Halloween is the perfect excuse to tap into your creative side. Whether you’re crafting some hauntingly cool decorations, painting spooky scenes, or carving out your best pumpkin masterpiece, it’s a chance to have fun and go wild with ideas.
And this isn’t just for kids—adults can totally get in on the fun too! With these 20 Halloween art activities, there’s something for everyone. Ready to kick things off and bring your spooky creations to life? Review these awesome ideas!
5 inspirational Halloween art activities for preschoolers (ages 3 – 4 years)
Find Halloween art activities for preschoolers (ages 3-4) that will get their creativity flowing while keeping things easy and hands-on:
1. Spooky handprint ghosts
What’s special: It’s their own hands, turned into ghosts!
Let the kids dip their hands in white paint and stamp them on black paper to create little handprint ghosts. Once the paint dries, they can stick on googly eyes and draw creepy-cute faces. It’s a super easy, fun way to make Halloween art with a personal twist—and something parents will definitely want to keep!
2. Apple pumpkin stamps
What’s special: Stamping with apples!
Here an easy-to-maneuver Halloween activity for kids. Cut apples in half, dip them in orange paint, and let the kids stamp “pumpkins” all over paper. Afterward, they can add stems and faces to make each one unique. It’s fun, mess-free, and they’ll love the idea of using an apple to make a pumpkin—it’s as quirky as it sounds!
3. Wiggly spider hats
What’s special: It’s wearable art!
Want to find an interesting Halloween activity? Let them craft their own goofy spider hats with black paper and pipe cleaners for legs. They glue big eyes on the front, and boom!—instant spider fashion. The best part? They get to wear their creepy creations around the house, showing off their artsy spider skills.
4. Egg carton bats
What’s special: Turning recyclables into spooky bats
Cut up old egg cartons to give each kid a bat body. They paint them black, slap on some googly eyes, and stick on paper wings. Suddenly, you’ve got a mini bat swarm ready to hang around the house. It’s like bringing Halloween to life using stuff that’s just been lying around.
5. Witchy paper plate faces
What’s special: Custom witch faces with wild hair!
Hand out paper plates for kids to paint green and let them add yarn for hair, paper hats, and big googly eyes. They can get creative with funny noses, beards, or even glasses for their witches. No two witches will look the same, and the crazier they get, the better! It’s the mix of fun and mess.
5 fun Halloween art projects for infants (ages 3 – 11 months)
These projects are all about letting your baby experience Halloween in a hands-on, sensory way while keeping it fun and totally mess-controlled!
1. Tiny footprint ghosts
What’s special: Baby’s feet become cute little ghosts
Dip your baby’s tiny feet in white, baby-safe paint and press them onto black construction paper. Add googly eyes and a mouth to turn those footprints into adorable little ghosts. It’s a simple but sweet way to capture those tiny toes, and the result is a spooky keepsake you’ll love looking back on.
2. Handprint pumpkin patch
What’s special: Baby’s hand becomes a Halloween pumpkin
Take your baby’s hand, cover it in orange paint, and press it on paper to create a handprint pumpkin. After it dries, you can draw in a green stem and a funny face to complete the look. This is a fun, easy project that turns their handprints into cute little pumpkins for Halloween. Bonus? It’s totally frame-worthy.
3. Halloween sensory squish bags
What’s special: Mess-free fun for little hands
Fill a sealed ziplock bag with orange and black paint (or even glitter!) and tape it down to their high chair or the floor. Let your baby squish and press the bag to watch the colors mix without any of the mess. It’s the sensory activity that gives them a hands-on experience while keeping the cleanup easy.
4. Pumpkin peekaboo cards
What’s special: Interactive peekaboo fun
Create a simple pumpkin shape from colored paper, and cut a flap that can lift up. Behind the flap, add a silly or spooky face. Your baby can practice lifting the flap to discover the surprise inside. It’s part art project, part game, and they’ll love the peekaboo fun it brings!
5. Edible Halloween finger painting
What’s special: Safe, edible paints for creative mess-making
Grab some edible, baby-safe finger paints in Halloween colors (orange, purple, green) and let your little one get messy! Lay out a big piece of paper and let them smear, squish, and explore the colors with their hands. It’s all about texture and color exploration while keeping things safe for them to touch, taste, and enjoy.
5 stirring Halloween art projects for elementary students (ages 6 – 11 years)
These projects are all about letting the kids get creative with their own hands, making things they’ll want to hang up or show off at home, and keeping the Halloween spirit alive!
1. Glow-in-the-dark haunted house art
What’s special: It glows in the dark!
Let the kids design their own haunted houses by cutting spooky shapes out of black construction paper, then stick them onto glow-in-the-dark paper or paint. They can add creepy trees, ghosts, and bats. Once it’s done, turn off the lights to see the eerie glow! It’s a cool mix of cutting, drawing, and glowing magic that they’ll love.
2. Clay monster sculptures
What’s special: 3D creatures they mold themselves
Grab some air-dry clay and have the kids sculpt their own monsters—anything from Frankenstein to their own wacky creation. Once the clay dries, let them paint their creatures in spooky colors. It’s a hands-on project where they get to shape, mold, and paint their own Halloween monster, something they can be proud to display.
3. Pumpkin string art
What’s special: Combines art and crafting with yarn
On a piece of cardboard, have the kids draw a pumpkin outline, then use push pins or nails to trace the shape. Let them wrap orange yarn around the pins to create a web of string filling the pumpkin. This project lets them create something tactile and colorful that really stands out, and it’s super satisfying to see their pumpkin come together with the string.
4. Crazy monster collages
What’s special: Creating wacky monsters from magazine clippings
Set out old magazines, colored paper, and random craft materials and let the kids go wild making their own monster collages. They can cut out eyes, arms, and mouths from different pictures and glue them together to create the craziest monster they can imagine. It’s all about creativity and having fun mixing up crazy pieces to see what they can come up with!
5. Bat watercolor resist art
What’s special: A cool “reveal” effect with watercolors
Have the kids draw a bat shape on watercolor paper using a white crayon. Then, let them paint over the whole page with black watercolor paint. The white crayon will resist the paint, making the bat shape magically appear! It’s a fun, easy project with a big “wow” moment when the bat is revealed. This is one of the best Halloween activities for kids.
5 inspiring Halloween art activities for adults
These Halloween art projects for adults are all about creating something special, with a bit of spookiness and a lot of personal style. These Halloween art project ideas give you the chance to make something truly your own.
1. Painted pumpkins with a twist
What’s special: No carving, just pure artistic expression
Take your pumpkin decorating to the next level by painting them with intricate designs, bold colors, or even spooky faces. Skip the carving mess and create something that’s all your own—whether it’s a glowing jack-o’-lantern design, a haunted forest scene, or a modern geometric pattern. Meanwhile, they last way longer than carved pumpkins, making them a solid decor choice.
2. DIY spooky shadow boxes
What’s special: Craft your own 3D Halloween world
Create your own mini Halloween scene inside a shadow box using layered paper, figurines, and small props. Build a haunted house, a creepy graveyard, or even a witch’s lair inside the box, complete with lights for an extra eerie effect. It’s like creating your own little world, recommended for displaying as part of your Halloween decor.
3. Gothic candle holders
What’s special: Old jars become eerie glowing decor
Turn old glass jars into spooky candle holders. Use black lace, tissue paper, or paint to give the jars a gothic makeover, and then drop in a candle or LED light. The glow from inside will cast shadows, turning simple jars into something much more haunting and atmospheric. It’s an easy but impressive way to set the Halloween mood.
4. Skeleton string art
What’s special: Combining texture and Halloween vibes
Hammer nails into a board in the shape of a skeleton, then weave black and white string around the nails to create the design. It’s a cool mix of hands-on crafting and detailed art, and the finished product looks amazing hung on a wall or displayed on a shelf. It’s intricate but well worth the effort to create something truly unique.
5. Dark floral Halloween wreath
What’s special: A moody, stylish welcome for Halloween
Forget the typical fall wreath—make a gothic Halloween wreath with black flowers, dark feathers, and faux skeletons or bats. You can go all-out spooky or keep it subtle and elegant. Hang it on your front door to greet guests with something dark and chic, instantly setting the tone for the season. It’s a beautiful, understated way to show your Halloween spirit.
The last part
After trying out a bunch of Halloween art activities last year, I discovered how much fun they are for both kids and adults. These above-shared projects really brought the holiday to life in my home. I even tried making my own glow-in-the-dark haunted house, and it was a hit! This year, I’m excited to share some new ideas, hoping they inspire you!
