Simple Trick-Or-Treat Bags to Make for Halloween

Trick-or-treat bags are probably the simplest and easiest craft item to make during Halloween. They can also be wide-ranging in the kinds of materials you can use to make them. Here are some suggestions presented from easiest to most complicated. As always, involve your kids as much as possible depending on their skill level. Somehow incorporate your child's name into the treat bag so everyone knows who it belongs to.

The easiest trick-or-treat bag is simply two pieces of heavy paper glued together at the edges with handles made of rope attached to the top. Get two pieces of heavy paper or lightweight cardboard of equal size and decorate one side of them with crayons, stickers, cut outs, craft foam, glitter, whatever you want, and then glue the edges together leaving one side open for the top. Attach a length of rope through two holes poked in the top and tie the rope into a knot on one end so it doesn't slip through the hole. Using lightweight cardboard is more durable than paper and should last at least two or three seasons.

For a Halloween trick-or-treat bag that is more durable, get a plain white or clear bucket with handles and make a paper covering for it out of construction paper in Halloween colors. Pre-cut the construction paper and lay it out on a table and design whatever you want to on it.

If your child isn't quite up to cutting and pasting items, have them draw on the paper whatever design they want for their trick-or-treat bag. For older children, have them cut out craft foam and paste them onto the paper. They can cut out bats, pumpkins, cats, skeletons, whichever and color them with special markers. Glue glitter and confetti onto the paper for glitzy add-ons.

After all designs on the paper have dried, turn it over and place glue dots on strategic areas of the paper so it stays attached to the bucket. Carefully put the paper on the bucket and tape the edges together so it stays together. Decorate the handle with pipe cleaners in Halloween colors or streamers or strips of construction paper. You can even glue little pom poms to it for a fuzzy look. Just remember that the handle will have your children's hands all over it, so whatever you put on it should be durable enough to last through hands touching it all the time.

For a bag that has no hard edges, sew one together out of heavy cloth and sew patterns into it including your child's name. Sewing a length of lightweight rope into it for handles should be fairly easy to finish up this project.

Whatever you decide, a trick-or-treat bag is an easy and fun craft to do that is limited only by your child's imagination.

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