Homemade Costumes for Kids

 Making homemade costumes isn’t frightening. All you need to do is conjure up some imagination along with household items and inexpensive accessories found at discount, dollar and drug stores to create Halloween costumes. 

Household Materials for Homemade Costumes

Design Halloween costumes from construction paper, paper plates and bags, felt, headbands, sheets, stuffing and yarn. Decorate with craft paint, glitter, and aluminum foil. The best thing about homemade costumes is using clothing you already own. Black or red dresses, black skirts, old party dresses, plaid shirts, oversized white shirts, bulky sweaters, socks, tights, sweatpants, hoodies, hats, bandanas, jeans and gloves all are ideal for building Halloween costumes. Natural materials like straw, acorns and leaves are great for creating a scarecrow, oak tree or leaf pile. Putting together the Halloween costumes will only take gluing, stapling, or basic sewing. 

Make a Costume Out of Cardboard

A flat piece of cardboard can become a piece of Swiss cheese, a slice of pizza, star, sun or flower the possibilities are endless. Use the whole cardboard box to make a block, television, microwave or dice. 

Halloween Masks for Homemade Costumes

Makeup is the easiest, fastest way to bring about a desired look by drawing whiskers, freckles, warts, stitches and rosy cheeks. A paper plate or bag painted with an animal face, and holes cut out for the eyes and mouth makes a simple mask. Staple a piece of string to the paper plate or bag to tie it in place.    

Accessories for Homemade Costumes

A wooden spoon topped with a cutout star covered in aluminum foil turns into a magic wand for your fairy princess. Black sunglasses painted green on the lenses becomes cat eyes. A knit hat is the base for a handmade wig by threading yarn through the cap using a darning needle until you get the desired look. Cut off the leg of a black, brown or grey tight and stuff it, now you have a tail for a cat, mouse or lion. If, you need a tail with stripes, paint them on. 

Dressing for a Costume Party

• A red dress and tights is the perfect ensemble for the a little girl devil or use a red shirt and sweatpants for a boy. Make a pointed tail by attaching a red ribbon with a felt triangle adhered to the end of it.
• A plaid shirt, jeans, work boots and knit hat are the uniform for a lumber jack. Turn your child into a mad scientist with a lab coat or white buttoned up shirt, glasses and wild, crazy hair.
• A hockey fan can get around on roller blades wearing a sports jersey, pads, and a helmet.
• Wrap your child in toilet paper from their head down to their ankles and you have a mummy. If you are really ambitious and want the wrappings to have an old look, you can rip a white sheet into strips. Soak the material in a bucket of water with tea bags. Allow the fabric to dry before using.
• An old shirt and pants along with chunky boots are perfect for dressing as Frankenstein. Cut the legs and shirtsleeves so they appear torn.
• Every child should have a haunting Halloween, so make them a ghost using a white sheet. You can go with the free flowing form or you can tie it at the waist. Cut holes for the eyes and mouth. For a tattered, ghostly appearance make slashes in the material and shred the bottom of the costume.