10 Cheap and Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids

If you're like me, when you think of Halloween, you start thinking about Halloween crafts and activities. Whether you work in the classroom, like I do, with a whole bunch of middle-schoolers, or you have a couple of your own children at home, finding great kid-friendly Halloween crafts and activities is a must for the spooky holiday season. Halloween activities need to be fun, naturally, and, for most of us, Halloween activities need to be inexpensive. The same goes for Halloween crafts: we need crafts that are easy enough to engage the kids, but not so easy that it's boring, and the Halloween crafts need to be creative, cool, and, ideally, cheap. With those guidelines in mind, I offer to you a list of 10 great Halloween crafts and activities:

Halloween Craft / Activity # 1 Mr. Bottle Bones

What better way to recycle your used plastic bottles that to turn them into a Halloween skeleton that lights up? This craft requires adult assistance, but it's wicked good fun. This article also includes links to making ghosts, mummies, and other ghoulies.

Halloween Craft / Activity #2

Sock Pumpkins

Finally! A use for all those odd socks. Collect as many white socks as you need pumpkins. Use a package of RIT dye to dye the socks orange. Stuff the socks with polyester fill, tie, and decorate. Fun!

Halloween Craft / Activity #3

Halloween Picture Frames

All you need are some Popsicle sticks, hot glue (with adult supervision, please!), and a selection of leftover Halloween candy, foamies in Halloween shapes, and fabric scraps. Make a frame to show off your kids' great Halloween looks.

Halloween Craft / Activity #4

The Monster Mash

Whether you use this activity to make a wall-hanging, a picture for the fridge, or, my favorite, Halloween greeting cards, all you need are kid-friendly scissors, glue sticks, and a stack of old magazines. Have the kids cut out facial features like eyes, noses, hair, and combine them to form Dr. Frankenstein creations.

Halloween Craft / Activity #5

Black Widow Spiders

What's creepier than a spider? Yeuck! Make your own with pipe cleaners, Styrofoam balls, and black-and-red paint. Use yarn to form a web on your windows then hang this spooky spider to chase away the bogeyman!

Halloween Craft / Activity #6

Ghost Lollipops

Need a quick Halloween treat for a party or to hand out to trick-or-treaters? This craft couldn't be easier. Just get a bag of Charms blowpops lollipops, a box of Kleenex, some black yarn, and black markers.

Halloween Craft / Activity #7

Pumpkin Seed Jewelry

Roast the seeds from the pumpkins you carve, thread a needle with some dental floss, and thread those suckers for a great take on the edible candy necklace. Yum.

Halloween Craft / Activity #8

Paper Plate Masks

Use acrylic paints, glitter, scissors and paper plates to create a great mask. Staple a piece of elastic big enough to fit around your child's head and you've got a cheap and fun mask!

Halloween Craft / Activity #9

Salt Dough Decorations

Follow this recipe and use some cookie cutters or your hands to form some great Halloween decorations that cost pennies. Paint with acrylic paints and spray with a clear sealer if you want to be able to use them again next year.

Halloween Craft / Activity #10

Wooden Spoon Witch Puppets

Paint a wooden spoon green. Use black felt to create a cape and a hat. Hang on the wall to keep the "real" witches away.