Halloween is almost here!
Coming up with clever ideas for your kiddo’s costume can be a tall order. And the internet has so many ideas that it can be overwhelming.
So we’ve put together 12 great options that you can use for inspiration this fall! Most of these options can be either purchased or made at home. Put your own special spin on one of these ideas for a fun and memorable spooky season.
1. Lego Characters
Lego has been popular with kids ever since its invention back in the 1930s. But since
The Lego Movie came out, these little blocks have been more popular than ever. Lego versions of favorite children’s characters are almost as popular as the originals!
Lego superheroes, space explorers, pirates, or even just lego bricks can all make fun costumes. Or they could dress up as Emmett or Lucy from
The Lego Movie itself.
2. Their Favorite Food
You know how it is when your kids only want ONE thing to eat, every day, for weeks on end. Lean into their obsession by dressing them up as that food for Halloween.
Food costumes can be a lot of fun to make! A pizza costume could be made by cutting a big piece of cardboard into a triangle, and painting it like a slice complete with your child’s favorite toppings. Or make a cotton candy costume with lots of pillow fill painted pink or blue. A big white cone as a hat could be the cotton candy stick.
3. Old People
Why is it so cute when little kids dress up as old people? Whatever the reason, it’s one of the easiest costumes to manage. For girls, a loose floral dress topped with a cardigan makes a great start. Little boys can wear khakis and a button-down shirt with a bow tie. White wigs made of cotton balls can create elderly hair, and you can make age lines with a brown eyebrow pencil.
For a prop, make a “walker” out of scraps of PVC pipe, complete with tennis balls on the bottom.
4. Dash or Violet from The Incredibles
Most superheroes are adults, which is why it was so much fun to watch the kids from The Incredibles get in on the fun. These costumes can be store-bought or easily made at home.
A red bodysuit or pants and a top can form the base. Black gloves, boots, and a black swimsuit bottom over the pants will turn it “super”. Print out an “Incredibles” logo on a piece of sticker paper and stick it right to the shirt!
A simple black face mask will hide their true identities. Slick Dash’s hair back with some gel, and give Violet a yellow headband to complete the look.
Bonus points if mom and dad dress up as Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible.
5. Scuba Diver
This simple costume can probably be made with items you have around the house. Take a 2-liter soda bottle and spray paint it silver for the “air tank”. A pair of black pants and black top will make a perfect scuba suit. Use thick ribbon or bias tape to make a simple harness for the tank. Add goggles, a snorkel, and a pair of swim fins. Your little undersea adventurer will be ready!
6. Their Favorite Book Character
Turn your little bookworm into their favorite book character for Halloween. Little kids may want to dress as Madeline in a blue dress with a white collar and a yellow hat on top. For Curious George fans, they could dress up the Man in the Yellow Hat. An all-yellow outfit (complete with a stuffed monkey) will be easy to put together.
Older kids could dress up as Harry Potter or one of his friends, Percy Jackson, or Katniss Everdeen.
7. Superman
Turn your kiddo into the Man of Steel with this super easy costume. A pair of black pants, a white button-down shirt, and a pair of black glasses will turn him into nerdy Clark Kent. But unbutton the white shirt and put a Superman t-shirt underneath, and boom! You’ve got Superman mid-change as he sheds his Clark Kent alter-ego.
8. Unicorn or Mermaid
Halloween is such a fun time to play with magical characters. Let your little one dabble in the mythical with a unicorn or mermaid costume.
A unicorn outfit can be made by sewing a brightly colored yarn tail onto a white onesie. Your child can wear the onesie over a pair of colored tights with furry boots as “hooves”. Make a brightly colored mane to match, and finish it off with a pretty golden horn attached to a headband.
For a mermaid, you could sew a mermaid tail onto an existing blue-green skirt. Glittery sequins sewn in seashell patterns on a skin-colored top can create the illusion of the seashell bikini top. Or save some time with a store-bought version.
9. Robot
The robot costume is a classic. While not on-par with the traditional ghost or witch, these futuristic costumes made from cardboard boxes have been around for ages. This costume is affordable and can be as simple or as complicated as you want.
Once you’ve painted your cardboard box silver, where will you go from there? You can add all sorts of odds and ends — bits of wire, painted dials and knobs, even flashing lights powered by batteries.
Pieces of flexible tubing can be painted silver as well to make “robot arms” that can attach at the shoulder. Smaller boxes could be painted and adapted to be “robot feet”. And on top, a small bucket painted silver and topped with antennae could make the perfect hat.
10. Ace Ventura
For the 90s comedy lover, this is one of the easiest — yet most recognizable — costumes out there. A white short-sleeved button-down shirt, pair of plaid boxer shorts, and a frilly pink tutu on top will be perfect. A pair of black boots and some crazy wild hair will complete the look.
Your kid’s friends may not get it, but their parents will love it.
11. Crazy Cat Lady
This one is clever, funny, and easy — a triple threat!
Start with a fluffy bathrobe, and then sew on several small stuffed cats. You can probably find plenty at your local Goodwill. A pair of fuzzy slippers on her feet and hair up in rollers will make the perfect crazy cat lady!
12. Bubble Bath
This is a great option for children who need to be pulled in a wagon or kids who travel by wheelchair. White and pearlescent balloons are almost all you need for this costume!
Wrap the wagon or wheelchair in white fabric, and cover it with round balloons of different sizes. Using rubber cement, you can attach the balloons to the fabric and to each other, creating the illusion of a bubbly tub.
You can also attach balloons to your child’s shirt and a headband. Give them a rubber duckie to hold and the illusion will be complete!
It’s so fun to be creative with costumes around Halloween. One-offs are great, but it can be especially fun to get the whole family involved in a group costume. Shop at your local thrift stores for elements of your costumes to save money, and try to repurpose things you already have around the house.
Happy Halloween!
