It’s happened to all of us…. Halloween just creeps up, and you don’t have the time or energy to create elaborate costume. OR (and this really has happened to me….) you buy an adorable costume for your little one, and they have a blow-out diaper situation 10 minutes before you walk out the door (I still have nightmares). What do you do? Improvise! If you are looking to save money and make a quick Halloween costume for your preschooler or grade school kid, look no farther than the items you already have on hand. The average kid’s home is chock full of materials to create loads of these Cheap Easy Homemade Halloween costume ideas. You can include your child in the crafting of the ensemble, helping your little one to learn creativity, resourcefulness, and self-confidence. Exercise your imagination, and try making one of these outfits!
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Easy Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas
Remember, what makes Halloween FUN is the participation, not the elaborate costume. Sometimes it just takes a white button down shirt and imagination to make it work! Most of these are cheap easy homemade Halloween costumes kids can even put together themselves!
Cat:
To help your child become a fierce, roaring jaguar or a sweet, purring house cat, you need a matching sweatshirt and sweatpants– black for a panther, gray or white for a snow leopard, or yellow for a lion. If you only have a purple outfit, don’t let that stop you. Halloween cats can be any color. Add a pair of cardboard, felt, or construction paper ears pinned to a hoodie or taped to a headband. Or bend a few pipe cleaners from your craft box into ear shapes, and attach to a headband. Draw whiskers and a nose with an eyeliner pencil or face paint, and rig up an optional tail (some cats don’t have them) out of felt or fabric. The sleeve of an old long-sleeve T-shirt or sweatshirt can be cut lengthwise to create a tail. Turn the fabric inside out, then sew or staple down the cut edge, and seal one end. Turn the tail right-side out, and stuff it with fabric scraps. Use a safety pin to attach it. Pro-tip: Other kids may pull your child’s tail, so either forgo it or pin it to a belt made of elastic (this can be the elastic waistband cut from an old pair of pants).
Superhero:
We did this one (more than once). All you need is a cape, gloves and maybe a mask. My daughter added an S symbol onto a plain t-shirt using colored tape (painter’s tape works, as does electrical… just be warned, electrical tape leaves sticky residue). Cut an old pillowcase down the side and bottom so it’s a square (you can also use an old sheet), then tie it around the neck… paint something on it if you want (it will take a bit to dry) or use the colored tape trick. Kitchen gloves look like superhero gloves! And you can paint on a mask, or make one from fabric with eye holes cut out.
Doctor:
Scrounge around in your child’s toy collection for their medical kit (or use an old black purse, just tape a red cross symbol on it…. this can double as the “trick or treat bag”), and find a large, white button-down shirt for your child to wear as a lab coat. With a Sharpie marker, write your child’s name above the pocket, dubbing them “Dr. Emma” or “Dr. Aiden.” Accessorize the outfit with the toy stethoscope (or cut a stethoscope shape out of cardboard), a Popsicle stick (tongue depressor) in the shirt pocket, and a clipboard with a pen. Now your child is ready to save lives.
Firefighter:
Your child can be a firefighting hero in just a few quick minutes if you have a raincoat (yellow or red work well) and a toy firefighter’s helmet (pro tip… some fire stations keep these on hand for visiting kids). Add a flashlight and a toy radio. You can improvise a radio by covering a Mac & Cheese box with black paint, black duct tape, or black construction paper.
Pirate:
You don’t need much to be a Pirate, just a striped shirt and some old pants. Use face paint (or eye liner) to paint on a mustache (or a scar… ). If you have a pirate hat in the dress up box, great! If not, tie a bandanna on your child’s head. You can tie a colorful scarf around their waist. Bonus points for sticking a stuffed parrot on their shoulder…
Artist:
To transform your child into a great painter, find an old white button-down shirt, and, using acrylic paint, watercolors, or even markers, splatter the shirt with colorful paint. While the paint dries, cut an artist’s palette out of cereal box cardboard, and decorate it with colorful spots of paint. Allow the palette paint to dry. Now, find a paintbrush, and your little Picasso is ready for the Halloween Party.
Farmer:
Your child can be a down-to-earth agriculturist by wearing a pair of jeans or overalls, a flannel shirt, and a ball cap or straw hat. Go outside to find some tall grasses with seed heads, and clip a few to stuff in his or her shirt pocket, or under the brim of the ball cap. Props can be made by filling a basket with toy foods like eggs, carrots and apples, or have your child tuck a stuffed animal under one arm like a horse or cow or other farm animal. Wearing a pair of garden or work gloves will finish the look.
Park Ranger:
Transform a pair of your child’s jeans and a green shirt into a park ranger’s uniform by adding a badge made of cardboard and covered with aluminum foil, a flashlight, and a black or dark blue ball cap. Make a pair of binoculars by taping 2 toilet paper tubes together, painting them black or covering them with black paper, and taping a length of yarn or string to hang them around your ranger’s neck. Now your little ranger is ready to look for forest fires and bald eagles.
Chef:
Does your child want to be the next great chef on the Food Network? Then send them Trick or Treating in white apron or a large white button-down shirt, a wire whisk or wooden spoon, and a homemade chef’s hat come together to create the world’s next great gourmet chef. Create the chef’s hat from a large sheet of white paper. Tape the paper around your child’s head to form a cylindrical hat.
(Add Glitter Make-up, and it’s perfect!)
Princess or Fairy:
If you have girls, you probably already have some princess clothing and accessories. Your child can help you craft a magic wand from pipe cleaners, a ruler or a simple stick from nature. Wrap aluminum foil, ribbon or whatever is handy around the frame of the wand. Hot glue a cardboard star spangled with glitter to the wand tip. You can mix fine glitter with aloe vera gel (the stuff you keep on hand to treat sunburn) to create glitter paint to add sparkle to your fairy princess’ cheeks.
Commando Spy:
Dress your little Special Forces member in camouflage clothing, and use face paint to camouflage their faces, or improvise with a little mud from the backyard. Step outside to find some fallen leaves to tuck in their hair, and your child is ready to gather intelligence.
Mummy:
Tear an old white bed sheet into long strips. (Or…if you are like me, and don’t actually have white sheets, use gauze bandages) Now gently wrap your child bottom to top in the sheet shreds. Make sure not to wrap the strips too tightly, and leave wide gaps around the eyes, nose, and mouth. Also, make sure that your child can get his or her pants off easily to use the restroom. Add some drips of fake blood or red marker blobs and you have a ghoulish Halloween costume.
Most Importantly!
When improvising costumes, remember to keep your child safe. Make costume lengths short enough to prevent tripping hazards, avoid using tiny piece that could be choking hazards, and ensure that your child can see through any parts of the costume that cover his or her face. Also, as tempting as it is to provide loads of props… don’t give your child too much to carry. Make-up should be non-toxic and child-safe.
Keep These Things On Hand for INSTANT Costumes!
I usually keep a box with hats and assorted costume bits in the garage, just in case. And we don’t get rid of old costumes until we are sure we are done with all the pieces. Face Paint and Scarves can transform ordinary clothes into fun costumes. Be Creative!
Face Paint Kit for Kids – 30 Stencils, 12 Large Washable Paints, 3 Brushes, Safe Facepainting for Sensitive Skin, Professional Organic Body & Face Facepaints – Halloween Makeup Body Paint Supplies
Joyin Toy 24 Colors Face Paint Safe & Non-Toxic Face and Body Crayons (Large Size 3í) Ultimate Party Pack including 6 METALLIC Colors
Get creative and have fun crafting a costume with your child. Happy Halloween!
