Fun and Affordable Costume Ideas

Basic Materials for Dress Up

To avoid extra clutter, the best thing to do is have a special extra large box or chest labeled "dress up". In this box, you can put everything from old clothes and shoes, to hats, fake jewelry, bags of beads, pieces of fabric, belts, ribbons, yarn, string, odds and ends, cardboard tubes and boxes, and anything else you think can make a future costume for your children. You can save money at the next Halloween costume party or school play.

Makeup for Dress Up

If you decide to incorporate makeup into the fun of costume making, be sure to purchase hypoallergenic, washable makeup, usually available around Halloween. You can also make your own messy Halloween face paint with hypoallergenic face cream and food coloring. Just be sure to doublecheck for any allergies or parental restrictions regarding makeup before you begin applying the Halloween face paint.

Royal Princess Costume

Making a princess costume with your children requires a few basic elements, such as a princess crown, a wand or scepter, a royal princess robe, and jewelry. You do not have to worry about spending a fortune buying the latest princess costume. Instead make a fun costume by using older fabric (or a colorful shirt with the sleeves cut off) for a robe. The children can wear fake jewelry or make their own jewelry using string and buttons or beads. The royal princess scepter can be made using a painted cardboard tube with a star or heart glue at the top, and decorated with glitter and shiny fabric.

Add extra princess magic by gluing or stapling paper or fabric streamers to the top of the princess scepter. A crown can easily be made with paper or cardboard, and decorated with shiny buttons, sequins, or glitter. For a gown, the costume princess can wrap a large piece of colorful fabric around her as a skirt and use craft glue to glue sequins on the fabric. A king or prince costume can be made with many of the same elements of the princess costume. Your children can dress up at Halloween as royalty without the royal Halloween costume prices!

Becoming a Pirate, Aargh!

Making a pirate costume involves pirate hats, a pirate eye patch, an optional pirate hook, and raggedy pirate clothes. Make a pirate costume eye patch using black paper or fabric and string or yarn. A pirate hook can be made by bending a wire hanger to fit in the child's sleeve (without pinching them). You can use a rubber band to keep the pirate hook in place or the child can hold the end of the pirate hook with a fabric covered or gloved hand. Use a combination of old clothes to create pirate clothes. An easy way to create the pirate look is to take a t-shirt without a label (or turned inside-out), cut several holes in it and paint or marker in dirt and grime. Then have the child wear the shirt and use a piece of yarn or rope for a pirate belt. A paper towel tube can be used as a pirate telescope. The pirate hat can be made out of an old hat or construction paper, or you can opt to just use fabric and handkerchiefs wrapped around the head pirate style. Have the children make their own pirate treasure or use old jewelry for extra fun at Halloween or at home.

Superhero Halloween Costume

Using the same idea as the princess royal robe, use a piece of scrap fabric or an old shirt (with sleeves cut out) as a superhero cape. Masks can be made with fabric or with construction paper and string (decorated with glitter or sequins). The children can take old shirts and glue letters on them for the main body of their costume and use a belt or rope as a superhero utility belt. Create zany superhero accessories for Halloween or dress up fun, like lasers, magic superhero rope, or superhero binoculars using paper towel tubes, yarn, and other materials.