Since store-bought isn’t really our thing, we are sharing our favorite DIY Halloween costumes for kids that are super easy to make at home!
These DIY Halloween costume ideas are cute, quick, and easy to recreate just in time for your next Halloween party!
Maybe the little boy in his Harry Potter costume at the grocery store in mid-June was an exhausted parent’s lost battle.
Or maybe it was a display of his budding self-expression.
Either way, these DIY Halloween costumes for kids should bring you some dress-up inspiration!
It’s always heart-warming seeing kids dressed up, and there’s no better time than Halloween!
So we are sharing some adorably creative DIY Halloween costumes for kids that are super easy to make at home!
Store-bought costumes aren’t really our thing, we prefer homemade Halloween costumes around here.
We are a DIY blog at heart, after all!
That said, it’s time to make a quick trip to the store for some pipe cleaners, fabric glue, styrofoam balls, a needle and thread, a hot glue gun, and spray paint to make these kiddos some costumes they’ll never forget.
If you’re not crafty, it’s okay.
Do you remember the part in the movie “Big Daddy” when the little boy made up his own Halloween costume?
Here’s an amazing still shot for reference.
We think this is an awesome way to use what you have and let your kid design their own, unique costume that is authentically them for your next Halloween party.
I mean, you might not win the Captain America or Star Wars battle, but hey!
On the plus side, you can also easily repurpose some of these ideas for couples costumes, family costumes, or a baby costume too.
36 DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids
1 – DIY Hungry Hippo Costume
We have to give the top spot to baby Gwen, the cutest Hungry Hippo we’ve ever seen!
See the full version of the Hungry Hippos for here!
2 — Crayons from The Day The Crayons Quit
photo and project by The House That Lars Built
The children’s book series written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is a great group costume idea for siblings and friends!
Plus, the DIY by The House That Lars Built uses solid color, long sleeve and pant pajama sets as the primary base. Maximum comfort and a little warmth for those brisk Halloween nights.
3 — Carmen Miranda
photo by Tony Lanz / project by Today’s Parent
Otherwise affectionately known as Chiquita Banana! We love the idea of fruit balloons as opposed to plastic fruit. This costume could be a great option if you’re looking to match with your child. For that, we suggest this 3-tier fruit hanging basket which could be hacked to be used for child, mom, and dad, ha!
4 — Birthday Candle Costume
A birthday candle doesn’t exactly scream “Halloween”, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great costume!
This customizable, super affordable kids costume from Oh Happy Day is as simple as a poster board, tape, spray paint, and cellophane.
It’s also an amazing way to celebrate your little one if their birthday happens to fall on or near the spooky holiday.
Optional addition: glitter.
Not an optional addition: cake!
5 — Lego Costume
Another great single-child or group Halloween costume idea that won’t break the bank.
This super simple DIY Lego costume uses cardboard a couple of egg cartons and paint. Voila!
6 — Madeline Costume
Je ne sais pas how to say, “trick or treat” in French but I’m sure it sounds chic!
This adorable Madeline costume from Say Yes (based off the children’s book Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans) is an absolute classic.
7 — Toddler Taco
Get your Halloween fiesta started with a toddler taco costume and an actual margarita for madre!
This no-sew costume is designed by the Waferer family, using felt for soft texture on baby’s skin.
8 — Moonrise Kingdom Character Costumes
One of Oh Happy Day’s hipster Halloween costume ideas is this super cute boy and girl costume combo based off the characters from Wes Anderson’s film “Moonrise Kingdom”.
Being huge Wes Anderson fans, we actually created a Grand Budapest Hotel costume for ourselves which can easily be modified so for your kids too!
9 — Rain Cloud Costume
A rain cloud costume is a humorous solution for those cold, rainy Halloween nights.
Plus, rain boots and a rain jacket are probably already in your kid’s closet.
If rain is predicted in your area during prime trick-or-treating time, we recommend using poly-fil, a lighter, water-proof, less expensive alternative to cotton batting.
10 — Pineapple Cape Costume
Delia Creates made this awesome DIY pineapple costume using felt, a marker, a little stuffing, and just a few stitches of the needle.
This easy and fun costume would work great on smaller kids, and babies too!
11 — Bubble Bath Costume
Rubba dub dub, everything but the tub!
This bubble bath costume is cuteness overload.
Add-on idea: Use a bathtub friendly toy basket, add a couple of bathtub accessories like a few toys and a loofah, and use it as the candy basket when trick-or-treating.
12 — Care Bears Costumes for Kids
The Care Bears are such an iconic and nostalgic part of childhood and we love this idea for a group of siblings or friends.
Thanks, Say Yes for the awesome Care Bear costume DIY!
13 — Campfire Costume
The campfire costume from Today’s Parent uses a clever object for the logs.
Can you guess it before clicking the link? Hint: it’s primarily used during summer months.
14 — Smiley Face Costume
No frowns here! This is the happiest costume on the list.
Get the smiley face costume how-to from Oh Happy Day!
This costume could easily be converted into an emoji for a modern twist.
15 –Road Racer Costume
This is a fun one for toddlers and kids who love cars. Check out the road racer costume from Today’s Parent.
If you don’t have a checkered flag already, this tutorial will show you how to make one with black and white felt.
16 — Strawberry Baby
Are baby costumes a must? We don’t think so, but they’re definitely cute!
Just look at this baby strawberry.
This costume uses a red onesie, some white felt for the seeds, and green felt for the topper, which is a great way to keep baby’s head warm.
17 — Happy Rainbow Costume
Fun and bright rainbow costume for kids from Oh Happy Day.
We love the use of white balloons as the clouds at each end!
18 — Grape Vine
A grape vine makes an awesome costume for kids (or adults) and can of course be done in green or purple.
Side note: Any costume that has balloons or fruit involved has our seal of approval!
19 — Circus Lion
We love this circus lion costume idea for two reasons.
And one of on them because it features a wagon.
Not only can your wild animal (we’re keeping them in character here) be “caged” (for safety reasons, of course), but also, they can be wheeled around the neighborhood if they start to get sleepy while trick or treating.
The other reason is because the circus is a great theme for a group or a family!
20 — Frida Kahlo Costume
Frida Kahlo is a common halloween costume for women.
But we’re digging this adorable look as a girls costume.
Bright colors, big flowers, and of course, a few extra facial hairs brings the Frida Kahlo costume for kids together perfectly.
21 — Bon Bon Candy Costume
Putting the treat in “trick-or-treat!”, this bon bon candy costume DIY is a little more advanced since it uses paper maché.
But we have full confidence in your abilities!
This costume idea is very similar to our cute Halloween front door candy decor idea too!
22 — Superhero Kids Costume
Calling all super heroes! Boys, girls, parents and pets!
Wear your super power loud and proud with this DIY superhero costume from Brit + Co.
23 — Side Salad Costume
photo and project by The Kitchn
The side salad a.k.a. baby greens. Jokes not aside, this salad costume for kids is hilariously cute.
Check out the full tutorial from The Kitchn.
24 — Soft and Sweet Bunny Costume
Get the instant download for this cute, sweet, DIY Bunny costume.
The seller notes that it works for children 1-5 years old and the whole costume is made of felt, making your sweet little one the perfect cuddle bunny!
25 — Mondrian Painting
Talk about a work of art!
This costume was made out of a paper bag and paint! Simple, modern design, folks.
This Mondrian Painting kids costume idea brought to you by Oh Happy Day, who also shares a fire truck costume using the same paper bag base.
26 — Rosie the Riveter Girls Costume
Another costume that defies age!
This kids version of a Rosie the Riveter costume comes to us from Today’s Parent.
27 — Starfish Baby Costume
We love how adorable and functional this costume is!
Catch the DIY for this gender-neutral baby starfish costume by Oh Happy Day.
28 — Lucky Ladybug Costume
According to Better Homes & Gardens, this DIY ladybug costume is super simple and is made mostly out of cardboard.
Personally, we’d probably skip the glitter and opt for a matte red version.
29 — Woody from Pixar’s Toy Story
Hair to Dream shows us how to turn a plain white t-shirt into Woody’s iconic cow print vest.
The rest of the Toy Story costume also pulls from the famous animated character — denim, a bandana, and of course, a cowboy hat.
30 — Jar of Sprinkles Costume
Using long, skinny balloons as sprinkles is such a great idea for this fun and colorful halloween costume!
Thanks, Oh Happy Day! How do they always come up with so many great DIY halloween costumes for kids??
31 — Ice Cream Vendor
La Maison De Loulou shares this adorable ice cream vendor costume for kids using downloadable ice cream templates to decorate to your taste.
32 — Corn Costume
Horror films are not our thing.
So we’re skipping right over any similarly-themed Halloween movies and going straight to the corn costume how-to from Today’s Parent!
33 — DIY Swan Princess
We love this DIY swan princess costume from MerMag.
It’s a wonderful tutorial for a beautiful princess and her swan.
34 — Whimsical Harlequin Clown
Nothing scary about this harlequin inspired clown!
All that’s needed for this look is face paint, tulle skirt, hat, and red lipstick to create the non-spooky clown costume for kids.
35 — Rainbow Unicorn
Rainbow unicorns for the win!
Shwin and Shwin shares exactly how to make this magical rainbow unicorn costume at home.
36 — Jellyfish Costume
Another great costume for trick-or-treating, rain or shine!
Despite being monochromatic and one of the easiest on our list to make at home, this jellyfish costume for boys and girls makes quite a statement!
More Halloween Ideas
We hope these 36 DIY Halloween costumes for kids (and babies) gave you some great ideas for your little one’s costumes this year.
For more ways to get ready for Halloween, check out some of our favorite features below —
- 39 Family Halloween Costume Ideas
- 40 Best Halloween Costume Ideas
- 22 Best DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations for the Front Yard
- 26 Simple Halloween Decor Ideas
Georgeous outfits! this weblog is great i really like studying your articles.Keep up the good work! Thank goodness for this post!
These are all so awesome. Love them all.
Thanks, Alli!
So many fun ideas!!!! Absolutely LOVE the side salad costume…too cute!
Thanks, Taylor! That’s one of our faves too!
What a fun list of costume ideas!!!
Thank you, Aimee! XOXO
Seriously such cute ideas, thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Billy!
These are all so good! I can’t wait to show my kids and let them pick what they want to be!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Yay! Let us know which one they pick!