Good Morning everyone! Well, the heat wave has subsided and we went right into chilly temperatures. This has definitely gotten me back into the fall feeling – snuggling up with hot chocolate and a blanket while reading a good book, snuggling under the comforter at night with the chill in the air as it lulls me to sleep, sitting around the fire pit warming up with friends and family in the evening. Sorry, but as I’ve said before, fall is my favorite time of the year!
There’s another activity that I get excited about when the fall temperatures come and that’s trick or treating with my nieces and nephews! I love to see their creative sides come out when they pick what costumes they want to make each year, which is where the inspiration for today’s post came from.
20 Favorite DIY Halloween Costumes
I’m sharing a list of my favorite Halloween costumes you can make for your little ones to use this Halloween. I hope this gives inspires you and you enjoy using these ideas for your trick or treaters!
Bag of Jelly Beans- This is such a fun and easy costume to make! Just take a clear trash bag and cut holes for their arms and legs. Then blow up colorful balloons and place them inside the trash bag. Then just top off the costume with a colorful ribbon to cinch the trash bag at the top.
Jellyfish- Another creative costume you’ll have a blast making. Take an umbrella and attach ribbon, streamers, or fabric hanging down as the tentacles. That’s it, simple and fun!
Cupcake- Your little trick or treater will be the toast of Halloween with this costume. Take a round laundry basket and cut the bottom out. Attach suspenders or ribbon to the basket for your child’s shoulders to hold the basket up. Then take batting (like you use inside a pillow) and attach it to a hat. Decorate the batting with any color for the icing and add colorful pom-poms or pipe cleaners as sprinkles. Don’t forget to add a red Styrofoam ball as the cherry on top!
Robot- For your science-loving child, they’ll go crazy for this costume! Take a large box and cut holes for arms, legs, and head. Cover with aluminum foil or silver spray paint and attach bottle caps, bottle lids, and jar lids onto the front to make control buttons and dials. Next, use flexible ducts (like your dryer uses) to put on their arms and legs, then cover their shoes with aluminum foil. Finally, take a smaller box covered in aluminum foil or silver spray paint and use it as a hat to top off your little robot.
Present- Such an easy and cute costume idea! Take a large box and cut out holes for their arms, legs, and head. Cover the box in wrapping paper and add decorative ribbon. Next, make a gift tag out of cardstock or construction paper and attach it to the box. Finally, don’t forget to place a large bow for the top of your little one’s head to finish off the present!
Mary Poppins– This costume idea was too adorable to pass up! Check out Goodwill for a while button down shirt and black skirt, a black hat, a red bow tie, and a black umbrella and your little one will be ready to sail off over the rooftops!
Garden Gnome- This was a great costume idea. Take a blue long sleeve shirt, dark pants and dark shoes. Then find a white beard to wear. You can make the red gnome hat with felt or fabric and cardstock or cardboard. Finally, attach some fake white hair to the hat and you’re done!
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Bunch of Grapes– Such a fun and easy costume to make! Blow up either purple or green balloons and begin taping them to a dark long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt. Then attach them to each other in the shape of a cluster of grapes. Add dark tights, leggings, or sweatpants to the costume. Top off the costume with a cardboard stem on top of a hat or headband and you’re ready to go.
Donut- A sweet treat of a costume to make! Take an inflatable pool tube and paint it any color you desire. Then top if off with pom-poms or pipe cleaners for sprinkles and you’re ready to go.
Butterfly- This one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Keep the costume simple with dark shirt, pants, and shoes. You can make your colorful butterfly wings by taking black or white fabric and cutting out the wing shapes. Then add colorful felt cutouts onto the fabric with hot glue. Attach the wings with safety pins to the back neckline and cuffs of the shirt so your little butterfly can soar.
Lego- This simple but colorful costume will be perfect for your little builder. Take a large cardboard box and cut out holes for their arms, legs, and head. Then paint the box whatever color you want your Lego to be. Paint 6 lids the same color as the box and glue them onto the back of the box (inside of the lid facing up) as the holes. Then take 6 solo cups and cut them down to half their size. Paint them the same color as the box and glue them onto the front of the box (with the inside facing down) as the prongs. Now your little Lego is ready to go!
Raincloud- This is another fun and easy costume to make. Take a clear or white garbage bag and cut holes for their arms and legs. Paint the garbage bag grey. Then cut out raindrops from cardstock or construction paper. Attach the raindrops to the bottom of the cloud using string or dental floss. You can even add batting painted grey to a headband or hat for your child’s head to top off the costume.
Scuba Diver- This costume is a little more involved, but it’s so creative it’ll be the hit of Halloween! Use a black long sleeve shirt and black pants for their outfit. Next, take 2 empty 2-liter soda bottles and paint them grey. Glue them together and add ribbon to use as shoulder straps so your little diver can wear them on their back. Take a pacifier and glue a round piece of plastic to the front of it to make your mouthpiece and paint it black. Then, take a tube and paint it black and glue one end to the top of one of the bottles and attach the other end of the tube to the bottom of the mouthpiece. Instead of using real flippers (which can trip up your trick or treater) cut out the flipper shape from black cardstock or construction paper and attach them to the tops of their shoes. Finally, add a swim mask and your little adventurer is ready to go.
Red Riding Hood- A time-honored classic that everyone will love! All you need is a red cape and a basket and your little one is ready to go!
Raining Cats and Dogs- This is a fun, creative costume idea you’ll love making. Cut out images of cats and dogs on cardstock or construction paper and hang them from the inside of an umbrella using string or dental floss. Top off the costume by having your little one wear a rain jacket and galoshes and they’re all set for the storm.
Rubik’s Cube- Here’s another throwback costume that everyone will love! Take a large cardboard box and cut out holes for their arms, legs, and head. You can either paint the colored squares for the Rubik’s cube onto the box or use colored construction paper and glue them onto the box. That’s it – quick and easy!
Carrot- This is such a quick an easy one – and it’s too cute to pass up! Use an orange long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt and orange sweatpants or leggings. Then, take either green yarn, pipe cleaners, or tulle and attach it to a hat or headband as the top of the carrot and you’re done.
Snowman- This costume is sure to be a family favorite. Use a white long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt and white sweatpants or leggings. Next, glue black buttons onto the front of the shirt and tie a scarf around your little snowman’s neck. You can make a carrot nose using orange felt and an elastic for around their face. Add a pipe and winter hat or top hat and your snowman is ready to roam the neighborhood.
Bubble Bath- This is such a fun costume idea I had to include it! Take a laundry basket (without holes in the sides) and cut out the bottom. Use suspenders or ribbon for your child’s shoulders to hold the tub up. Blow up white balloons and attach them around the top of the laundry basket. Glue a rubber duck or bath toys to the top of the laundry basket. Add a shower cap and bath brush and your little one is ready for bath time!
Spaghetti and Meatballs- This one was just so adorable it made me smile! Take a red and white checked tablecloth and cut a hole in it for the head. Take a paper plate and glue white or off-white yard to the plate in the shape of a pile of spaghetti. Use red paint to add the tomato sauce and add brown pom-poms and the spaghetti. Attach the plate to the front of the tablecloth. Glue plastic silverware, a napkin, and a plastic cut onto the tablecloth around the plate and your table is set!
I hope you enjoyed these 20 DIY Halloween Costumes and that they’ve inspired you to make an awesome costume this year for your little ones! I’d love to hear your favorite DIY Halloween Costume ideas as well, so please comment below to share them with everyone. And don’t forget to share this post on your social media sites so your friends and family can take advantage of these ideas this Halloween as well!
Such cute ideas! We love doing family costumes!
Thanks Rachel, I have very fond memories of making Halloween costumes growing up so this was a really fun post to write!
Love this! Halloween is my favorite holiday – will be sending this to some family members with little ones!
Thanks Scott, I hope they enjoy these! And if they have other suggestions, I’d love to hear them!