Looking for Halloween crafts for preschoolers? Here are 20+ Halloween crafts using stuff you probably already have: googly eyes, pipe cleaners, paper plates, the usual suspects. Materials and steps are listed for each, so you can skim and start crafting fast.
Paper Plate Classics
These are the bread and butter of preschool Halloween crafting — cheap, forgiving, and endlessly customizable.
1. Orange Pumpkin Paper Plate
Materials:
- Paper plate (white or orange)
- Orange paint (skip if using an orange plate)
- Green construction paper
- Black construction paper
- Glue stick
- Safety scissors
If you’re starting with a white plate, let your little one paint it orange with a brush or sponge and set it aside to dry for about 20 minutes. While it dries, cut a small green stem shape and a few black triangle or circle “face” shapes ahead of time.
Once dry, have your child glue the stem to the top and stick the black shapes wherever they like to make a silly jack-o’-lantern face.
2. Black Cat Paper Plate
Materials:
- Paper plate
- Black paint
- Pink construction paper
- Black construction paper
- Googly eyes
- Pipe cleaner
- Glue
Paint the plate black and let it dry fully. Cut two black triangle ears and two smaller pink triangles for the inner ears, then glue the pink on top of the black and attach both behind the top edge of the plate.
Glue on googly eyes, add a small pink paper nose, and bend a pipe cleaner into a “W” shape for the mouth. Cut a few short pipe cleaner pieces for whiskers and glue three on each side.
3. Purple Pipe-Cleaner Spider
Materials:
- Paper plate
- Purple paint
- 8 black or purple pipe cleaners
- Googly eyes
- Black marker
Paint the plate purple (it may need two coats to look fully opaque) and let dry. Once ready, help your child bend and attach eight pipe cleaners behind the plate, four to a side, angled downward like legs. Finish with two googly eyes and a smiling mouth drawn on with marker.
4. Toilet-Paper Mummy Plate
Materials:
- Paper plate
- Toilet paper or gauze strips
- Googly eyes
- Glue
This one’s a favorite because it’s almost mess-free. Let your child tear or unroll strips of toilet paper (or gauze, if you have leftover bandage material) and glue them across the plate, leaving a little gap for the face.
Stick on a pair of googly eyes in the gap and you’ve got an instant mummy.
5. Splatter-Paint Monster
Materials:
- Paper plate
- Washable paint (a few colors)
- Googly eye stickers
- Black marker
Let your toddler go wild splattering or dabbing paint all over the plate in whatever colors and patterns they like — no rules here.
Once it dries, hand over a sheet of googly eye stickers and let them place eyes randomly all over the plate. Add a silly mouth with marker and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind monster.
Handprint & Footprint Keepsakes
These make the sweetest keepsakes because you’ll actually want to save them.
6. Handprint Ghost
Materials:
- White paint
- Black construction paper
- Paintbrush or sponge
- Black marker
Paint your child’s palm and fingers white and press their hand firmly onto black paper with fingers slightly spread. Let it dry about 15 minutes, then use a black marker to add two dot eyes and a small round mouth right onto the palm print.
Flip it over and jot down their name and the date — you’ll treasure this one for years.
7. Footprint Bat
Materials:
- Black paint
- White or gray paper
- Paintbrush
- Googly eyes
- White marker
Paint the bottom of your child’s foot black and press it onto paper, with the heel as the bat’s body and the toes fanning out like wings — you may need two prints side by side to form both wings.
Once dry, glue on tiny googly eyes near the heel and add a couple of white fang dots with marker.
8. Handprint Spider
Materials:
- Black paint
- White paper
- Paintbrush
- Googly eyes
Paint your child’s whole hand black and press it onto paper with fingers spread wide — the palm becomes the spider’s body and the fingers become legs. Do a second print overlapping slightly so there are eight “legs” total. Once dry, glue on googly eyes to finish the look.
No-Cut, No-Mess Sensory Crafts
For the days you need zero mess and minimal cleanup.
9. Shaving Cream Marbled Pumpkins
Materials:
- Shaving cream
- Orange food coloring
- A shallow tray
- White cardstock
Spread shaving cream in a tray and drop in a bit of orange food coloring, then let your child swirl it around with their fingers or a craft stick.
Press a piece of cardstock (pre-cut into a pumpkin shape, if you like) flat on top, then lift and wipe off the excess cream with a squeegee or paper towel to reveal a marbled pattern underneath.
10. Frozen Spooky Hands
Materials:
- Clear surgical or latex gloves
- Water
- Food coloring
- Small plastic Halloween trinkets (spiders, eyeballs)
- Twist ties
Drop a few small plastic Halloween trinkets into a glove, add water tinted with food coloring, and tie it off tightly at the wrist. Freeze overnight, then peel off the glove the next day to reveal an icy, spooky hand your kiddo can watch melt in a bin of warm water.
11. Orange Spaghetti Sensory Bin
Materials:
- Cooked spaghetti
- Orange food coloring
- A large clear bin
- Small plastic spiders and figurines
- Fake spider webbing
Cook and drain your spaghetti, toss it with orange food coloring, and let it dry for about an hour in the sun so it doesn’t stay too sticky. Dump it into a clear bin with plastic spiders and figurines mixed in, then drape spider webbing over the top and sides.
Just stay close by, since this is a hands-in, not a hands-in-mouth, activity.
12. Eyeball Jiggler Sensory Cups
Materials:
- Clear gelatin mix
- Water
- Raisins or black beans
- Small cups or an egg mold
Prepare the gelatin according to the package and pour it into small cups or an egg-shaped mold, then drop a raisin or black bean into each one before it sets to look like a pupil.
Chill until firm, then let your child pop, poke, and squish them — this one doubles as a silly snack if you’re comfortable with that.
Craft-Room Staples (Pipe Cleaners, Pom-Poms & Egg Cartons)
If you keep a stash of pom-poms and pipe cleaners around like I do, these come together in minutes.
13. Egg Carton Spider
Materials:
- Cardboard egg carton
- Black paint
- Pipe cleaners
- Googly eyes
Cut a single cup from an egg carton and have your child paint it black inside and out. Once dry, poke four small holes on each side and thread pipe cleaners through to make eight bendy legs, then glue on googly eyes up front.
14. Pom-Pom Pipe Cleaner Spider
Materials:
- Black pom-pom
- 4 black pipe cleaners
- Googly eyes
- Glue
Cut the pipe cleaners in half to make eight legs and twist them together in the center, bending each one into a leg shape so the spider can stand. Glue the pom-pom on top of the twisted center and add googly eyes — this is one of the fastest crafts on this whole list.
15. Candy Corn Craft
Materials:
- White construction paper
- Orange construction paper
- Yellow construction paper (or a printable candy corn template)
- Glue stick
- Scissors
Pre-cut the three candy corn sections if your preschooler isn’t ready for scissors yet, or let them practice cutting along the lines if they are.
Have them stack and glue the yellow, orange, and white pieces in order to build the classic candy corn shape, then let them make a whole row for a garland.
16. Marshmallow Ghosts
Materials:
- Mini marshmallows
- Black construction paper (or a printable template)
- Markers
- Googly eyes
Glue marshmallows onto black construction paper in a cluster or ghost shape, or use a printable ghost outline as a guide for placement. Once the glue sets, add googly eyes and a small marker mouth to each marshmallow ghost.
If you’d rather skip food crafts, small white pom-poms work just as well.
17. Puffy Cotton Ball Ghost
Materials:
- White cardstock
- Ghost template
- Cotton balls
- Black construction paper
- School glue
Trace or print a simple ghost outline onto cardstock and let your child glue cotton balls inside the shape until it’s fully covered and puffy.
Once dry, cut out small black eyes and a mouth from construction paper and glue them onto the fluffy ghost, then add string on top if you want to hang it.
Jars, Boxes & Bags
Great for turning recyclables into Halloween decor.
18. Mummy Jar Luminary
Materials:
- Clean glass jar
- White gauze or cheesecloth
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Battery tea light
Wrap strips of gauze around the jar and secure the ends with a dab of glue, leaving a small gap for the face. Glue on a pair of googly eyes in the gap, then drop in a battery tea light after dark for a glowing mummy jar on the porch or windowsill.
19. Monster Tissue Box
Materials:
- Empty tissue box
- Paint
- White paper or craft foam
- Egg carton cup
- Googly eyes
Paint and decorate the tissue box however your child likes, then cut jagged teeth from white paper or foam and glue them just inside the box opening.
Cut a cup from an egg carton, glue on googly eyes, and attach it to the top of the box to finish the monster’s face — the opening becomes a fun mouth for stashing treats.
20. Stuffed Paper Bag Pumpkin
Materials:
- Small orange or white paper bag
- Newspaper
- Green pipe cleaner
- Pre-cut black paper shapes
- Tape
If using a white bag, let your child paint or color it orange first and let it fully dry. Have them scrunch newspaper into balls and stuff the bag about two-thirds full, then gather the top closed with tape (an adult job) and twist on a green pipe cleaner stem.
Finish by letting your child glue on pre-cut black paper eyes and a mouth.
21. Trick-or-Treat Drawstring Bag
Materials:
- Old pillowcase or plain fabric bag
- Half-inch cord or ribbon
- Fabric markers or paint
Let your preschooler decorate the pillowcase with fabric markers or paint however spooky-cute they’d like. Once dry, help thread a half-inch cord through the top hem to create a drawstring closure, and you’ve got a reusable trick-or-treat bag they helped design themselves.
These 20+ Halloween crafts for preschoolers will keep little hands busy and creative all season long. Pick a few that match your energy level today, grab your craft caddy, and let the kids make their own spooky-cute magic!
For more easy and cute crafts, check out these posts:
- 18 Recycled Halloween Crafts for Kids That Are Fun and Easy
- Halloween Crafts for Toddlers: Easy, Mess-Friendly Fun (Ages 1-3)
- 20 Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids to Make at Home and School
- Halloween Arts and Crafts for Kids: Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Halloween Crafts for Kids in Elementary School: Fun and Easy
- 15 Halloween Crafts For Kids That Are Spooktacularly Easy!
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