Easy And Fun Halloween Crafts For Preschoolers

Fun and creative Halloween crafts for preschoolers bring the spooky season to life through hands-on learning and imagination. This collection of 30+ easy DIY ideas helps children develop fine motor skills while enjoying festive activities at home or in the classroom. From playful pumpkins and cute ghosts to colorful monsters, each craft uses simple materials and encourages kids to explore their creativity with joy and excitement.

30+ Halloween crafts for preschoolers

Ready to create some perfectly spooky (but adorable!) masterpieces with your little ones? Here are over 30 easy craft ideas, perfect for helping your kids practice fine motor skills and unleash their creativity this Halloween season. Let’s get crafting!

1. Spooky story stones

This creative activity encourages imagination and storytelling. By creating and arranging Halloween-themed stones, children can build narrative skills, practice sequencing, and expand their vocabulary in a hands-on, tactile way. It’s a wonderful tool for both independent and group story creation.

Materials needed:

• Smooth, flat stones
• Acrylic paint or paint pens (orange, black, white, green, purple)
• Paintbrushes
• Clear sealant (optional, for durability)

Instructions:

• Wash and dry the stones completely.
• Paint simple Halloween images on each stone such as a pumpkin, a ghost, a cat, a bat, a witch’s hat, or a spider web. Let them dry.
• Use the stones as prompts for storytelling. Ask your child to pick a stone and start a story (“Once upon a time, there was a friendly ghost…”).
• Have them pick another stone to continue the story, linking the images together to form a simple plot.

2. Paper plate pumpkin faces

This is a classic craft that helps preschoolers practice cutting, gluing, and identifying facial features. They can create different emotions (happy, scary, silly) for their jack-o’-lanterns.

Materials needed:

• Paper plates
• Orange paint or construction paper
• Black construction paper
• Glue stick
• Safety scissors (for older preschoolers)

Instructions:

• Paint the paper plate orange and let it dry, or cover it completely with orange construction paper.
• Help your child cut out various shapes (triangles, squares, circles) from the black paper for eyes, noses, and mouths.
• Glue the black shapes onto the orange plate to create different pumpkin faces.

3. Footprint ghosts

A beautiful keepsake craft that is easy and requires minimal materials. It focuses on the tactile experience of painting and creating a simple shape.

Materials needed:

• White washable paint
• Black marker
• Construction paper (black or colored)
• Wipes for cleanup!

Instructions:

• Paint the bottom of your child’s foot with white paint.
• Press the foot firmly onto the construction paper.
• Once the paint is dry, use a black marker to draw two simple oval eyes and an ‘O’ mouth near the heel of the print to create a ghost face.

4. Toilet paper roll bats

Recycle empty toilet paper rolls into adorable hanging decorations. This craft promotes upcycling and scissor skills (with help).

Materials needed:

• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Black paint or construction paper
• Googly eyes
• Black construction paper for wings
• Glue

Instructions:

• Paint the toilet paper roll black or cover it with black paper.
• While it dries, cut out bat wings from black paper.
• Glue the wings to the back of the roll.
• Affix two googly eyes to the front of the roll to complete the bat.

5. Cotton ball ghosts

Excellent for practicing fine motor skills by gluing small objects. The resulting ghost has a fun, fluffy texture.

Materials needed:

• Ghost shape cut out from black or colored paper
• Cotton balls
• White glue
• Black marker

Instructions:

• Have your child spread a generous amount of glue over the ghost shape cutout.
• Stick cotton balls all over the shape until it is fully covered.
• Once dry, use a black marker to draw eyes and a mouth on the cotton balls.

6. Handprint spiders

A fun handprint craft that results in a unique, eight-legged creature. It helps children count to eight for the legs.

Materials needed:

• Black paint
• White construction paper
• Googly eyes
• Glue

Instructions:

• Paint your child’s hand black.
• Have them make two overlapping handprints on the paper, palms touching, with fingers spread (the fingers become the spider’s eight legs).
• Once dry, glue googly eyes onto the center of the overlapping palms to form the spider’s body.

7. Yarn-wrapped mummies

This craft requires patience and focus, which is great for concentration and hand-eye coordination as the yarn is wrapped around the shape.

Materials needed:

• Mummy shape cut out of cardboard or heavy cardstock
• White yarn or strips of white fabric
• Googly eyes
• Tape or glue

Instructions:

• Secure the beginning of the yarn to the back of the mummy shape with tape.
• Have your child wrap the yarn around the mummy shape in various directions.
• Once the mummy is mostly covered, cut the yarn and secure the end with tape or glue.
• Glue two googly eyes onto the front, peeking out from under the “bandages.”

8. Coffee filter bats

A simple, yet visually appealing craft that uses watercolor techniques.

Materials needed:

• Basket-style coffee filters
• Black marker or watered-down black paint
• Clothespin
• Googly eyes
• Glue

Instructions:

• Have your child color the coffee filter black with a marker or paint. Mist with water to let the color bleed (adult job). Let dry.
• Pinch the center of the filter to create the wings and clip a black-painted clothespin onto the center for the body.
• Glue googly eyes onto the clothespin.

9. Pasta skeleton

A creative way to use materials from the pantry to create an anatomical representation, introducing the concept of a skeleton structure.

Materials needed:

• Black construction paper
• White glue
• Various small pasta shapes (bow ties, elbow macaroni, rotini)
• Small paper plate or circle for the skull

Instructions:

• Draw a faint human-like outline on the black paper (or let your child free-form).
• Have your child glue the pasta shapes onto the outline to form the bones of the skeleton.
• Use the small circle for the head/skull.

10. Q-tip skeletons

Similar to the pasta skeleton, this craft uses Q-tips (cotton swabs) to represent bones, offering a different tactile experience.

Materials needed:

• Black construction paper
• Q-tips (cut in half by an adult)
• White glue
• Small white paper circle for the skull

Instructions:

• Glue the white paper circle for the skull at the top of the black paper.
• Glue a whole Q-tip vertically below the skull for the spine.
• Glue the half Q-tips horizontally off the spine and vertically for the limbs to form the bones.

11. Stained glass black cats

This craft is excellent for exploring light and color transparency.

Materials needed:

• Black construction paper
• Contact paper or clear packing tape
• Tissue paper (orange, yellow, purple, green)
• Scissors

Instructions:

• Draw and cut out a simple cat shape (standing or sitting) with a large hollow center from the black paper.
• Lay the black cat frame sticky-side up on contact paper (or tape down clear tape on a table).
• Have your child tear or cut the colored tissue paper into small pieces and stick them inside the hollow cat frame.
• Once covered, seal the back with another layer of contact paper or tape. Hang on a window!

12. Monster mix-and-match cups

Using colored paper and cups, children can practice matching and sequential ordering to build funny monsters.

Materials needed:

• Small plastic or paper cups (three per monster)
• Construction paper (various colors)
• Glue, scissors, markers

Instructions:

• Cover three cups with different colored paper.
• Decorate the top cup as a monster’s head (eyes, antenna).
• Decorate the middle cup as a monster’s body (arms, stripes).
• Decorate the bottom cup as a monster’s legs/feet.
• Stack the cups to create a monster, and then rotate them to mix and match!

13. Bubble wrap pumpkins

A sensory craft that allows children to explore the texture of bubble wrap while creating a textured pumpkin print.

Materials needed:

• Bubble wrap sheets
• Orange paint
• Construction paper (white or black)
• Brown and green paper scraps (stem/vine)

Instructions:

• Tape a piece of bubble wrap onto a tray and pour orange paint over it.
• Press the construction paper onto the bubble wrap to create a textured print.
• Once dry, cut the print into a pumpkin shape and add a brown stem and green vine.

14. Fingerprint fireflies (in a jar)

While not directly spooky, fireflies can add a magical element. This craft uses fingerpainting to create tiny glowing bugs.

Materials Needed:

• Construction paper (dark blue or black)
• Yellow or glow-in-the-dark paint
• Black marker
• Jar shape cutouts (optional)

Instructions:

• Use a black marker to draw a simple jar outline on the paper.
• Dip your child’s fingertip in yellow paint and press it onto the paper inside the jar to create “fireflies.”
• Once dry, you can use the marker to add tiny wings or antennae to the painted spots.

15. Salt dough ornaments

A craft that involves mixing, kneading, and cutting, which is great for sensory exploration and fine motor skills.

Materials needed:

• Salt dough (flour, salt, water)
• Halloween cookie cutters (ghost, bat, pumpkin)
• Paint
• Hole punch, string

Instructions:

• Mix the dough, roll it out, and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Poke a hole in the top for hanging.
• Bake according to a recipe and let cool completely.
• Have your child paint the cooled shapes.
• Once dry, thread a piece of string or ribbon through the hole to hang.

16. Tissue paper ghosts

This simple craft introduces the concept of volume and lightness, as the tissue paper creates a floating appearance.

Materials needed:

• White tissue paper squares
• Small styrofoam ball or cotton ball for the head
• String or thread
• Black marker

Instructions:

• Place the cotton ball in the center of a tissue paper square.
• Wrap the tissue paper around the ball and secure it underneath with a string, creating a head.
• Draw simple eyes and a mouth on the head. Hang from the string.

17. Fork-printed monsters

A fun way to use a household object as a printing tool to create textured, bristly-looking monsters.

Materials needed:

• Acrylic paint (various colors)
• Plastic fork
• Construction paper
• Googly eyes

Instructions:

• Pour paint onto a tray.
• Dip the tines of the fork into the paint and stamp it onto the paper to create a bristly monster shape.
• Once dry, glue on googly eyes to bring the creature to life!

18. Popsicle stick witches

An easy-to-assemble craft that helps with pattern creation and symmetry.

Materials needed:

• Popsicle sticks
• Green paint
• Black construction paper (hat)
• Yarn (hair)
• Markers, glue

Instructions:

• Line up several popsicle sticks and glue them onto a backing piece of paper.
• Paint the sticks green for the witch’s face.
• Cut out a witch’s hat from black paper and glue it on.
• Glue on yellow yarn for hair and draw on facial features.

19. Yarn spiderwebs

A good activity for developing fine motor skills and a basic understanding of a web structure.

Materials needed:

• Small paper plate with the center cut out (donut shape)
• White or black yarn
• Hole punch
• Plastic spider (optional)

Instructions:

• Use the hole punch to make holes all around the edge of the paper plate ring.
• Tie the end of the yarn to one hole.
• Have your child thread the yarn from one hole to another, crisscrossing the center to create a web design.

20. Ghost handprint banner

A simple, repetitive craft that makes a fun Halloween decoration.

Materials needed:

• White washable paint
• Black construction paper
• Black marker
• Hole punch, string or ribbon

Instructions:

• Paint your child’s hand white and press it onto the black paper.
• Repeat for several handprints.
• Once dry, draw simple ghost eyes and mouth on the palm area.
• Punch holes and string them together to make a banner.

21. Clothespin vampires

A quick craft using a clothespin as a base that is great for imaginative play afterward.

Materials needed:

• Wooden spring clothespins
• Red, black, and white paint
• Black construction paper (cape)
• Markers

Instructions:

• Paint the clothespin black (for the body/suit) and the top red or white for the face.
• Cut a simple black cape and glue it to the back.
• Draw a slicked-back hairline, eyes, and tiny fangs on the face.

22. Styrofoam cup spiders

This craft teaches children how to join different materials to create a stable structure.

Materials needed:

• Small styrofoam cups (or small paper cups)
• Black paint
• Pipe cleaners (4 per spider)
• Googly eyes, glue

Instructions:

• Paint the cup black and let it dry.
• Punch 4 small holes on opposite sides of the cup (adult job).
• Thread the pipe cleaners through the holes, bending them downward to form the eight legs.
• Glue on the googly eyes.

23. Watercolor resist haunted houses

A spooky craft that demonstrates the concept of wax resist.

Materials needed:

• White construction paper
• White crayon
• Black or purple liquid watercolors or very watered-down paint

Instructions:

• Draw a house, windows, ghosts, or other shapes lightly with a white crayon on the paper.
• Have your child paint over the paper with the dark watercolor/paint.
• The crayon wax will resist the paint, and the white designs will magically appear!

24. Crayon-melted pumpkin art

This is an adult-heavy prep but creates a visually stunning, colorful pumpkin image using heat and crayons.

Materials needed:

• Canvas or thick cardboard
• Crayons (orange, black, white, purple)
• Hot glue gun (adult only)
• Hairdryer (adult supervision required)

Instructions:

• Glue the crayon pieces in an arc at the top of the canvas, ensuring the pumpkin design is drawn/outlined below.
• Use a hairdryer on a warm setting to melt the crayons and let the wax drip down into the pumpkin shape.
• Once cool, fill in the rest of the canvas with paint or let the wax be the art.

25. Pumpkin seed mosaic

A great sensory and fine motor activity using natural materials.

Materials Needed:

• Pumpkin seeds (cleaned and dried)
• Construction paper (black or brown)
• Pumpkin outline traced onto the paper
• Glue, food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

• If desired, soak the seeds in water mixed with food coloring (orange, green, black) and let them dry completely.
• Spread glue onto the traced pumpkin outline.
• Have your child press the seeds onto the glue-covered area to create a mosaic pattern.

26. Leaf ghost rubbings

A simple outdoor/indoor craft that teaches children about texture and nature’s patterns.

Materials needed:

• White paper
• Side of a crayon (any color)
• Leaves
• Black marker

Instructions:

• Place a leaf under the white paper.
• Rub the side of a crayon over the paper until the leaf’s veins and shape appear.
• Cut out the leaf shape, or draw simple ghost eyes and a mouth on the rubbing.

27. Doily spiderwebs

Using paper doilies adds a delicate texture, and punching holes is great for hand strengthening.

Materials needed:

• Paper doilies (white)
• Black paint or marker
• Hole punch (optional)
• Plastic spider (optional)

Instructions:

• Color the doily black with paint or marker.
• Punch holes around the border (great for fine motor strength).
• Glue a small plastic spider onto the web.

28. Cereal box coffin dioramas

An imaginative craft using a recycled box to create a small, three-dimensional spooky scene.

Materials needed:

• Small cereal box or shoebox
• Black paint or construction paper
• Craft supplies (pipe cleaners, felt, construction paper, etc.)

Instructions:

• Paint or cover the outside of the box black.
• Have your child create a spooky scene inside (e.g., a graveyard, a ghost floating).
• Use small craft materials to create characters and set pieces to glue inside the box.

29. Gooey slime monster brains

A sensory activity focused on exploring texture. (Adult supervision is required for slime making).

Materials needed:

• Slime ingredients (clear glue, baking soda, contact solution/activator)
• Green or purple food coloring
• Small container

Instructions:

• Mix the glue, baking soda, and food coloring.
• Slowly add the contact solution until the slime reaches the desired consistency.
• Let your child play with and stretch the “monster brains.”
• More Spooky & Silly Crafts

30. Paper bag monster puppets

This is great for imaginative play and practicing folding.

Materials needed:

• Brown paper lunch bags
• Construction paper scraps, yarn, googly eyes
• Glue, markers

Instructions:

• Turn the bag upside down and have your child decorate the bottom panel as the monster’s mouth/jaw.
• Decorate the larger section as the face, using paper scraps for teeth, horns, and hair.

31. Sponge-painted pumpkins

This introduces the concept of stamping and pattern using a sponge.

Materials needed:

• Orange paint
• Kitchen sponge (cut into a round shape)
• Construction paper
• Green/brown markers

Instructions:

• Dip the sponge into the orange paint.
• Stamp the sponge onto the paper to create a round pumpkin shape.
• Once dry, add a stem and vine.

32. Tissue box monsters

A fantastic recycled craft that results in a fun container or decoration.

Materials needed:

• Empty tissue box
• Construction paper or paint
• Yarn, pipe cleaners, pom-poms
• Googly eyes

Instructions:

• Cover the box in colored paper or paint.
• Use the opening as a mouth and decorate the box to look like a silly monster with hair, horns, or stripes.

33. Marshmallow skeletons

A fun, edible craft that introduces the idea of sequencing and creating a human shape.

Materials needed:

• Mini marshmallows
• Thin pretzel sticks
• Yogurt-covered pretzels (for the skull)

Instructions:

• Use the yogurt-covered pretzel as the skull.
• Use the pretzel sticks for the spine, ribs, and limbs.
• Thread the mini marshmallows onto the pretzel sticks to represent bones.

34. Pasta and paint cornucopia

While often associated with Thanksgiving, a painted cornucopia is a colorful fall-themed art piece.

Materials needed:

• White construction paper
• Black marker (to draw a simple cornucopia outline)
• Various pasta shapes
• Yellow, orange, and brown paint

Instructions:

• Draw a simple cornucopia shape on the paper.
• Have your child paint the pasta shapes yellow, orange, and brown.
• Once the pasta is dry, glue it inside the cornucopia outline to represent a harvest of goods.

Final thoughts

These Halloween crafts for preschoolers make the spooky season both fun and educational, helping little ones express creativity while building fine motor skills. With simple materials and easy steps, each project brings laughter, color, and imagination to your home or classroom. Keep crafting, exploring, and celebrating creativity all season long with these adorable Halloween ideas for preschoolers!

Explore more creative ideas with our Halloween Arts and Crafts Worksheets — perfect for hands-on learning and festive classroom fun!