By TMoM Team Member Sandy Harper
One of my favorite activities during October is making simple Halloween crafts with my kids. Kids love creating, especially when it is something they can do themselves with their own creative twist. A bonus for moms is being able to use items that we already have around the house.
For these simple crafts there is no need to run out and buy half of Michaels. You most likely have all the supplies you need already in your home. I like collecting all the items needed before announcing to the kids what we are doing. Bring to the table: toilet paper rolls, paper lunch bags, googly eyes, construction paper, glue (liquid or stick), stickers, scissors, rubber bands, paint/crayons/markers and pages torn from a magazine or newspaper. It would be a good idea to place a large sheet of paper or newspaper down before starting to craft at the table.
Paper Roll Bat
Start by painting or coloring a toilet paper roll. Have the kids cut out two triangles for teeth. Cut out the wings in any interesting way. We cut out one long piece for the wings but they could also be two pieces. You could use construction paper for the eyes but we think googly eyes are so much more fun! Now glue all the parts on to the paper roll. If you want to hang these adorable bats, use a hole punch to create a hole in the top backside of the roll. Then thread a pipe cleaner through the hole. Fold the pipe cleaner in half, twist pieces together and create a hook at the ends.
Shapes & Pumpkins
I love a craft that allows for imagination and indirectly teaches in a creative way. Start by giving your child a circular shape piece of paper. This is the pumpkin face they will decorate. Let them paint or color it. Then have them cut out different shapes. Think: circle, semicircle, triangles, squares and rectangles. Now they can decorate their jack-o-lantern by gluing these shapes down. I casual will emphasis how I love the way they used a particular shape and pretend to forget that shape’s name. They love to correct me or help me remember the shape.
Paper Bag Pumpkin
This simple craft is full of versatility! You can either have the kiddos color a paper bag (both sides) with crayons or markers before the assembling process or they can paint it after putting it together. To form the pumpkin shape, let the kids stuff the paper bag with balled up pages of a magazine or newspaper. Once the bag is stuffed to form a round shape, take a rubber band to close the top. This will create the pumpkin stem. If you are painting the pumpkin, then this is the time to do that. Once the paint has dried they can start decorating their pumpkin. Again, this can be done multiple ways. They can draw faces, cut out shapes and glue them on, use googly eyes or stickers.
Like any craft project I make with kiddos, I keep in mind that it is supposed to be fun for them. Keep the mantra “process over product”. Sometimes they take a creative turn with their craft that doesn’t look like the picture in your mind. That is okay! Don’t feel the need to jump in and “fix” their creation. Everyone has a different interpretation of art. It’s such a joy to see their faces light up as they proudly show their creation to others.
I hope you and the kiddos enjoy making these simple Halloween crafts. Have a fun, safe and Happy Halloween!
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