As the leaves start falling, it’s a sign that autumn is here. Autumn brings cooler temperatures and one of the year’s most popular holidays: Halloween! Parents of tweens or teens know that Halloween is a major event.
When Halloween approaches, your children will likely be preparing for parties, trick-or-treating, and other fun events.
And the best part is, you can bring some of Halloween’s fun into your home or classroom with some crafting time. In this post, you’ll find fun and easy Halloween craft ideas. Teenagers can do these activities themselves or with classmates, friends or family. These crafts can also be used alongside any of these Halloween party printables for even more excitement.
So let’s get to it!
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What would Halloween be without decorative skulls? Painting fake skulls is a fun way for your teenage children to show off their artistic flair.
You can find skulls made from plastic, ceramic, and other materials at local craft stores near Halloween. If you want to start this project earlier, many craft stores sell paintable skulls.
What You’ll Need:
Paintable ceramic skulls
Paint (enamel or epoxy paint is best for ceramic)
Paintbrushes
A surface cover you don’t mind getting paint on
We recommend giving your teenagers plenty of room for paints, paintbrushes, and skulls. Ideally, a dining or living room table is the perfect space for this craft idea. What’s also great about this idea is that your children will have cool painted skulls to keep forever.
2. Make Candles
Almost nothing creates a better Halloween setting than candles. With a few items, you can make candles at home that rival anything found in stores.
What You’ll Need:
1 lb. of soy candle wax chips
Wax dyes: Orange and black are perfect for Halloween. But don’t limit yourself to those colors—go wild!
A package of large wicks
Scented oils: Optional but great if you want scented candles.
There are plenty of in-depth tutorials about candle-making. But the simple explanation is to:
Melt your wax chips.
Add dye to the melted wax.
Pour your melted wax into its container.
Use a carefully placed pen or similar item to anchor your wick into the candle’s center.
If you want to take this craft idea to the next level, have multiple heated surfaces for every dye you have. Then, pour the wax into your candle container in layers. But it’s crucial to let wax layers fully harden before pouring in melted wax.
Place toy skeletons or spiders in your candle layers for extra creativity points.
3. Create Enjoyable Halloween Treats
No Halloween is complete without delicious treats. One popular Halloween-themed recipe lets your teenagers make scary and edible monsters. This recipe is easy, quick, and fun.
What You’ll Need:
Rice Krispies Treats (homemade or store-bought both work)
Sprinkles
Candy eyeballs
Candy melts (green and orange look great)
First, prepare or unwrap your Rice Krispies Treats. Then, melt your candy melts. Once fully melted, partially dip your Rice Krispies Treats into the liquid candy melts. After letting the covered treats harden, your teens can apply candy eyeballs and sprinkles to decorate their “monsters.”
4. Complete a Halloween-Themed Electronics Project
As any parent knows, not all teenagers share the same hobbies. If you have more than one tween or teen in your home, you know how quickly their interests change, and finding ways to spend quality time together can be a challenge.
Children interested in technology may get more enjoyment from electronic kits. For example, a Halloween LED pumpkin kit is a perfectly themed way for teenagers and their parents to learn about electronics. This project is also great if you don’t want your house to smell like opened pumpkins!
What You’ll Need:
Electronic kit
A battery
Soldering equipment
These kits let teenagers gain first-hand knowledge of how capacitors, LEDs, resistors, and transistors work together. Plus, teenagers get cool items to display after completing an electronics kit.
5. Decorate Pumpkins
Carving pumpkins might be a tradition for some people. However, if you want to decorate pumpkins without the time and difficulty of carving them, paint them. Painting pumpkins is less smelly and messy than carving them. Painted pumpkins also last longer on porches than carved ones.
What You’ll Need:
Pumpkins
Paint
Paintbrushes
There are limitless ways to paint a pumpkin. You can give your children themes such as their favorite movie monster or sports team. When everyone’s finished painting, each teenager can display their painted pumpkins on your home’s porch.
6. Design a Halloween Tree
Christmas isn’t the only holiday that gets a tree. Your teenagers can put together a Halloween tree with a few items. If you do this activity during autumn, there will be plenty of fallen leaves for your Halloween tree.
What You’ll Need:
A few small twigs
A container for your tree
Dead leaves
White acrylic paint
String
A marker (Sharpies work well)
First, gather your tree’s container, a few twigs, and leaves. Then, you and your teenage children can paint the dead leaves white and let them dry. Once dry, carefully use a marker to draw faces or designs on the painted leaves.
With a steady hand, poke a small hole at the top of each leaf. Next, thread-string the holes. Finally, tie the string’s other end to a twig. The completed project resembles a small tree with white leaves hanging from branches.
7. Make Magnets From Rocks
Do you need a craft idea to help decorate your kitchen? Then, your family will love creating rock magnets. Chances are, you can find suitable rocks around your home. If you can’t find rocks nearby, purchase craft rocks in stores and online.
What You’ll Need:
Rocks
Small magnets
Paint
Paint markers
Super Glue or something similar
Get started by placing glue on one side of your magnets. Then, place the glued side of your magnet against your rock. After the glued magnet sets, paint the rocks. Then, use the paint markers to draw scary or silly faces on your rocks.
As you can see, there are many fun craft ideas for teens to enjoy this Halloween season. Whether your children enjoy these activities with their parents, friends, or both, everyone will have a great time and a special gift for themselves!
