How to Make Halloween Tissue Paper Ghosts

Tissue paper ghosts are a great Halloween craft project for kids of all ages. These paper ghosts are easy, inexpensive and a quick craft project that can be completed with minimal mess. Using only five household items, even the most timid crafter can create enough tissue paper ghosts to fill a haunted house!

The main material needed to create tissue paper ghosts is gift-wrapping tissue paper in white. White gift tissue is usually sold in 20-inch-by-20-inch (50.8 cm x 50.8 cm) sheets. Most craft, card shops, and general shopping marts sell tissue paper in bundles for about $2 for a package of 25 or 30 sheets. You can also purchase white tissue paper at dollar discount stores, 30 sheets for a $1.

In addition to the white tissue paper, you will need jumbo white cotton balls, rubber bands, a washable black marker and yarn in white, black, orange or purple. A pair of scissors will be needed to cut the lengths of yarn used to hang and display the finished ghosts. Each ghost requires one sheet of white tissue paper, three or four jumbo cotton balls, and one rubber band.

To create the first tissue paper ghost, lay a sheet of white tissue paper flat on a table or other hard surface. Find the center point of the tissue paper. Set three or four cotton balls in the center. Gather your tissue paper so it surrounds the cotton balls. The cotton balls are forming the head of your ghost. Hold the ghost's head in your palm and twist the tissue paper to secure the cotton balls.

Flip the ghost upright and pinch the neck tight. Set the ghost's shape by twisting a rubber band around the ghost's neck until tight. Take care not to pull too hard or you will rip the tissue paper. An adult may need to help younger children who lack the dexterity to twist a rubber band.

Once the ghost has a head and flowing tissue paper body, children can add a face with a black or other colored marker. Faces can be as simple as two dots for eyes and a circle for an open "boo" mouth. Add personality to your ghosts by adding eyelashes for girl ghosts and different colored eyes. For a vampire ghost, draw to upside down triangles on either side of a mouth for fangs. For a happy ghost, add a large smiley mouth. Encourage creativity when adding personality to each tissue paper ghost.

Tissue paper ghosts make great Halloween decorations at home or in the classroom. To display the boo-tiful creations, cut the yarn into four to five foot lengths. Lay the length of yarn on the floor or table and space out five tissue paper ghosts along the yarn. Cut five-inch pieces of yarn and use those to attach each ghost to the length of yarn. Attach by wrapping the yarn piece around the rubber band neck and then tying to the yarn garland. Now you can display the tissue paper ghosts as a Halloween garland. Drape the ghost garland over doors, windows or anywhere that needs a bit of ghostly decoration.

Clear fishing line also works well for stringing the tissue paper ghosts.

Ghosts are classic Halloween. Tissue paper ghosts are one of the quickest and easiest Halloween craft projects to make with kids. They do not require glue, glitter or paint, which makes for hassle-free clean up. This project is economical, too. For under $5, crafters can create enough ghosts to haunt every room of the house. Tissue paper ghosts are a recommended kid's craft project for Halloween.