DIY for Kids: Make Spooky Paper Lantern Creatures for Halloween

Kids will love making these spooky paper lantern creatures for Halloween both individually and with friends. If you have children who enjoy Halloween crafts, look in craft stores now for the best selection of materials. Before you start shopping, consider what creatures your children want to make. Do they want to make ghoulish ghosts, grinning pumpkins, scary spiders, or watchful cats?

This article provides step-by-step instructions for creating a fun or scary grinning pumpkin paper lantern. If you'd like to make another creature, look at the end of the article for design ideas.

Hint: If you do not have time to purchase individual supplies to make these spooky paper lantern Halloween creatures, you can find ready-to-make kits at your local craft store. I purchased a cat lantern kit from Michael's and made up a sample for this article. Look at the article photos for reference.

Supply List for a Spooky Pumpkin Paper Lantern
Orange paper lantern
Scraps of black felt
Orange glitter glue
Hot glue gun (for older children) or tacky glue (for younger children)
Paper (to make pattern pieces)
Pencil
Pins
Glue sticks
Scissors
Accent buttons, glitter, and stickers (if desired)
Electric light (you can find special paper lantern lights for this Halloween project at your local craft store. Be sure to use an electric light that will fit inside the lantern without touching the paper. Do not use an open flame to light the lantern).

How to Make a Spooky Pumpkin Paper Lantern for Halloween
1. Open your paper lantern. Be sure to insert the metal frame or your paper lantern will collapse on itself.

2. Decide on a pumpkin face design. Do you want a scary face? A happy face? A silly face?

3. Draw your pumpkin face design on the paper using a pencil.

4. Cut out the pumpkin face pieces.

5. Pin the pieces to your felt and cut them out using sharp scissors. Have older children help toddlers and preschoolers with this step.

6. Use the orange glitter glue to trace around the edges of the black felt pieces. Once dried, this glitter will add dimension, sparkle, and character to your pumpkin paper lantern.

7. Let the glitter dry according to the package directions.

8. Apply the pumpkin face pieces to the orange lantern using a hot glue gun. Tip: I used a hot glue gun to adhere the pieces quickly and securely to my lantern. If you choose to use the tacky glue, the pieces will need to dry for at least several hours.

9. Add a string or ribbon to hang the lantern.

10. Add the special lantern light (if desired) to light the pumpkin at night.

Display your pumpkin and enjoy! For extra fun, your children can design an entire pumpkin patch using paper lanterns for a fun and unique Halloween display.

Halloween Paper Lantern Creature Variations
If you want to design a different Halloween creature, try one of these creative ideas. You can find the paper lanterns in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your project. I found white, black, green, and orange paper lanterns at Michael's for about $1.99 each.

Ghost - use a white paper lantern and black felt pieces to make a face.
Cat - use a black paper lantern; make green eyes from felt or paper; make black ears from felt or foam; make whiskers from pipe cleaners, and use pompoms for the cheeks, nose, and mouth.
Spider - use a black paper lantern; use black pipe cleaners for legs; use felt pieces for eyes and a scary mouth.
Frankenstein - use a green paper lantern; use black felt for the hair; use scrap felt pieces for facial features; use wiggly eye buttons for his eyes; make his bolts from foam; use black glitter glue to make his scar.

Your kids will have fun making and designing these spooky Halloween paper lanterns. Encourage their creativity and use a variety of materials to achieve really cool effects. String up a bunch of lanterns along your walkway on Halloween night, and you'll be sure to delight all the little trick-or-treaters!