12 quick and easy DIY costume ideas for kids

Halloween is just around the corner and looking for the perfect costume is becoming ever more tricky! If you're not sure where to start for Halloween, here are 12 quick and easy DIY costume ideas you can craft together from items you can find around the house!

Just deciding on a costume is a tricky decision! 

You may already have some ideas, but take a spooky scroll through this page and see if anything sparks your interest! You could be a ghoulish ghost, a blood-sucking vampire or go your own way and become a banana-munching monkey. Get all your Halloween inspiration in one place, with simple costume ideas to get you started this spooky season.

🦇 Be careful when using sharp objects, ask a grown-up to help you!

🎃 Always ask permission before using old sheets or clothing for arts and crafts.

OoooOOOooOOoo, how about becoming a spooky ghost! 

Let's start with a classic! Do you have an old white sheet?

A super easy way to turn yourself into a ghost is by cutting eye holes into a white sheet and popping it over your head. Simple and very effective!

For extra fun why not add more personality and wear a funny hat or sunglasses on top of your sheet.

What you need:

Can you survive a haunted house? Try this ghostly quiz to see if it sparks inspiration! 👻

Doth thou knoweth thine costume? Well now you shall!

Create your very own DIY sword and shield with cardboard, cover them with tinfoil and become a knight!

For some extra detail make a tabard (the robes knights wear) out of a brightly coloured pillowcase or bedsheet.

What you need:

Want to see if you can live up your costume? Take this quiz to see if you can become a medieval jousting champion!

Why don't you turn yourself into an alien, but not a basic alien oh no... an alien in disguise as a human! First, using face paint, paint your skin a fun alien colour, like green or blue. Second, create your costume. You could be a green alien in a Hawaiian shirt AKA alien on holiday, or you could be a blue alien with an apron... chef alien at your service!

For some extra fun, try making some antenna out of toilet paper tubes and paint. Although, make sure to be careful to not get face paint all over your room!

What you need:

Ooo, ooo, ah, ah! If you love bananas, why not be a monkey! 🍌

All you need is some cardboard to cut out and make some monkey ears and a banana to carry around with you. Use a strip of cardboard around your head, like a headband, to attache the ears to.

For extra detail, try making a tail out of some tights stuffed with material scraps or newspaper.

What you need:

If you like monkeys and bananas, what about apes and apples? See if you know your apes from your apples in our quiz 🍎

How does a spider do its homework? Using the world wide web! 🕸️

Create the ultimate spider costume by painting toilet paper tubes black and stringing them together to make eight legs.

For extra detail, try finding a furry top or jumper to dress up with! This will create a cool and creepy spider style.

What you need:

Whether you think they're creepy or cute, find out which spider you would be if you were an eight-legged critter!

We know you'll be pumpKEEN on this costume!

Find an orange t-shirt (we recommend getting one from a charity shop) and draw a spooky jack-o-lantern face on it.

For extra fun, try drawing a silly face, or the silhouette of your favourite CBBC character.

What you need:

If you just want a pumpkin face, find out how to make a pumpkin mask now.

Ever feel like you're wandering the school halls like a zombie? Well this costume is for you.

Use face paint or eyeshadow to create dark eye-bags on your face and wear your school uniform, easy peasy!

For extra fun, use an old worn out jumper, or thrift one, and cut it up to look like its been torn open! Do make sure not to cut up your current school uniform!

What you need:

Find out how to survive a zombie apocalypse with doctors Chris and Xand from Operation Ouch.

Double, double, toil and trouble, this costume is easy and you will not struggle! 

A really easy way to turn into the perfect witch is to add a cape and wand to any outfit. Use a black bedsheet to create your cape and take your time to find the perfect shaped twig to use as a wand.

For extra fun, try customising your wand with paint, biodegradable glitter and stones. You can make an easy and effective witch's hat by making a cone from a piece of cardboard.

What you need:

Find out how to look just like a Cackle's Academy student this Halloween with Sybil Hallow or if you want inspiration on how to be the perfect witch try The Wickedly Witchy Halloween Quiz! 

A super effective way of recycling your cardboard boxes and creating the coolest costume is turning into a robot! 📦

Find a cardboard box and cut holes in it for your head and your arms, try taping a few together to get the signature blocky robot shape.

For extra fun, try painting your robot a cool silver colour and adding details like buttons and controls with sweet wrappers.

What you need:

Need some robotic inspiration to build your robot costume creation? Build your own Transformers robot now.

Mwahahahaha! Are you interested in becoming the scariest vampire? 

A super easy way to get this look is by aging yourself with face paint and making a cape. Grab an old black bedsheet, tuck it into the back of your top and ta-daa, you have a vampire cloak to die for! To create a sun-avoiding, ancient vampires look, use grey face paint over your whole face and dark eyeshadow to hollow out your cheekbones and under eyes.

For extra effect get some fangs and slick your hair back with gel or water.

What you need:

It's time to sharpen your fangs and sink your teeth into this Halloween vampire quiz!

Awoooo! The moon is full and the time is right for you to transform into a terrifying werewolf! 🌕

Use gel to spike your hair and create a ragged look! Use face paint to create a furry face, with big eyebrows and killer teeth. For inspiration check out this werewolf face paint tutorial.

For extra fun, grab an old top or shirt and make some big rips and tears, to make it look like you've been prowling in the night. You could even rub the shirt with mud, to look like you've been scavenging bones from the local graveyard.

What you need:

Take this quiz to find out if you've unknowingly been a werewolf for this entire time!

Get some face paint and test your artistic skills by transforming yourself into a scary skeleton! 

Turn yourself into a skeleton or a scary pirate skeleton by watching this Blue Peter face painting tutorial or make this spooky skeleton hand as the perfect addition to your Halloween costume!

For extra detail grab an old white t-shirt and cut horizontal lines across the chest to represent a rib cage. If you wear a black t-shirt underneath you'll have a skeleton body to match your spooky face and hand.

What you need:

Let us make it easy for you... take our SPOOKtacular personality quiz and let it pick the perfect budget DIY Halloween costume for you 🎃

Check out Halloween on CBBC, with all your favourites from The Worst Witch, Heirs of the Night and Scream Street.