Copyright 2018. Family Theme Days. All rights reserved.

MINI PUMPKINS:

Materials: Mini Pumpkins, paint, brushes, paint clothes or art smock, newspapers to work on. OR use permanent markers for something even easier!!!

Step 1: Give your child the small pumpkins and let him/her paint or decorate them however he/she wants.  Encourage creativity and suggest faces or monsters or various colours.
Step 2: Let them dry and then display.

Check out these Family Theme Days for More Halloween Crafts:

2-D JACK-O-LANTERNS:

 Materials: orange, black, yellow and green paper , child-safe scissors, pencil, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.


Step 1:  Have your child draw (or you can draw for little ones) a pumpkin shape onto the orange paper.  Encourage your child to use his/her imagination.  Does he/she want the pumpkin small, large, fat, skinny, odd shaped?
Step 2: Help your child cut the pumpkin shape out.
Step 3: Have your child glue the pumpkin shape onto the black paper.
Step 4: Using the pencil, let your child draw pumpkin lines down the orange shape.
Step 5: Have your child draw (or you can draw for your little one) shapes on the yellow paper to give the pumpkin two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Once again, encourage creativity by suggesting different shapes or emotions.
Step 6: Help your child cut the shapes out and then have your child glue the face shapes onto the orange paper.
Step 7: Have your child draw a stem on the green paper  and then help your child cut the stem out so it can be glued to the Jack-o-lantern picture.
Step 8: Display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.   You could also use this as a decoration for a window or a Halloween party.

Trick or Treat Art:

Materials: Canvas (from dollar stores), acrylic paint in hues of black, orange, dark green, light brown, glitter, paint brushes, white glue mixed with equal parts water (or modge podge glue), black permanent markers, scrapbook paper or bits of wrapping paper with designs, coloured construction paper, child safe scissors, craft knife (optional and for adult use only), cutting board (optional), gold or yellow paint.

Day 1: Have your child paint the entire canvas black and then splatter with orange paint using an old tooth brush or just tap the paint brush dipped in orange paint over the canvas.  Let it dry.  Meanwhile cut out the letters TRICK and TREAT from bright construction paper (if you are only making one you could cut out TRICK OR TREAT).  I let my kids choose their font on the computer and then enlarged it, printed it and laid it on the construction paper on top of a cutting board to cut out using an exacto/craft knife. If you have one of those fantastic scrapbook machines that cut out shapes and letters from paper use that…it would be much easier.


Day 2: Have your child paint a pumpkin on the canvas leaving room for the words TRICK or TREAT on top. Using streaks of green in the orange paint gives the pumpkin a cool effect.  Then paint a light brown stem.


Day 3: Have your child choose the paper to use as the pumpkin's mouth, eyes and nose.  Then have him/her draw the mouth, nose and eyes he/she desires on the paper and cut them out.  Now glue the word TRICK or TREAT to the canvas, as well as the mouth, eyes and nose. I found that using a mixture of water and glue works best.  Create your solution in a paper cup.  Try adding equal parts at first and then mixing with a craft stick add water or glue to get to a consistency that you like.  Modge Podge Glue would work as well.

Day 4: Once this has dried your child can add embellishments using a black permanent marker (like a Sharpie).  We outlined the paper cut outs, and the pumpkin. We also used gold glitter paint to add a bit of Halloween Magic. Don’t let your child forget to sign the painting.

Day 5: Optional but highly recommended: Add a coat of gloss to the canvas to seal it and make it last for years to come! 

GHOST HANDS:

Materials:  Black paper, white paint, black paint, old clothes or art smock to paint in, newspapers or old table cloth to cover the table.

Step 1: Help your child pain his/her hands white and then gently press them onto the black paper to make handprints.
Step 2: with the fingers pointed down, use black paint to paint on eyes and perhaps a mouth if needed.
Step 3: Let it dry and then display or use as a Halloween decoration in your window or glue in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

HALLOWEEN STAMP COLLAGE or SCENE:

 Materials: Coloured paper (try Halloween colours like black, orange or green), assorted Halloween stamps and an ink pad.


Step 1: Let your child choose the Halloween stamps to use then show him/her how to press into the ink pad and stamp the paper..
Step 2: See if you child wants to embellish the picture using markers or crayons by drawing more details to the picture. 
Step 3: Display or glue in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.  

PAINT AND GLUE JACK-O-LANTERN CRAFT:

Materials: paper ( sturdier paper works best), paints, brushes, newspaper or old table cloth to cover your table, yogurt or other lid to use as pallet, old clothes or smock to wear to protect clothes, child-safe scissors, black paper, white paper,  markers, glue stick or other glue.

Step 1: Have your child paint a pumpkin, any round or oval shape will do! Then paint a stem in brown or green.

Step 2: Have your child cut out eyes, nose, mouth and teeth shapes (in black or white or yellow, or whatever colour he/she fancies).

Step 3: Once dry, cut out the pumpkin shape.

Step 4: Glue the pieces onto the pumpkin.

Step 5: Decorate your home with the pumpkin or glue it into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

HALLOWEEN STICKERS:

 Materials: Coloured paper (try Halloween colours like black, orange or green), assorted Halloween stickers, (Optional) crayons or markers.

Step 1:Give your child the stickers and the paper and have him/her either make a collage or a Halloween scene using them. 
Step 2:See if you child wants to embellish the picture using markers or crayons by drawing more details to the picture. 
Step 3:Display or glue in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.  You could even use it as a Halloween card for a relative or friend who lives far away. Grandparents would love it!

Crafts 

PAPER BAG HAUNTED HOUSE:

Materials:  Cardboard for the base, paper bag, old newspapers or magazines, craft googly eyes, white glue, black paper, black paint, brushes, yogurt lid for a paint pallet, old clothes or art smock to paint in, newspapers or old table cloth to cover the table, Halloween stickers and old toys, white pencil crayon, clear tape, dried grass, cotton balls.

Step 1:Cut out the cardboard to the size of base you want and then paint it black. Set aside to dry or use a hairdryer to speed up the process.
Step 2: Cut out windows and doors to add to the house and then glue them on the front and back of the paper bag with the glue stick (if you use white glue, let it dry before the next step).
Step 3:Stuff the paper bag with old crumpled newspapers or magazines so that it stands upright.  Cut out a black roof from the black paper and decorate it with white pencil crayon if desired (you can see a Monster on the top of ours).

Step 4:Decorate the house with stickers, if desired.  Add stretched cotton balls for cobwebs and googly eyes in the doors and windows. Glue or tape the paper bag house onto the black base.

Step 5: Make paper tombstones by cutting out a rectangle with a rounded top and write on it using white pencil crayon.  Fold over the straight edge at the bottom and tape onto the black base.

Step 6: Glue dried grass or leaves to the base and add any other details your child desires, like stickers or old plastic Halloween toys.  Or make your own decorations using paper and markers, or even using play dough or clay.

Step 7: You now have a Huanted House your child can play with or you can use to decorate a window or use as a centerpiece for your Halloween dinner table or at a Halloween Party.


Preschool

Craft Ideas:

There are so many different Halloween Crafts!  This page offers a few easy ones.

Or use foam stamps from a craft store and paint on a dollar store canvas!

GHOST LOLLIPOPS:

Materials: Lollipops, tissues, white pipe cleaners cut into smaller pieces (parent step only), black marker.

Step 1: Gently wrap the top of a lollipop with a white tissue.  Pinch the tissue under the lollipop head and wrap a piece of pipe cleaner around and twist.
Step 2: Gently draw a face on the ghost using a black marker.
Step 3: Give away as Halloween gifts!  These make great classroom treats!

PAPER SKELETON:

 Materials: Large sheet of white construction paper (be sure to use harder paper for this craft to work), pencil, child-safe scissors, hole punch, string, black marker.

 Step 1: On the sheet of construction paper draw a simple skull shape (an upside-down pear shape), ribs (use the picture on the right for a guide), four long bone shapes for the legs, four shorter bone shapes for the arms, trace your child’s hands, and trace your Child's feet.
Step 2: Use the hole punch to make holes at the end of each piece and tie the pieces together to assemble a skeleton.
Step 3: Draw a face on the skull and hang it up by another string for a spooky decoration!

Bat Art:

Materials: craft paper, kids oil pastels, copy of Bat Template, black paint, yogurt container lid for pallet, sponge, white paper, craft knife (adult use) and cutting board, glue stick or other glue,


Step 1: Have your child colour the craft paper using bright oil pastels.

Step 2: (parent step) cut out the bat from the template to use as a stencil.

Step 3: Show your child how to lay the stencil on top of the background and then carefully press the sponge in the black paint (we found it helpful to dab on white paper to get excess off and even practiced on it). Then press in the hole of the stencil, firmly pressing the paper down while doing so.

Step 4: Carefully lift the paper to reveal the bat.

Step 5: Repeat and let dry.

Step 6: Decorate your house with this, or glue in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook, or give away as a gift or card.


Halloween

MULTI-DAY CRAFT PROJECT!