Kids are naturally creative when dressing up, so for Halloween costumes turn to them for easy and cheap ideas. Use Halloween costume accessories you can borrow or buy as well as what's in the closet. Sometimes all it takes is the right hat.
If you do have to buy a kids costume, often you can reuse it later – either as dress-up or regular clothes.
None of these easy Halloween costume ideas involve sewing because in my book, that's not easy! The more specific your child’s costume is the hard it's to take a DIY approach. But there are a few specific characters listed among these cheap and easy Halloween costume ideas.
If you do have to buy a kids costume, often you can reuse it later – either as dress-up or regular clothes.
None of these easy Halloween costume ideas involve sewing because in my book, that's not easy! The more specific your child’s costume is the hard it's to take a DIY approach. But there are a few specific characters listed among these cheap and easy Halloween costume ideas.
Jack-o-Lantern or Pumpkin Costume
Babies are just such naturals for pumpkin costumes. They’re cute and round, and they pretty much stay in one place. I had an expensive store-bought pumpkin costume for my first. But it’s easy enough to make your own with an orange sweat suit (which you can reuse for play clothes) and a green cap. Cut out the face of the jack-o-lantern in black felt and pin it to the sweatshirt. Put a small, rolled-up towel inside the shirt to give your pumpkin extra girth. If your little girl won’t tolerate a hat, try a green ribbon in her hair.Items for this easy Halloween costume: orange sweat suit, green cap or ribbon, black felt, small towel, safety pins
Fireman Costume
For this, you'll need to have a proper costume hat on hand, but one can often be found in your own dress up box. One year my son brought a cheap plastic hat home from the firefighters’ visit to his preschool and that became his costume. We used reflective tape to decorate a raincoat and his black snow boots to complete the outfit. He loved it, and I didn’t spend a dime.Items for this easy Halloween costume:fireman’s hat, raincoat, reflective or duct tape, boots
Accessories for Easy Halloween Costumes
This list of possible Halloween costume accessories includes more ideas for easy Halloween costumes for kids.Ballerina Costume
Got an old tutu from big sister’s dance class? Then you’ve got a ballerina costume. If you don’t, you can find one at a toy or thrift store. Girls love to dress up in tutus so if you do have to buy one, think of it as an investment. It will definitely get used again! And if you have a tiara, that adds sparkle.Items for this easy Halloween costume: tutu, dance leotard, tights, tiara
Indiana Jones Costume
If you’ve got an old-style men’s hat, an Indiana Jones costume is easy. One Halloween I bought the hat (unfortunately it came with the whip too) and a white, long-sleeved, button-down shirt. However, the stipulation was that my son, who only likes t-shirts, must wear the dress shirt when I asked, and he'd better not use the whip on anyone. He wore a plain muscle shirt underneath so he could leave the shirt mostly unbuttoned like Indy.Items for this easy Halloween costume: men’s hat, white button-down dress shirt, khaki pants, undershirt, whip
Karate Master or Ninja Costume
Use your child’s (or borrow a friend’s) old martial arts uniform to create this costume. Move your child up to black belt with some black fabric around the waist or accessorize with weapons and a headband to make a ninja. Maybe pin on felt cut-outs of the rising sun for color and authenticity.Items for this easy Halloween costume: martial arts uniform, black belt from bathrobe, black fabric, swords, red felt, safety pins
Dora the Explorer Costume
Depending on your little girl's hair color and style this costume could be as simple a pink shirt, orange shorts and purple backpack. Now if your daughter's hair won't be shaped into a Dora bob, a wig might be needed, but there's no reason to buy a whole costume. We once gave an old wig a haircut for this Halloween costume.Items for this easy Halloween costume: pink shirt, orange shorts, purple backpack, wig, pantyhose or tights (if in a cold weather climate)
