When it comes to Halloween, no effort is too much. Homes are decorated to turn them into spooky manors, treats are stocked and the best of all costumes are diligently fussed over. Dressing as the scariest ghoul, banshee, or vampire is every child’s dream.
Halloween is a time for celebrating with the community and is an evening of pure fun and innocence. This holiday is something for which you and your child can work together to make it memorable.
Halloween – What Is It?
Halloween is celebrated across many countries. It is the shortened form of All Hallows’ Evening which is the eve of the All Hallows’ Day. This day marks the beginning of a three day period dedicated to remembering the dead including saints (hallows).
The tradition can be traced back to pagan times though, in recent years, it has taken a more festive and commercial spirit of activities that include trick-or-treating, apple bobbing, carving pumpkins, and of course Halloween costume parties.
Scary Halloween Costume Ideas for Girls and Boys
There are many options available for kids and adults alike when it comes to Halloween costumes. Halloween costume enthusiasts usually have two options. The first is buying a costume from a store or online. This allows for more extravagant costumes with minimal fuss, but can also prove to be generic.
The second option is to create the costume at home with whatever resources you already have. Your child’s costume will be unique and involving your child while designing her costume will give her a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Here, we bring some of the best Halloween costume ideas for children that you and your child can recreate to make a costume that is smashing.
1. Witch
One of the most classic costumes for Halloween, the witch costume has taken the fancy of many young girls especially in the wake of the hugely popular Harry Potter series. A witch costume is simple but its essence lies in the pointy hat. Many stores sell this costume, but you can also make this at home with papier mache. The hat is worn with a dress that has a cape. Stick to colours that are dark, usually black or purple. You can ask your child to help you embellish the cape or the hat or both. Think big and go for bedazzled rhinestones or sequence. Pair with a broom to get into the character.
2. Zombie
Now, this is a look your child is sure to enjoy. All you need is tattered clothes, face painting colours, and a zombie-like visage. You can involve your child in the actual face painting and decide which parts of her face, hands, or feet are decayed (not literally). Use a dark red lipstick to show lips as covered in blood. Don’t forget to master the zombie moan for the full effect!
3. Vampire
This mythical creature has seen a recent surge in popularity due to movies and TV shows that have vampires as their protagonist. There are many vampire costumes you can select from stores or you can also dress your child in a black dress will red highlights. Use powder or face paint to make your child’s face pale and add fangs. Get into the small details to work on your child’s face, like you can show fake blood, dripping from the fangs.
4. Mummy
With recent movies on this ancient Egyptian creature, the Mummy is a hugely popular Halloween character. This look can be achieved by kids easily. Use toilet paper or body bandage rolls to cover the entire body of your child. Use a kohl pencil to darken the rolls. Use a white cloth cut into strips for the head. You can go the extra mile to show organs peeking out from the gaps in the bandage.
5. Carl From Up
Any kid will look adorable when they dress up as the old man from ‘UP’. Use brown pants, white shirt, and a cardigan to get his look right. You can make a walker using pipes and tennis balls for the base. Get kid-size glasses and neatly comb down your child’s hair. Get a few helium balloons and tie them to the waistband for the full effect.
6. Princess
Almost all girls dream of being a princess and Halloween is the perfect excuse to dress up like one. Use a full-bodied flared frock, typically in pink, with embellishments and ruffles. Most stores sell tiaras but you and your child can make a unique crown at home using stock paper and lots of glitters. You can also change this princess look to an angel. Add wings to her dress at the back and make a wand with a star using thermocol.
Do not keep specific princesses like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty in mind when creating this costume. Let your child come up with a character that she wants to be with the adornments and embellishments used to reflect the personality of this character. You could also create a backstory to keep your child more excited.
7. Katy Perry
If your daughter is a Katy Perry fan, dressing like her would be a dream come true for her. Her music is fun and catchy and she wears the most eclectic clothes. You can get a wig online or at stores with hair that is bright blue or bubble-gum pink. Take a white dress and stick some small shiny disco balls onto the dress with fabric glue. Add a prop mic for the complete look. If your child loves to sing, then encourage her to sing a few chorus lines of Katy Perry’s popular songs. This will encourage her to be more confident.
8. Harry Potter
Most kids would love to dress up as Harry Potter since he is this generation’s favourite wizard. Many stores sell the Gryffindor scarf which you can use as the focal point of the costume. You could also try your hand at knitting, especially if it is something you and your child do together. The rest of the outfit should resemble that of a prep school boy with trousers, white shirt and a sweater vest. Buy round glasses online and draw on a lightning-shaped scar on your child’s face using an eyeliner. Make a wand with a stick and teach your child a few spells from the Potter-verse. In fact, a few magic tricks can go a long way in making this costume a smashing hit.
9. Rockstar
A kid dressed as a rock star is going to look adorable no matter what. Use a dark pair of jeans and have your child sport a black leather jacket with a small guitar. If your child is already learning to play the guitar, then let her carry it with her to complete the look. You can try to portray actual rockstars, though coming up with a character along with your child will be more fun. The jacket can be bedazzled with rhinestones and sequins to add more pizzazz to the outfit.
10. Tinkerbelle
This costume can be made easily if you are adept at sewing. Use green felt cloth to make the dress and use gauze and craft wire to make the wings. You can either stitch the wings onto the dress or make them removable if your child is small and will, of course, want to remove those cumbersome wings later. If your child has long hair, then pull it up to make a bun just like Tinkerbelle does.
11. Rain Cloud
Making a rain cloud is a simple sewing project. This costume is cute and is perfect for toddlers. Make the cloud from simple white fabric and foam and strap onto the body with Velcro. Cut out blue raindrops from blue felt fabric and stitch onto a dark shade of pants to resemble raindrops falling from the cloud.This costume is comfortable as it is lightweight. Your toddler will not fuss with the costume and she is bound to look adorable in it.
12. Wonder Woman
A cute outfit to reflect the popularity of the DC character, this one will look great in photographs. It is a simple outfit in which you won’t have to work much on the sewing machine or shell out a lot of money. Use blue tulle material to make a tutu-like skirt for the bottom. Buy a kid-size red T-shirt with the wonder woman logo on it, or you could just paint it on any red t-shirt. Embellish the skirt with stars and stones for a glittery effect. Use a long piece of yellow yarn to make the lasso of truth and add silver bracelets to make the Bracelets of Submission.
13. Nerd
This look is easy enough to achieve. Make your child wear high-waist pants with a collared shirt or t-shirt. You can roll up the pants a few inches to show off white socks. Use suspenders to add more detail to the look. Get non-prescription classes to give the final touch to the nerd look. This look will be most effective if your child is otherwise outgoing and well-rounded. His friends are sure to find this look entertaining.
14. Minions
As one of the most beloved children’s characters in recent history, the minion outfit is sure to be a hit. Get your child to help you make this costume from cardboard. Cut out the template of a minion from the cardboard and draw the details of the minion on it. Your child can help you fill in the paint. Leave holes for the arm.
15. Rapunzel
This costume is easy to make and you can involve your child in its making as well. Use a simple dress for the body and buy yellow-coloured yarn for the hair. Use hot glue to stick the yarn together to create the head portion and then braid the rest of the yarn extra-long like Rapunzel’s. This look works best if you stick to simple ballerina shoes and a plain dress that will not grab any attention from the extra-long blond hair.
16. Red Riding Hood
This classic kids’ storybook character is a favourite among many. A red dress and a cloak is what you will need. You can make a gorgeous red cloak for your kid right at home to complete this ensemble. You can stitch this cloak using red velvet fabric or any other red fabric right at home. Make two rectangular pieces out of the fabric, one for the hood and one for the cape. Measure your kid before you cut these pieces. Fold the top ends of the hood fabric and stitch them together to resemble a hood. Now stitch the other end of the hood with the cape fabric to complete the cloak.
17. Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)
This lovely little girl from the Wizard of Oz stole many hearts along with her dog Toto. To dress your kid as Dorothy, you can get a simple white shirt and a plaid blue overalls dress. Some sparkly red shoes and a basket with a toy dog will complete the look.
18. Pirate
Who doesn’t love a pirate look? Pull some striped long sleeved t-shirt, a black vest, tattered pants, and a pirate hat together for the perfect pirate costume. A black eye patch and a toy sword will work well to complete the costume
19. Unicorn
Unicorns symbolize magic for most kids and it is no doubt that your little one would love to dress like one. A unicorn costume is fairly simple if you don’t want to pick out a store-bought one. Simply dress your kid in white pants and a white sweatshirt and a headband with a unicorn horn attached to it. You should even glue a tail made of yarn to her pants for a complete look.
There is no dearth of ideas that you can try for Halloween costumes for your kids. You can choose to make monsters or characters from movies, or even famous people. As long as your child is excited about the idea and wants to contribute to the making of the costume, you should be happy with the outcome. Keep the costumes so that you can modify them for next year’s outfit!
