October 31st is just around the corner and I bet the kids have been chatting your ear off about all things Halloween! I can image they have so many costume ideas. The best part is that you can easily incorporate a mask or gloves as part of their costume so they can have worry-free fun. Try these 5 paper plate Halloween crafts to add more fun to your family’s October!

Pumpkin Paper Plate Craft

This one is easy enough to get started with. Offer a plate and orange paint; quick-dry paint sticks are helpful for children new to painting. Have your child paint the paper plate and then glue on a jack-o-lantern face. Provide different sized triangles, squares, circles, and different mouth options cut out of black paper. You can also offer a brown cut out stem and green leaf if the child wants to add. Remember with all of these paper plate halloween crafts, they can look however the child wants; it’s their art. For younger kids you could say, “If the nose is here, where do the eyes go? Look at my face.”

Black Cat Mask

Beforehand an adult should cut out the center of a paper plate. Using the circle you cut out, cut two triangular ears. Tell your child that this project will turn into a mask they can play with; and have them tape on a popsicle stick to the back. Now, offer the child black paint to decorate the frame of their cat mask; however if they want a different color that is okay too! Provide pompoms to glue on the ears as cats’ ears are so soft! Use pipe cleaners to glue whiskers on the side. Note that Elmer’s glue sometimes is not strong enough for pipe cleaners. Let your child glue it on how they wish and then when it is drying you can add some super glue or stronger craft glue to help.

Green Witch on a Paper Plate

Your child can paint the plate green. Or if they want to try something different you can offer small squares of green paper (or tissue paper) to glue on the entire plate. After that is complete, help children trace their hand four times on orange paper; this will be the witch’s hair. Older children can work on tracing themselves and then also carefully cut along the lines. If your child likes cutting they can also cut out a hat for the witch’s head using black paper. Now it is time to glue on the hair, hat, eyes, nose, and mouth.

Paper Plate Bat Craft

Ask your child if they would like to paint, color, or glue a paper plate black to make their bat. Next, to make the wings give your child a circular black piece of paper. Show them how to accordion fold the circle back and forth. Once it’s folded, hold it tight for them and have them cut it in half. When you open it up you will have two bat wings. Glue those on along with red eyes and white fangs.

Spider Paper Plate Halloween Crafts

  • Younger kids can make the spider pictured above by painting a plate any color they would like and gluing lot of eyes on. Talk about how spiders have 0-8 eyes depending on the species and 8 legs. Children can squeeze a hole punch 4 times on each side of the plate to strengthen their fine motor muscles. If you don’t have a hole punch, an adult will need to make 8 holes using scissors. To finish the spider, thread a pipe cleaner into each hole and twist it around.
  • For older kids, they can sew a spider web! On a large paper plate, hole punch multiple holes all the way around. Then draw or paint a spider on the center of the plate. Children can make a handprint spider on the center with their two hands connecting at the wrist. Don’t paint the thumbs because spiders only have 8 legs, remember? If your child painted their spider, wait until it is dry and then begin making a web. Tie a long piece of string on the edge of one hole. Now have your child zig zag it all across the plate in different directions and thread the string through the holes; tie it off at the end.

On your mark, get set, go! Try a couple of these each week in the month of October. Decorate your front door with your child’s unique paper plate halloween crafts. For more halloween fun try making puffy paint ghosts!

About The Author

Kelsey Dickson has over 15 years of experience working with children as a nanny, preschool teacher, and now a mother. She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and works for Boston Baby Nurse & Nanny as the eLearning Manager. Check out our online childcare classes, such as Baby Sign Language and Sleep Coaching 101! In her free time she enjoys gardening with her son, going for walks with her husband and dog, and discovering local wineries in New England.