DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Whether it’s for trick-or-treating or a party, these Halloween costumes for toddlers and buggies are bound to be popular.

Astronaut Costume

To infinity & beyond!

Materials:

Grey jumper and tracksuit trousers
Bicycle helmet
Silver tape
Two empty 2-litre drinks bottles
Red and orange tissue paper
Wide silver ribbon
30cm x 30cm piece of foam poster board
Double Sided Tape

Step 1: Cover your bicycle helmet and shoes with silver duct tape.

Step 2: Cover plastic bottles and poster board completely in silver tape. Attach bottles to foam board with looped pieces of silver tape. Cut even pieces of silver ribbon and attach to poster board with tape to make straps. Place a piece of red tissue paper on top of an orange piece and stick inside the opening of each bottle to resemble flames, tape in place.

Step 3: Dress your child in the jumper and tracksuit trousers.

Pumpkin Costume

Materials:

White chalk or marker
Large black felt square
Scissors
Gold glitter fabric paint
Glue
Orange long sleeve shirt
Black trousers or leggings
Orange tulle skirt (optional)
Black shoes
Orange hued makeup
Green knitted hat or green satin ribbon.

Step 1: Using white chalk or marker on black felt, draw three large triangles for eyes, nose and a smiling mouth with missing teeth (just like you would draw a face on a pumpkin). Sizes will depend on the size of your child. Cut out pieces. Glue to orange shirt to create pumpkin face.

Note: If your child would like a little “flair,” add gold glitter paint to the edges of the eyes, nose and mouth on the black felt.

Step 2: Put on outfit: pumpkin face shirt, black leggings, orange tulle skirt, and sneakers.

Step 3: Put green hat or green satin ribbon on child’s head for stem. If child is up for it, add orangey-rosy cheeks and orange lips with costume makeup.

Gandalf Costume

Materials:

White long haired wig
Spider web material for beard and moustache
Grey t-shirt or jumper and cotton trousers
Oversized grey dressing gown with cord
Blanket or cape (optional)
Long rope or canvas belt for sash
Black shoes or sandals
Wizard hat (or witch hat spray painted with grey paint)
Satchel or cloth bag with long strap
1.5 meter-long stick from the garden as walking staff

Step 1: Put on the T-shirt and trousers. Put on dressing gown bathrobe (without the cord) or drape blanket or cape over shoulders and knot around the neck. Tie rope or canvas belt around waste. Put on black shoes or sandals.

Step 2: Make wizard hat by spray painting witch hat grey. Let dry.

Step 3: Put long, straight grey wig on head. Cover side of the face with beard material Add fake moustache.

Step 4: Place satchel or cloth bag over one shoulder. Grab magic walking staff and hit the neighbourhood.

Cowboy Costume

This town ain’t big enough for the two of us!

Materials:

Brown or black t-shirt
Blue jeans
2 20cm x 28cm sheets brown felt
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Shirt: Long-sleeved and buttoned, either chequered or white
Brown belt
Red handkerchief
Cowboy hat
Cowboy boots (or any brown shoe)
Spool of twine/rope

Step 1: Cut t-shirt in a straight line down the middle, and then cut off sleeves at the seam, to create a vest. Around the bottom of the vest, cut several 2cm long slits, to create a fringe.

Step 2: To make the fringe for the trousers, cut out 10 3cm x 7cm pieces of brown felt. Lay blue jeans flat on a table. Using hot glue gun, attach felt pieces in a single layer up the seam of the blue jeans until the knee — five on each leg. If need be, use more or less pieces.

Step 3: Create a braided belt by cutting 9 pieces of twine about the length of your child’s waist. (It might be easiest to measure one piece before to make sure it is long enough.) Next, separate the nine pieces into sections of three and knot at the top. Braid each individual section and then braid these sections together to create an easy yet adorable cowboy belt.

Step 4: Put on outfit: shirt, vest, blue jeans, belt, hat and boots. Loosely tie handkerchief around neck and your cowboy is ready for the rodeo!

Owl Costume

An adorable Halloween costume for both boys & girls.

Materials:

Brown and grey felt
Long sleeve brown or black T-shirt
Scissors
Fabric glue
Brown and grey feathers
Brown, knitted hat
Googly eyes
Brown or black leggings or trousers

Step 1: Make the owl’s body by cutting out about 40 8cm x 5cm felt ovals, all the same size. Starting at the bottom of the front of the shirt, glue and layer felt pieces to make feathers. Layer all the way up.

Step 2: Glue feathers all over the cap, covering it. Glue eyes on top of the feathers.

Rainbow Costume

Let their true colours shine!

Materials:

Two large sheets of white poster board
Pencil
Poster paint in rainbow colours
Wide paint brush or roller
Scissors
Four safety pins
Rainbow socks or leggings
Rainbow tutu
White T-shirt
Trainers
Multi-colour face paint.

Step 1: Sketch out rainbow arc and stripes on poster board. Paint rainbow stripes with wide brush or roller. Let dry. Cut out rainbow.

Step 2: Attach and secure painted rainbow to shirt using safety pins.

Step 3: Draw rainbows on both cheeks using face paint.

Mermaid Costume

Go on a deep sea adventure this Halloween!

Materials:

Purple t-shirt (the shinier the better)
Glitter spray glue
Elastic ribbon to fit around your child’s waist
Green tulle or netting
Blue tulle
Scissors
Green leggings
Green ribbon
Hair glitter (optional)
Shell necklace (optional)

Step 1: Spray purple shirt with glitter spray glue and let dry.

Step 2: To make the mermaid tail, first measure elastic around your child’s waist so that it is snug but not so tight that it is constricting, cut and tie ends in a knot. Cut blue and green tulle into pieces long enough to stretch from your child’s waist to her feet. Wrap the cut pieces around the elastic ribbon to create a full-looking mermaid tail, alternating the colours.

Step 3: Put on outfit: Shirt, leggings and tulle skirt. A few inches above the bottom of the skirt, tie a piece of green ribbon around, so it is tightened — this will make the bottom of the skirt look like a fin. Be sure the ribbon is loose enough that your child can still walk comfortably.

Step 4: Add any fun touches you would like, such as curled hair, hair glitter or a shell necklace.

We didn’t want to forget about the little ones who are in pushchairs this Halloween! So we created a couple of costumes that will be the highlight of any family Halloween party.

Hunger Games Costumes

Katniss

Materials:

Black T-shirt
Black cotton trousers
Brown leather boots
One package of brown yarn
Brown leather jacket
Bow and arrow set

Step 1: Put on T-shirt and trousers. Tuck trousers into boots.

Step 2: Comb hair to one side and plait, so a single plait hangs forward over shoulder. To make or embellish plait, create a long, thick plait with brown yarn and knot at both ends. Attach one end to a barrette and clip into hair or existing braid.

Step 3: Put on leather jacket and sling bow and arrow set over one shoulder, messenger bag style.

Gale

Materials:

Grey long sleeve jumper
Green khaki fishing vest
Green khaki trousers
Brown suede shoes or work boots
Hair gel

Step 1: Assemble and put on outfit.

Step 2: Lightly gel hair, so that it spikes out towards the front.

Pirate Ship

Build a pirate ship around the pushchair for a yo-ho-ho-ing Halloween. Simply cut out two 2-D pirate ship shapes from cardboard, decorate and fix to either side of the pushchair. Cut out a treasure chest shape from some card and attach to the front of the pushchair. For pirate’s booty, stop by your favourite party store and pick up some plastic necklaces and gold coins and glue to the chest. Create a mast if you have a spare, white sheet in the house: tear it into strips, draw on a skull and crossbones and tie to the handles.