Get kids to express their creativity with easy and fun Halloween crafts. A few simple ideas can jump-start a budding artist to design a perfectly spooky creation perfect for the holiday.

Halloween Thaumatropes

This classic Victorian spinning toy is easy to make and fun to play with. You can find directions online for crafting the simple two-sided paper toy, with plenty of room for child creativity included. Find spooky pictures online and let kids choose their own paper, ribbons, and other materials for creating their own two-sided paper medallion.

Paper Jack O’ Lantern

Create a ghoulish Jack O’ Lantern from paper mache, using orange tissue paper, glue, scissors, and a balloon. Cut or tear the paper into pieces, then use the glue to paste it in layers over the surface of your inflated balloon. Once several layers have been applied, let the “pumpkin” dry before deflating the balloon. Cut spooky features from black construction paper, then place a low-watt key chain light inside to illuminate your creation.

Halloween Paper Chain Garlands

Easy to make and decorate with, paper chain garlands allow kids to maximize their creative powers with only a few snips of the scissors. Using the paper folds for making paper chains (directions are easy to find online for making paper chains and paper holiday garlands), then trace your spooky design onto the paper before cutting. Bats, cats, and ghosts are just a few of the cool concepts for creating a garland to drape across a window or use as a wall border.

Halloween Collage

Let kids decorate notebook covers, poster board, and other surfaces with their own unique Halloween collage. Use magazine pictures, decorative craft paper, glue, and stickers to create unique designs featuring fall leaves, black cats, pumpkins, and other familiar Halloween characters. Encourage kids to be as individual as they want in choosing and layering their unique design.

Spooky Puzzle

Glue old Halloween cards, pictures, and other spooky images to a light cardboard surface, then cut into puzzle pieces (simple squares will be fine). Let kids “swap” their puzzle for another creation for a challenge or simply mix the pieces up and challenge themselves to put it back together.