Homemade Halloween Decorations

Not only do homemade Halloween decorations save money, but they can also provide hours of fun and entertainment for everyone.

Lollipop Ghosts in the Graveyard
Here is a favorite activity among elementary school children: creating a graveyard for a table centerpiece using lollipop ghosts as the base. Take Blow Pops or Tootsie Pops, drape tissue paper around the tops, tie with string, and draw on faces. Then, hang the "ghosts" from the ceiling or kitchen table light. Using the top of a cardboard box, create a mini-graveyard to sit beneath the ghosts. Cover the box top in construction paper, and, using extra cardboard that's been cut into rectangles, make miniature tombstones to sit inside the graveyard. This homemade Halloween decoration makes a great table centerpiece for a spooky Halloween meal. The lollipop ghosts can be both party decorations and party favors, too.

Pumpkin Paintings
A traditional favorite for small children, pumpkin paintings can become a wonderful centerpiece. Rather than simply allowing children (or adults) to paint inside a pumpkin picture, try cutting out a pumpkin shape from a sponge or from half of a potato. Then, dip the sponges or potatoes into paint, and stamp them onto long strips of paper. Draw or paint vines between the pumpkins once they've dried to add to the pumpkin patch effect. Having a Halloween party? Use the strips to create a seasonal border across the wall. Decorating for trick-or-treaters? Have the pumpkin patch scene laminated, and use string to hang it on bushes out front. With the lamination, you can use the strip year after year.

Halloween Paper Chains
Like pumpkin paintings, traditional paper chains made out of construction paper can be a fun and easy craft for children. Use orange and black paper, and hang the chains around the house, in doorways and on staircase railings. Add a little something extra by allowing children to decorate the paper with glitter or glitter glue before they glue the chains together.

Monster Mask Dance Party
Homemade monster masks make a great addition to any dance party. Cut out Mardi Gras masks from cardstock, let the children decorate them with glitter, paint, markers and crayons, and provide a hole punch and string so they can wear the masks. To get the dance party started, record or download a mix of Halloween tunes, like "Monster Mash." Then hang the paper chains and Halloween lights around the room, and let the kids and grown-ups dance around in their costumes. Blow up orange and black balloons for the kids to kick around, too.

Halloween Cutouts
Halloween cutouts are a great addition to any Halloween-themed party or for outside the house while the trick-or-treaters stroll by. Paint a witch, ghost or pumpkin on a large piece of cardboard. Cut out a circle where the face belongs. Use ribbon to create handles on the back of the box so that someone can hold the cutout in front of them. Use a camera to take pictures of the guests with their faces inside the circles. Or, prop the cardboard pieces in the front yard so that parents can take pictures of their children while they are out trick or treating.

Leaf Rubbings
Halloween means autumn, which means leaves falling from trees and changing colors all around. Take the kids on a walk, collecting leaves along the way. Press each leaf beneath paper, and use crayons to make rubbings from the leaves. Use yellows, browns, reds, greens and oranges, and then cut out the rubbings. Using a large piece of construction paper or cardboard, draw the trunk of a tree, and decorate the top with the leaf rubbings. Place the tree out front on Halloween, or next to the pumpkin patch mural.

Homemade Halloween decorations and party decorations can truly add to the magic of the Halloween experience for the whole family. While providing hours of entertainment for children and adults alike, these Halloween decorations cut back on holiday spending at the same time. From a pumpkin patch to a ghost-filled graveyard, Halloween decorations bring the season to life for the whole family.