13 More Spooktacular Crafts for Seniors

By Anna Hazard

As Halloween approaches ever closer, have your senior loved ones get into the appropriately spooky "spirit" by having them help create cute & creepy decor and crafts for the holiday.
 
The materials for these crafts are inexpensive (or have cheaper replacement parts available) and their difficulty can be adjusted to fit with their seniors hand strength, manual dexterity, or other health issues.
 
Below are thirteen more crafting activities that can deck out your house decor just in time for a petrifyingly fun party or for trick-or-treaters to swing by.

Deviled Eyeball Eggs

• Here's a craft idea that is as yummy as it is creepily decorative for those seniors with enough hand dexterity to still enjoy kitchen shenanigans.
• Replace green & red food coloring with natural alternatives (such as beets, matcha, or spinach powder )
• Check out the full Deviled Eyeball recipe at Coffee Break with Liz & Kate
  

Spooky Spider Sucker Lollipops

• Have your seniors a bit of eerie (and cutesy) fun to the mountain of lollipops that tend to pile-up around this time of year with only a few pipe cleaners, googly craft eyes, and a bit of glue.
• Check out the step-by-step instructions at I Heart Naptime
  

Gooey (Green) Slime

• A fun craft for those seniors who respond well to tactile stimulation and therapy. While 'green' is the default color for these slime recipes, feel free to experiment with the whole range of the rainbow.
• Check out various Do-It-Yourself slime recipes (including edible glow-in-the-dark) at Wonder How To
  

Halloween Tea Lights

• Have your seniors decorate ping pong balls with markers or paints then place them over the bulbs of cheap battery powered tea lights for an adorable & spooky variation of a nightlight.
• Make certain to use battery powered tea light bulbs, not tea light candles.
• Check out Boo Turtle's Show & Tell for further demonstrations.
  

Coffee Filter Pumpkins

• Have your seniors make these cute pumpkin decorations using coffee filters, thread or glue, cotton, tissues, twigs, or whatever may be easily available from around the house.
• Check out a more detailed guide at The Happier Homemaker
  

Paper Pumpkins

• Paper pumpkin decorations can use a wide assortment of materials from construction paper to scrapbook paper to tissue paper depending upon what's available and can range from simple to far more ornate designs.
• Tailor the materials & final designs to the abilities of your seniors.
• Check out the full set of instructions at I Heart Naptime
  

Vampiric (Denture) Pumpkins

• These particular vampires can be easily made using small, handsized pumpkins and googly craft eyes or toothpicks with tape colored in to look like eyes. The pumpkins can be pre-sliced for those seniors with hand dexterity issues.
• Sub in dentures for the cheap vampire fangs for a bit of added fun.
  

Gourd Witch

• Create an appropriately creepily cute witch (or other Halloween themed creature) using small handsized gourds or pumpkins with pre-made Witch's hats (or ones crafted by your seniors with contruction paper) as well as an assortment of other decorations such as googly eyes, pompom puffs, paints, ribbons etc.
• See a more detailed step-by-step guide at Elder One Stop
  

Mummy Balls

• Create your very own decorative mummy using styrofoam balls, muslin (or other appropriately 'bandage-like' fabric, and other handy decorations that may be found lying around the house. (Including subbing in tea for dye or watered down paint)
• Check out a more detailed mummy crafting guide at Craftaphile
  

Batty Take-out Box

• Have your senior loves ones help turn your old carryout food containers into this bewitchingly cute bat using nothing more than scissors, markers or paints, a bit of glue, and extra colored paper.
• Check out more detailed instructions and download the batty wing patterns at Better Homes & Gardens

Milk Jug Ghosts

• Have a bit of ghastly fun by recycling your empty milk bottles into these ghostly Halloween decorations. All they require are markers or paint and lights (such as Christmas lights, battery powered tea lights, or color changing LED lights).
• Add a few rocks to the bottom of the jugs for extra stability if you'd like the ghosts to rest on the ground instead of being strung up in the air.
• For those seniors with hand dexterity issues, holes should be pre-cut into the bottom of the milk bottles for easy access light placement.
• Check out more detailed instructions at Eighteen 25
  

Cheesecloth Ghosts

• These charming ghosts can be fashioned out of cheesecloth (or other similar light & see-through fabric) and fabric stiffener alone, but require additional prep work with balloons, cups, and other similar materials that you may have lying around the house to give the ghosts their proper shapes.
  
• Check out the detailed step-by-step instructions at Country Living

Spooky Uncle Sam

• Uncle Sam may be a favorite when it comes to costumes for seniors for Halloween(with lots of discounted material left over from the previous 4th of July celebrations). Add a bit more "spook" to your senior's attire or decorations by subbing in a skull for Uncle Sam's normal face.