If your kids are like mine and Kristen's, they started counting down to Halloween...oh, November 1 of last year. Now that they're in full Halloween commando mode, I've been looking for some easy crafts to distract them from asking me for the hundredth time to just open one of the bags of candy now please please please.
Oh, and when I say easy, I mean I don't have to go out and buy one more thing.
While we've shared quite a few crafts this year already, I like all of these last-minute Halloween papercrafts that I've found recently and bookmarked for my own kids, not just because they're fun, but because they don't require any craft supplies I don't have at home already. Hey, maybe they'll do the trick for both of us.
(And maybe the kids won't realize that I actually already did open the candy bag. Shhhh...)
Related: 9 easy Halloween crafts for preschoolers with just the right amount of spookiness
Halloween monster door DIY (Good to Know) How awesome are these monster halloween doors! All you need is construction paper, maybe some paper plates. I guarantee you can just give the idea to your kids and they'll go wild without any instruction at all. Though the Good to Know site has some fun inspiration. DIY Halloween bat banner (Simple as That blog) Old ripped up book, check. Gluestick, check. Black construction paper, check. Buttons...hm. Well I may have those lying around, or hey, cheat with a little round stickers the kids can color orange. DIY Paper Ghost Garland (Skip to My Lou) This is like paper dolls, only with ghosts. Easy and fast, which is my kind of craft. And if you need the kids to spend more time, just have them decorate each ghost with colored pencils or markers. Who says ghosts can only wear white? It is past Labor Day, after all. Free printable Giant Haunted House Coloring Page (Mr Printables) My kids will go totally nuts for this and frankly, it may take them right up until Halloween to finish it. (That's a good thing.) If you're worried about michief-makers this week, maybe just hang it inside a window or tape it to the inside of your door.Related: Lots of fun, free Halloween coloring pages for kids
Printable Halloween Haunted House Papercraft Playset (FantasticToys) For just 5 bucks, you get this super cool last-minute Halloween craft that can help spookify a front entrance table or a party table if you're throwing a Halloween bash. I love the vintage inspired design that looks like something you'd find in an antique shop for a fortune. Artful printable Halloween masks (Smallfull) I absolutely love Mari's Halloween papercraft printables, but none more than these amazing, artful masks that can totally serve as my "Mom forgot to wear a costume" costume. In fact, they're so sophisticated, they're not just for kids. When you order the set, you get 7 pages of printables to make three masks, but of course, print as many as you'd like. If your kids are like mine, they will probably be wearing them past Thanksgiving.
