Halloween crafting season means the same five ghost ideas show up in every search result: cotton balls, toilet paper rolls, a paper plate with a face drawn on it. Kids get bored of them fast, and by the third Pinterest board, parents usually do too.
This list mixes in things you won’t find on every other site. There are ghosts that fizz, ghosts that glow, and one that floats using nothing but static electricity. Plenty of two-minute options are in here too, for toddlers who lose interest after gluing on one eye.
Pick a few from different sections instead of trying all 27 in one sitting. Spread across a few afternoons in October, these hold attention a lot better than a single marathon craft session.
Quick Ghosts for Toddlers and Preschoolers
These four need almost no setup and forgive messy little hands. Good picks for a rainy afternoon before nap time.
1. Pom-Pom Print Ghosts
Dip a chunky pom-pom into white paint and press it onto dark construction paper to stamp out a ghost shape. No cutting and no waiting on a stencil, just dip and press.
Two-year-olds can manage this one after you show them the motion once or twice. The repeated dabbing builds the same hand grip they’ll later use for holding a pencil.
A bag of pom-poms runs about $2 at any craft store, and one bag stretches to cover a whole classroom of preschoolers.
2. Torn Paper Ghosts
Tear white tissue paper or construction paper into small pieces and glue them inside a ghost outline on black paper. No scissors involved, which makes it a safe pick for kids who aren’t ready for blades yet.
Tearing works different muscles than cutting. It’s genuinely tricky for small hands at first, and that struggle is part of what makes it a good fine motor activity rather than a flaw in the craft.
Draw the outline yourself for kids under 3, or let older preschoolers trace a simple template.
3. Cotton Ball Ghosts
Glue cotton balls onto a paper ghost cutout until the whole shape is covered in soft texture. It’s an old standby for a reason: the slow, repetitive process feels satisfying to a toddler instead of boring.
Sensory kids tend to like this one especially, since squeezing and placing the cotton engages touch as much as sight.
Dye the cotton balls pale pink or mint with a few drops of food coloring for a softer look on the finished ghost.
4. Paper Plate Peek-a-Boo Ghosts
Cut two eye holes into a paper plate, paint it white, and let kids hold it up to their face like a mask. It doubles as a craft and a five-minute game of peekaboo once the paint dries.
Because the plate is already a full circle, there’s no shape-drawing step. Just paint, dry, and cut two holes.
Staple a strip of elastic to the sides so it stays on for pretend play after the roughly 20-minute drying time.
Upcycled Ghosts From the Recycling Bin
Halloween decorating doesn’t need new supplies. These four turn stuff already headed for the bin into porch-ready ghosts.
5. Toilet Paper Roll Ghosts
Paint an empty toilet paper roll white, glue on two small black paper circles for eyes, and stand it up as a mini ghost decoration. It’s one of the fastest crafts on this list, and most kids finish in under 10 minutes.
Save five or six rolls over a couple of weeks so kids can make a whole ghost family in one sitting instead of a single lonely one.
Cut a fringed skirt at the bottom before painting for a ghost that looks like it’s mid-float rather than just a painted tube.
6. Milk Jug Porch Ghosts
Cut a face into an empty plastic milk jug, drop in a battery-powered tea light, and set it on the porch steps after dark. The plastic diffuses the light into a soft glow that reads as genuinely spooky once the sun goes down.
This is a two-part project. Kids handle the face-drawing and any painted details, while an adult handles cutting the plastic, since jug plastic needs a sharp craft knife.
Line up three or four jugs along a walkway for a bigger visual impact than one ghost alone, and it costs nothing beyond the tea lights.
7. Egg Carton Ghost Garland
Cut individual cups from a cardboard egg carton, paint them white, and poke a small hole to string them onto twine as a garland. Each cup already has a rounded, ghost-like shape before the paint even goes on.
Kids can paint five or six cups at once, so this works well as a group activity for a playdate or classroom party without every kid needing their own full set of supplies.
Hang the finished garland across a mantel or window for a decoration that costs nothing beyond paint you likely already own.
8. Scrap Paper Collage Ghosts
Save leftover construction paper scraps from other projects and glue them inside a ghost outline in a patchwork pattern. There’s no wasted material and no trip to the store for anything.
This works especially well as a use-it-up activity at the end of a bigger craft session, when the scrap pile is already sitting on the table.
Mix in scraps of different textures like tissue paper, cardstock, and wrapping paper for a collage ghost with more visual depth than a flat single-color version.
Ghosts That Actually Do Something
These five float, fizz, or move on their own, which makes them a hit with kids who get bored of crafts that just sit there once they’re done.
9. Static Electricity Floating Ghosts
Cut small ghost shapes from tissue paper, tape one corner lightly to a table, then rub an inflated balloon on your hair and hold it above the ghosts. The tissue paper rises up to meet the balloon like it’s being pulled by an invisible string.
Kids find the “why” almost as fun as the trick itself. The balloon picks up extra electrons from your hair, and the tissue paper reaches up to balance out the charge.
This works best with dry hair and low humidity, so it’s a better pick for a crisp fall afternoon than a rainy one.
10. Flying Tea Bag Ghost
Empty a tea bag, draw a ghost face on the paper shell, stand it upright on a plate, and have an adult light the top. As the flame burns down, the ash lifts off the plate and floats upward for a second or two before it disintegrates.
This one is adult-only for the lighting step. Kids watch from a safe distance while the adult handles the flame with a heatproof surface ready underneath.
It’s less a decoration and more a one-time “ooh” moment, best saved for a Halloween party where everyone can watch it happen together.
11. Fizzy Baking Soda Ghosts
Mix baking soda with a little water, shape it into a rough ghost form in a small dish, then drip vinegar over the top and watch it fizz and foam. The reaction only lasts a minute or two, but kids usually ask to do it again right away.
Add a drop of food coloring to the vinegar first for a colorful fizz instead of plain white foam.
Set this up on a tray. The foam spreads past the edges of the ghost shape once the reaction gets going.
12. Ghost in a Bottle
Cut a tiny ghost shape from a drinking straw or pipette, weight it slightly, and drop it into a plastic bottle filled with water. Squeeze the bottle’s sides and the ghost sinks; release and it floats back up, seemingly on its own.
It’s a classic pressure demonstration wearing a Halloween costume. Squeezing the bottle increases pressure on the trapped air inside the diver, forcing it to sink.
Bottles seal tight once assembled, so this one holds up for weeks as a fidget toy long after October ends.
13. Ghost That Swims on Water
Draw a ghost outline on a plastic plate with a dry-erase marker, then slowly pour warm water over it and tilt the plate. The ink lifts right off the surface and the ghost appears to swim across the water.
The marker ink contains alcohol and resin that don’t dissolve, so the whole drawing floats up as one connected piece instead of smearing.
Try a few different colors on one plate to make a small ghost family swim together.
Ghosts That Glow After Dark
Once the sun goes down, these three are the ones that actually get noticed on a dark porch or in a dark bedroom.
14. Glow Jar Ghost Lanterns
Paint a mason jar with glow-in-the-dark paint, add a simple ghost face with a black paint pen, and charge it under a lamp before bed. The jar glows for an hour or more once the lights go out.
Kids get a kick out of “charging” the jar themselves under a bright light for a few minutes before testing how long the glow lasts in a dark room.
A drop-in battery tea light works as a backup light source on nights the glow paint has faded.
15. LED Window Ghosts
Cut a ghost shape out of white paper or fabric, mount it in an embroidery hoop or simple frame, and set a battery LED light behind it in a window. From the street, the ghost looks lit from within.
This suits kids who’ve outgrown simpler crafts, since the framing step takes more patience and precision than glue-and-paper projects do.
Group three or four in a row across one window for a bigger effect than a single ghost alone.
16. Glow-in-the-Dark Puffy Paint Ghosts
Mix glow-in-the-dark paint into a basic puffy paint recipe of flour, salt, and water, then let kids squeeze it onto black paper in a ghost shape. The texture puffs up slightly as it dries, so the finished ghost has real dimension instead of sitting flat.
This is a two-step craft. The paint needs about a day to fully dry before the glow effect works at full strength.
Kids can sketch the ghost outline in pencil first as a guide, or freehand it for a looser, more playful shape.
Ghosts to Wear or Play With
Not every ghost has to hang on a wall. These three turn into something kids can carry around, wear, or actually play with once they’re done making them.
17. Ghost Finger Puppets
Cut small ghost shapes from white felt, sew or glue the edges together leaving the bottom open, and slide one onto each finger. A whole hand becomes a puppet show with five ghosts at once.
Felt doesn’t fray at the edges, so younger kids can cut their own shapes without the raggedy look regular paper leaves behind.
Keep a few finished puppets in the car or a bag for entertainment during October errands and pickup lines.
18. Ghost Bell Necklace
String a small jingle bell onto a cord, then glue a felt or foam ghost shape around the bell so just the sound peeks through. Kids wear it around, and every movement gets a tiny ring.
This one doubles as a costume accessory. Pin it to a plain white sheet costume for an easy add-on that took five minutes to make.
Keep the cord short enough that it can’t catch on furniture or doorknobs during regular play.
19. Ghost Thaumatrope Spinner
Draw a ghost on one side of a small cardboard circle and an empty birdcage or window on the other, then attach strings to both sides and spin it between your fingers. The two images blend together and the ghost appears trapped inside.
This old optics toy dressed up for Halloween suits elementary-age kids who are past simple glue crafts and ready for something that explains an actual visual trick.
The blending effect works because your eyes hold onto an image for a fraction of a second after it disappears, so the two spinning pictures overlap in your brain.
Pastel and Disco Ghosts
Spooky isn’t the only look this year. The pastel, retro-disco ghost aesthetic is everywhere on Halloween shelves right now, and it translates into some genuinely fun kid crafts.
20. Pastel Ombre Ghost Jars
Paint a small jar in soft bands of pink, peach, and mint using a barely-there wash of craft paint, then add a simple smiling face near the top. The color fades from one shade into the next instead of using the usual stark white.
This softer look fits right into the pastel Halloween decor trend showing up everywhere this year, so it works well on a party table that’s more cute than creepy.
Use the finished jar as a small vase, candy dish, or pencil holder once Halloween is over. The pastel colors work fine into November.
21. Disco Ball Ghost Ornaments
Cover a foam ball in small square mirror stickers, then glue on felt ghost “arms” and a simple face so it reads as a ghost wearing a disco ball for a body. Hang it from a doorway or window where it catches the light.
This one leans into the retro roller-rink Halloween look trending for the season, playful and a little kitschy rather than spooky.
Mirror sticker sheets run about $5 and cover several ornaments, so it’s an easy one to turn into a small collection instead of a single piece.
22. Iridescent Cellophane Ghosts
Cut a ghost shape from iridescent or holographic cellophane, back it with a lightweight paper stencil, and tape it to a window. Sunlight passing through throws little rainbow flecks across the room.
Kids who like sparkly or shiny materials tend to gravitate to this one over a plain painted ghost, and it takes about 10 minutes start to finish.
A roll of holographic cellophane from the craft aisle makes a dozen or more of these, so it’s cheap per ghost even though the material looks more expensive than it is.
Ghosts You Can Eat
These three treats double as a craft, since kids do most of the assembling themselves.
23. Banana Ghost Pops
Cut bananas in half, insert a popsicle stick into the cut end, and add two mini chocolate chips for eyes before freezing for about an hour. The frozen banana firms up into a treat that’s easy for small hands to hold without drooping.
Kids can place their own chocolate chip eyes, which is really the only “craft” step here, but it’s a satisfying one since a wonky placement still reads as a friendly ghost.
Skip the freezer step and serve fresh if there’s a wait-time issue, though the pops hold their shape much better cold.
24. Yogurt-Dipped Pretzel Ghosts
Dip pretzel rods into melted white yogurt bark, stand them upright to set, then add two small dots with a food-safe marker for eyes. The pretzel underneath gives a salty crunch against the sweeter coating.
This works well as a small assembly line: one kid dips, another adds the eyes, and a third arranges them on a tray to set.
They firm up in about 15 minutes at room temperature, or five minutes in the fridge if little hands are impatient.
25. String Cheese Ghost Sticks
Peel back the wrapper partway on a string cheese stick, draw a simple ghost face on the exposed cheese with a food-safe marker, and pack it as-is. It takes under a minute per stick and needs zero cooking or baking.
This is one of the only treats on this list that works as an actual lunchbox item instead of just a party snack, since there’s no sugar or mess involved.
Make a batch of five or six at once for a week of Halloween-themed lunches instead of doing it fresh every morning.
Keepsake Ghosts to Save
These last two turn a quick craft into something worth keeping well past October.
26. Handprint Ghost Keepsake
Press a painted palm onto paper or cardstock, let it dry, then add two small eyes once the handprint has fully dried. The rounded shape of a small child’s hand naturally looks like a little floating ghost.
Write the date and your child’s age somewhere on the back or corner. These become genuinely meaningful once a few years have passed and the hand size has changed.
Frame one from each year side by side for a growth chart that doubles as Halloween decor.
27. Footprint Ghost Cards
Paint the bottom of a bare foot white, press it onto cardstock, and add a face once it’s dry to turn a footprint into a ghost card. Fold the cardstock in half first and it becomes a ready-made Halloween card for grandparents.
Footprints work a little differently than handprints. The heel naturally forms the rounded top of the ghost, so there’s less shaping needed to make it read clearly.
This one takes some patience with wiggly toddlers, so a second adult to steady little feet helps a lot.
Not every kid will want to make all 27 in one October. Pick two or three from the sections that match what yours actually likes, whether that’s sensory play, science, sparkly stuff, or snacks, and the rest will still be here waiting next year.
