![[For Kids] Let’s Make Ghosts! A Collection of Craft Ideas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0KaH36Slpaw/hqdefault.jpg)
[For Kids] Let’s Make Ghosts! A Collection of Craft Ideas
Even though they’re scary, you just can’t help wanting to look… Ghosts are such mysterious beings, aren’t they?
In this article, I’d like to share some ghost craft ideas that are perfect for little kids!
They’re all super cute, so even children who scare easily will be totally fine!
They might even end up thinking, “Ghosts? No big deal!”
Give them a try and have fun making them during the summer, the test-of-courage season, or around Halloween!
They’re also perfect for craft time at daycare or kindergarten!
[For Kids] Let’s Make Ghosts! Craft Ideas (1–10)
Tongue-Lolling Ghost
Let’s make a unique pop-out ghost toy using a paper cup.
It’s quick and easy to make, so you can play with it right away.
All you need are a paper cup and colored paper.
Cut a slit in the paper cup, insert a strip of colored paper through the slit to serve as the ghost’s tongue, and attach it on the inside.
Then, add one cute ghost eye with a sticker or a pen, and you’re done.
When you squeeze the cup from both sides with your fingers, the tongue pops out with a funny flick.
paper cup ghost
The “paper cup ghost,” which adorably puffs up when you blow air into it, uses few materials and steps, making it perfect for kids’ crafts! First, draw a ghost face on a plastic bag.
Next, make a hole in the lower side of a paper cup and insert a straw.
Then place about the bottom third of the ghost bag into the cup.
To keep air from leaking, tape the bag securely to the cup—and you’re done! After pushing all of the plastic bag into the cup, try blowing air through the straw.
A cute ghost will puff right out!
A ghost costume made from a plastic bag
A ghost costume you can use for Halloween is actually easy to make.
Cut white colored vinyl into a ghost shape and make a hole at the top for the head to go through.
Keep the hole small, matching the neckline size of children’s clothing.
Since the head won’t fit with just that, cut a slit down the back and reinforce the left and right flaps with cloth duct tape.
Then, by sticking and removing a strip of tape horizontally across the reinforced area, it acts like hook-and-loop fasteners, making it easy to put on and take off.
Finally, make a ghost face out of construction paper and stick it on, or draw it with a pen—and you’re done! How about everyone becoming ghosts and playing tag?
ghost painting
Drawing ghosts is also a great craft activity.
It’s fun to draw ghosts you’ve seen in cartoons or picture books using crayons.
If you want to try a slightly different approach, drawing with a sponge is recommended.
Attach a sponge to a wooden skewer, dip the sponge in paint, and start drawing.
On black construction paper, draw just the outlines of the ghost’s face and body.
Then, stick on parts like eyes and mouth made from other pieces of paper—and you’re done! Compared to using a brush, a sponge lets you paint more boldly, so even young children who have just started drawing can enjoy it.
Wobbly Ghost
This is a ghost craft that sways back and forth with your hand movements.
Place a plastic bag with the opening facing downward, fold the sealed top part to the back, and tape it in place so it forms a round shape.
Draw a ghost face on the bag, then attach the bag to the opposite end of a string that’s tied to a pair of chopsticks.
Hold the chopsticks and move them up and down—the air will flow in and out of the bag’s opening, making the ghost move.
It’s a very simple craft, so be sure to try making it with your child!
Ghost Box
This is a very simple craft: make a square box out of white origami paper and draw a ghost face to finish.
Since it involves making creases with mountain folds and doing a “zabuton” fold, it may help to show kids what those folds look like in advance so they can work smoothly.
The step where you form the box’s sides is a bit tricky, so an adult should assist there.
If you use orange origami paper, you can make a pumpkin ghost box, too.
Using larger origami paper makes it perfect as a Halloween candy holder!
origami ghost
When you think of classic ghosts, you probably picture the white ghost that also appears in the popular children’s picture book “Who Doesn’t Want to Sleep?” In summer or around Halloween, try making a white ghost out of origami! There are many folding methods, but it’s easy if you use the basics: mountain folds, valley folds, and petal folds.
Petal folds are also part of the process for folding a crane, so if a child can make an origami crane, they should be able to make any of the ghost designs without trouble.
White origami paper is generally recommended, but any color is fine.
Use a pen to draw the ghost’s face however you like!
Ghost Candy Bag
Here’s an introduction to making a “Ghost Candy Bag” from a paper cup.
Cut off the rim of the paper cup with scissors and mark it into 16 sections.
Once marked, draw lines from each mark down to the bottom.
Since accurately marking and drawing straight lines can be difficult for children, please have an adult help.
After you’ve made slits along the lines with scissors, fold each strip one by one clockwise and tuck it into the gap on the left.
Finally, attach a handle made from the cut-off rim and stick on a ghost face made from construction paper to finish.
Adding a ribbon to the handle or decorating it might make it even nicer!
Ghost Treasure Hunt
This is a ghost treasure hunt game that’s perfect for a Halloween party! Make 5–6 ghosts using paper cups and decorate them with faces and mouths.
Since the game works like a simple board game, prepare two playing pieces and an easy grid board.
Then, to match the number of ghosts, prepare a roughly half-and-half mix of treasures and duds.
For duds, a piece of paper with “Miss” or an X mark is fine.
For treasures, prepare papers with shiny stickers or drawings of treasure.
It’s a two-player game: after deciding who goes first, the second player randomly hides the treasures and duds inside the ghosts to set up the game.
The first player chooses ghosts until they get a dud; each time they find a treasure, they move forward one space.
When they hit a dud, players switch turns.
Try making and playing it together with friends or family!
ghost lantern
For a Halloween craft, how about a “ghost lantern” that can also be used as a bag? You can make it with a balloon, construction paper, pipe cleaners, and liquid glue.
First, tear the construction paper into pieces that aren’t too small, and use liquid glue to stick them on until the balloon is covered.
Once the paper dries, use scissors to pop the balloon and remove it.
Clean up the opening at the top with scissors, and add ghost eyes and a mouth to the side—now the lantern part is complete.
Put a light inside and enjoy.
If you want to use it as a bag, punch holes on both sides of the lantern and thread pipe cleaners through to make handles.
It helps to reinforce the back side of the hole areas with extra construction paper.