13 Creeptacular Crafts for Halloween

By Anna Hazard

Introduction

It's nearly time for ghosts & goblins to take to the streets once more. Halloween is a holiday that can be celebrated by those of many different ages and so here is a mini-guide to crafts appropriate for children & seniors alike. These crafts can perform double duty as both a recreational  activity as well as functioning as indoor or outdoor holiday decor once the end of the month has come around. This collection focuses on tutorials suitable for those with hand dexterity or strength issues.

Crafts

Pompom Pumpkins

• Create these easy-to-make pom pom style pumkins in various styles using yarn or pre-made pom poms as their base. Materials for the trim an vary depending upon what is easily available or already on hand including felt, leaves, pipecleaners, cinnamon sticks, googley eyes, and buttons.
  
• Consumer Crafts | Little Miss Celebration | Mom on Timeout
  

Halloween Decorative Jars

• Recycled jars ranging from baby food to mason can serve as both Halloween decoration as well as having more functional utility such as acting as containers, candy dishes, or candle holders. Since most basic jars that are readily available will be made of glass and thus easily breakable, these crafts are more suited for those with steadier hands.
  
• Mason Jar Crafts Love [1, 2] |  Make It Love It |  36th Avenue
  

Halloween Mason Jar Lids

• These crafts are a practical & fun way to use all those jar lids leftover from other jar crafts. Materials required are basic and easy to come by, ranging from washi tape (decorated tape) to paint & magnets. Unlike their glass counterparts, jar lids make a good project even for those with hand strength issues.
  
• This Grandma is Fun | The Country Cook | Booth 555
  

Halloween Slime

• This particular craft can be made using a variety of bases from borax (common in many slime recipes but not favored by those who want more natural & even edible ingredients), to glue, to metamucil (for fully edible versions). Finished slime crafts can act as sensory play (which is particular good for those senior loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer's) or as a good source of stress relief for caregivers. Use slime to fill up monster jars from the Halloween Jar craft section.
  
• Little Bins for Little Hands | Sheri Silver | Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
  

Halloween Hanging Ghosts

• These decorative ghosts are easy to make yet will have a big impact upon the room or yard where they are placed. All styles use cheesecloth or other similar fabric as their base along with styrofoam balls, balloons, or another suitably round & light object. Unless the fabric has been prepared beforehand, these crafts will require the user to have enough hand dexterity to be able to use some style of scissors.
  
• Simply Designing | DIY Network | Crafts Unleashed
  

Black Cat Garland

• These cute cats will bring better luck Halloween and are simple to make, using heavy weight paper (such as posterboard or card stock) or wooden ornaments as well as twine, rope, or a string of Christmas lights as their base. Crafts will require enough hand dexterity to either use scissors, paint, or be able to tie knots in string.
• Country Living | Dream Green DIY | Lia Griffeth
  

Raven Wreath

• Pre-made wreaths too expensive? Quote the raven, worry nevermore. Besides needing a raven to act as centerpiece, these wreaths can be made in a wide range of styles using various materials such as fabric, feathers, dark flowers, or whatever spooky trim may be at hand. For a particular thrifty version use a pool noodle & crepe paper.
  
• Katy Did & Kid | Meadow Lake Road | Create Craft Love
  

Halloween Sock Pets

• These adorable stuffed plushes use normal everyday socks as their main base along with a variety of stuffing (beans, batting, rice) and trimming (googly eyes, felt, buttons, or ribbons). If you have senior loved ones with hand dexterity issues, replace sewing with fabric glue for those tutorials which aren't already no-sew
• Meaningful Mama (Pumpkin) | Frog Prince Paperie (Cat) | Shaffer Sisters (Ghost)
  

Spooky Eyeball Decorations

• These spooky eyeballs made from ping pong balls, styrofoam balls, or white balloons can be used to decorate the house in a myriad of different ways. Gluing, painting, and drawing are the basic skills necessary for these crafts so a limited amount of hand dexterity will be required.
• I Love to Create (Wreath) | Crafts & Coffee (Centerpieces) [1, 2] | Balloon Time (Floating Eyeballs)
  

Halloween Treat Bags

• These spooktacularly styled treat bags will come in handy around the house, during parties, or in the midst of trick or treat giveaways. Most tutorials use basic materials such as paper or disposable gloves, but more exotic versions that use materials such as egg boxes can also be found.
• Paper Plate & Plane (Eyeballs) | Cakewhiz (Hands) | Martha Stewart (Skull)
  

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

• These decorative pumpkins come in a variety of styles but all them use toilet paper rolls as their bases, either empty or a full roll with paper included. Other common materials such as scrap fabric, construction paper, and paint are also used. Most tutorials require basic painting, gluing, or cutting skills with the fabric wrapped pumpkin roll requiring the least hand dexterity or strength to finish.
• Home Talk | Crafty Morning | Burton Avenue
  

Halloween Spider Decorations

• These decorative spiders come in a variety of sizes using simple supplies such as pipecleaners & beads to more unusual materials such as milk jugs/bottles and foam pipe insulation tubes. The simple pipecleaner spider craft should be suitable for seniors of all manial dexterity abilities while the outdoor insulation tube spider may require a bit more assistance or preparation beforehand.
• Better Homes & Gardens | Spoonful | Easy Preschool Crafts