1. Firefly Costume
This simple idea makes a big impact on Halloween night. Start with a neon green dress. Add an antennae headband and a pair of black wings. Secure a clip-on white safety light to the wings so that the firefly "glows" throughout the evening. Pair with a classic neon green jack-o-lantern trick-or-treat pail.
2. Duck Pond Costume
This one's so easy! Start with a solid yellow shirt and a pair of jeans. Coat a plastic plant saucer (ours is 13 inches; size up as needed) with blue spray-paint. Secure rubber ducks to the saucer with Velcro. Add a "Duck Pond" sign to the "pond," then hang it around the neck using grosgrain ribbon. (You can secure the ribbon to the pool with duct tape or drill holes.) Hot-glue a rubber duck to a blue headband.
3. Corn Halloween Costume
The base is a simple green dress that will keep your kid comfortable on Halloween. Cut corn shapes out of yellow felt and glue them onto the dress. Make a headpiece by gluing corn shapes onto a headband.
4. Painter Costume
Throw on any shirt, denim overalls, and white sneakers. Tie a bandana as a headband or go kerchief style. A paint pail prop doubles as a clever candy carrier.
5. Nancy Drew Costume
Pair a yellow cardigan and a white collared shirt with a plaid yellow pleated skirt. Accessorize with a yellow headband, a vintage flashlight or binoculars, and a couple of vintage Nancy Drew books.
6. Campfire with Marshmallow Costume
Start with a long-sleeve brown t-shirt. Cut out "flames" from red, yellow, and orange felt and sew on (or secure) as desired. Secure brown grosgrain ribbon to shoulders to tie on an 18-inch grapevine wreath. Embellish the grapevine wreath with logs made from brown or wood grain cardstock and orange battery-operated string lights. Use a white foam sheet to create the marshmallow head piece. Secure foam sheet to hair with bobby pins. Embellish with orange tissue paper and a long stick (secured to the inside with duct tape). Pair costume with a vintage Campfire Marshmallows tin repurposed as a trick-or-treating bucket.
7. Crayons
Kids can pick their favorite color be it red (with a matching shirt/pants/sock combo), green (shirt/pants/socks) or blue (shirt/pants/socks), then DIY the stripes with electrical tape. The hats can also be crafted from construction paper using this template.
8. The Little Mermaid
It just needs a purple top, some green scarves for the skirt, and a shell necklace, plus a hair scarf for a belt or a wig if you want to go all out.
9. Super Mario Bros.
You just need a red shirt or green shirt, store-bought hats and mustache sets, blue suspenders and white gloves. (A Fire Flower is optional!)
10. Ash Ketchum
You just need a red trucker hat, a blue vest and a pair of lime green gloves (cut the fingers off for even more authenticity). This trainer also made a DIY Pokéball out of a baseball, and has a Pikachu plush for another prop (though we suppose Gengar would also be Halloween-appropriate).
11. Wednesday Addams
They can go with a peter-pan-collar dress if they're looking for a classic Wednesday Addams look, or they can update their costume and go with a black tulle dress inspired by the outfit she wore when she did her famous "Goo Goo Muck" dance on the Netflix series. But if they want to go with her school uniform from the series, they can try this combo of striped blazer, collared shirt, black dress and knee socks, plus a possible wig.
12. Ghoulish ghost
Cut a large sheet or pillowcase in half. Cut holes for the head and arms. Decorate with glow-in-the-dark paint or fabric markers. Add a spooky face with black marker.
13. Frankenstein
Use green face paint and black marker to create Frankenstein's stitches. Wear a green shirt and black pants. Make bolts for the neck from black cardboard and silver foil.
14. Pumpkin
Wear an orange shirt and pants. Cut a jack-o-lantern face from black cardboard and attach to a headband. Stuff orange balloons in pockets for a pumpkin belly.
15. Skeleton
Wear all black. Cut bones from white cardboard and glue to the clothes. Make a skeleton mask from cardboard and decorate with glow-in-the-dark paint.
These costume ideas are perfect for kids of all ages. They are easy to make, comfortable to wear, and sure to be a hit at any Halloween party or trick-or-treating event. With a little creativity and some basic materials, you can create a unique and memorable costume that will have your child feeling confident and excited for the holiday.
Some tips for making these costumes:
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Use items you already have around the house to save money and reduce waste.
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Get the kids involved in the creative process to make it a fun family activity.
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Accessorize with props, face paint, and hairstyles to complete the look.
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Prioritize comfort and safety, especially for younger kids.
With these easy DIY ideas, you can create a costume that is both adorable and affordable. Happy haunting!
