight, tie one knot then wrap the wool around the bundle again, pull tight and tie a double knot.)
Slip the bundle from the piece of card.
Take the second piece of wool and wrap it around the bundle approximately 2cm down from where the bundle is tied. Wrap it a few times then tie a tight double knot.
Cut the bottom of the bundle to release all the strands of wool.
Glue a pair of googly eyes to the ghosts head.
Repeat steps 1-7 to make more ghosts.
Hang all the ghost from a piece of wool as a garland or hang individually around the house.
Kitchen roll tube bat treat boxes
You will need
Kitchen (or toilet) roll tube
Black paint
Googly eyes
Black or patterned card
Glue
Scissors
Small clothes pegs
Cut the kitchen roll tube in half. (If you want different sized bats then don’t cut the tube equally)
Paint each half black and leave to dry.
When dry carefully press the top of one side inwards with your thumb. It will start to bend in and curve, making a crescent shape that resembles bat ears. Repeat with the other side so they overlap.
Glue googly eyes to the front.
Take a piece of black paper and fold in half. Copy the template you can download here and draw half a bat wing on the black paper lining the edge up with the fold in the paper.
Cut out and unfold.
Glue the wings to the back of the bat.
Fill with sweets and clip the bottom closed with the clothes peg.
The clothes peg can also be used to peg the bats to a piece of string or Halloween tree.
Paper plate Día de Muertos masks
You will need
Paper plates
Felt tip pens
Scissors
Thin elastic
Following the template shown here draw a skull shape onto the paper plate.
Carefully cut out around the edge and the eyeholes.
Use the felt tip pens to draw elaborate shapes all over the masks and colour in, you could also use small stick on pompoms, jewels and stickers.
Make two small holes either side of the mask and tie a piece of elastic through each one.
If you don't have a paper plate then download this template, print it out onto A4 card, colour in, cut out and add some elastic between the two holes indicated.
