8 Fun & Frugal DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Making your kids’ costumes isn’t always affordable. Sometimes you are better off picking up something at the store! But with these 8 frugal DIY Halloween costumes for kids, you are sure to make something fun and affordable.

I have been making my own Halloween costumes for my kids for years. Here are some of our best that anyone could recreate.

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8 Fun & Frugal DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

1. Stick Figure

Supplies:

• long sleeve white shirt
• white pants
• white or black shoes
• black electrical tape
• white paper plate
• black marker
• handband or ribbon
• tape

Cut eye holes into the paper plate. Draw on a face. Use the electrical tape to create the rest of the stick figure body on the white clothing. I taped a headband to the back of the paper plate to hold it onto Grace’s head. Ribbon would also work.

2. Sand Box

Supplies:

• cardboard
• ribbon
• sandpaper
• large bucket
• various sandbox toys
• tape
• hot glue gun

You can find the complete instructions here: DIY Cheap, Easy, and Adorable Sandbox Halloween Costume

3. Popcorn

Supplies:

• cardboard
• ribbon
• white paper
• red paper
• glue or tape
• red & black maker
• popcorn
• needle & thread
• hot glue gun

You can find the complete instructions here: DIY Cheap, Easy, and Adorable Popcorn Halloween Costume

4. Birthday Present

Supplies:

• cardboard box
• scissors or utility knife
• wrapping paper
• tape
• bow, curly ribbon, or both

You can find the complete instructions here: DIY Cheap, Easy, and Adorable Birthday Present Halloween Costume

5. Gumball Machine

Supplies:

• white shirt
• puff balls
• red plastic bin
• white paper
• black marker
• hot glue gun

Hot glue the puff balls onto the shirt in a circular shape. It helps to draw a faint outline on the shirt to clearly see where to fill in with puff balls.

I purchased the red plastic bin from Dollar Tree. Cut out the bottom of the bin and turn it upside down. Draw a coin slot, 25 cent symbol, and gumball slot on white paper. Glue the paper to the red bin.

The red bin fit my son perfectly without needing anything extra to hold it in place. You may need to experiment with suspender style ribbons or some other way to keep the bin in place.

6. Flower Pot

Supplies:

• silk flowers
• plastic bin
• shirt in coordinating colors
• hot glue gun or tape
• headband (optional)

I purchased my large plastic bin and silk flowers from Dollar Tree. Cut the bottom out of your bin. Hot glue or tape the silk flowers around the top of the bin.

If desired, save a couple flowers to attach to a headband.

The bin fit my daughter perfectly without needing anything extra to hold it in place. You may need to experiment with suspender style ribbons or some other way to keep the bin in place.

7. Black Cat

Supplies:

• all black clothing
• black eyeliner or face paint
• black cat ears and tail

Dress all in black. Draw on an upside down triangle cat nose and whiskers using eyeliner or face paint. Add the cat ears and tail.

You could make your own, but these are super cheap on Amazon. The tail is attached to a white waistband, which is so dumb. We tried to hide it under a belt, but you could always cut that off and pin the tail to the clothes.

8. Old People

Supplies:

• “grownup” clothing such as: dress pants, button up shirts, dresses, cardigans, sports coat
• accessories: tie, bow tie, suspenders, glasses, necklace, earrings
• cane or walker
• cornstarch

Raid the closets for the most grownup looking clothing you have. Add some accessories. I gave Grace an old pair of my glasses. I found a pair of readers at a thrift store for Noah, and I popped the lenses out. For little Isaac, I made glasses out of pipe cleaners.

Rub a little cornstarch in hair to make it white. (My kids weren’t crazy about this, so we mostly focused on the temples.)

Add a cane or walker to really sell it. For my older kids, I borrowed them from friends. For my littlest, I found a wooden cane at a thrift store. I popped off the rubber stopper, cut the cane down to size, and put the stopper back on.

I can’t wait to see what fun and frugal DIY Halloween Costumes you are inspired make!

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