You ignored the telltale signs of the season: pumpkin-spiced lattes, costume pop-up stores, a bowl of candy corn on the receptionist’s desk at your office. But there’s no denying it any longer. Halloween has arrived, and your child needs a costume ASAP for all of the spooky parties and ghoulish events happening between now and October 31.

Before you run out to the nearest big box store and buy a costume you’ll see on every other kid who shows up at your door begging for goodies, you (yes, even you) can make a homemade Halloween costume with supplies you probably already have. Don’t worry about dusting off that sewing machine (what sewing machine?), — these easy, no-sew Halloween costumes are doable even for moms who are missing the craft gene.

The Bee

Level of craft ability: You can search for and purchase items on Etsy.

Time to make costume: 15 minutes

Materials:

  • Black shirt/leotard
  • Yellow duct tape
  • Black headband
  • 2 black pipe cleaners
  • 2 yellow pompoms

Directions:

For the antenna:

  1. Glue a yellow pompom to one end of each pipe cleaner.
  2. Wrap the opposite end of the pipe cleaner around the headband two to three times.
  3. Position the pipe cleaners two to three inches from each other, spaced evenly from the middle of the headband.

For the bee body:

  1. Adhere strips of the yellow duct tape horizontally to the black shirt/leotard.
  2. Space strips of tape approximately two inches apart.
  3. Wear black tights or pants to complete the costume.

bee

The Super Hero

Level of craft ability: You need a tutorial to learn how to load your glue gun.

Time to make costume: 30 minutes

Materials:

  • T-shirt (T-shirt should be a few sizes too large for your child)
  • Toilet paper roll
  • Stickers, paint, markers, felt or other items for decorating the cape and wrist cuffs

Directions:

For the cape:

  1. Lay the T-shirt on a flat surface.
  2. With scissors, cut along the seams of the T-shirt, removing the sleeves and separating the front of the shirt from the back.
  3. Cut along the shoulder seams and around the collar, keeping the entire collar intact, but removing the front of the shirt.

For the wrist cuffs:

  1. Cut through the toilet paper roll length-wise, then cut the roll in half.

Decorate the cape and cuffs:

  1. Glue felt letters to the back of the cape, add star stickers, and paint or color the wrist cuffs.
  2. Get the kids involved and let them decorate the costume. This is a perfect Halloween project for a school-aged child!

superhero

The Lego

Level of craft ability: You can channel your inner Martha Stewart.

Time: 45 minutes hands-on; 24 hours for the paint to dry

Materials:

  • Box
  • Six medium-sized paper or plastic cups
  • Red paint (or another common Lego color)

Directions:

  1. Find a rectangular box large enough for your child to wear.
  2. On the front/longer side of the box, place six cups upside-down in two rows of three.
  3. Trace around each cup so that you have a guide on the box showing where the cups should be placed.
  4. With a glue gun, put glue around the lip of each cup.
  5. Press the cup firmly to the box for 15 seconds to ensure that the cup adheres to the box.
  6. Paint the box and allow it to dry for 24 hours.
  7. Cut a hole it the top of the box for the head.
  8. Cut out the bottom of the box (for the legs) and cut holes on each side for the arms.
  9. Measurements for these cuts will vary based on the size of your child.

solocup

 

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