Low Cost Homemade Halloween Costumes for Children

Sure you will be able to rent or buy a child's Halloween costume at a specialty store near you, a discount store like Wal-Mart or a rental agency. But if you want to save some money, why not consider making a homemade Halloween costume. I am sure your children would love to help you and they may even learn something in the process, about being creative and making clothes.

Ideas for low cost easy homemade Halloween costumes

The traditional Halloween costume themes are creatures from the underworld. Every Halloween sees thousands of children dressed like a Ghost, draped in an old white sheet with cutouts for arms and eyes, and don't forget the cut out for the all-important mouth to give access for those candies. This simple and quick outfit lends itself to some imaginative work with fabric paint, marker pens or lipstick to add facial features. It is easy to accessorize with a treat bag made out of some trimmings or an old pillow case.

Ghosts don't always have to be pure white. You could use marker pens or sewn on patches to add some color or dots, or a short cloak tied around the neck in a contrasting color. Black and orange are traditional Halloween colors, for example. If you have some old colored sheets or other material instead of white they may work just as well, and be a little different from the crowd, although you may have to choose carefully, as your children will likely tell you delicate pastel shades are not quite right for scary underworld creatures.

Witches costumes can be easily made from a simple circle of black fabric with a hole for the head, and arm holes. The secret to a successful witch costume is the accessories, especially the hat. You can buy hats for witches at low cost, but it is not hard to make a cone and cut out a round brim from black cardboard, and spend some time making sure they are well glued together to last the distance around your streets. You may need to buy one of those witch face masks with a large, hooked and warty nose, or try making one with Paper Mache, paint and elastic. A broom made with a stick and a bundle of brushwood wired at one end is a task that might be assigned to the man of the house. Don't forget the treat bag.

Ghouls and Zombies can be represented by skeletons. An easy skeleton costume can be made by starting with simple black overalls or an old pair of stretch pants with a long sleeve turtle top. You then use fabric paint to paint on white bones, front and back. Luminous paint adds a lot to the impact. The fun part comes in the painting, and the more realistic the bones look the more successful the costume will be. A white hood with cutouts for the eyes and mouth and some black marker pen work to make it look like a skull, and a treat bag, complete the outfit.

An old bath robe, especially one with a hood, can be a good start for making a wizard costume. White, grey or black are the preferred colors. A pointed hood, a beard, a cord for a belt, a matching treat bag and a large stick make up the main accessories.

With old clothes and sheets laying around your home you can make quick and easy homemade costumes. You do not have to spend a lot of money for Halloween to have your child look the part. Most children of the past made up their own costumes from what they had around the house. Put some imagination into the design of your homemade costume and the types of accessories and your child will surely stand out from the crowd.

Want to know how to hunt ghosts? The definitive guide here: I Want To Be a Ghost Hunter

Want to make your kid's costumes or throw a kid's party? I Want To Throw a Party