The three easiest Halloween crafts for kids are no-carve painted pumpkins, craft-stick mummies, and a family paint night on small canvases. Each one takes 20 to 60 minutes, works for ages 4 and up, and uses washable supplies you can buy in a single order. Pick pumpkins for the youngest crafters, craft sticks for a classroom party, and canvases for a night in with older kids.
Halloween crafts give kids something the store-bought decorations can't: a pumpkin on the porch they painted themselves, a mummy taped to the fridge with their name on the back. You don't need a craft room or a big budget. You need a cleared table, a roll of paper towels, and the right few supplies.
Quick answer: which craft to pick
- Youngest crafters (ages 4 to 6): No-carve painted pumpkins. No knives, no sharp tools, and kids can't get it wrong.
- Classroom party of 20 to 30 kids: Craft-stick mummies and monsters. One box of jumbo craft sticks covers the whole class, and each mummy takes about 10 minutes.
- Family night with kids 6 and up: A Halloween paint night on 8 x 10 canvas panels. Everyone paints the same simple scene, and the finished canvases hang on the wall through October.
- Short on time: Craft-stick mummies. You can set up, make and clean up in 20 minutes.
The three crafts at a glance
| Craft | Time | Ages | Mess level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-carve painted pumpkins | 45 minutes, plus drying | 4 and up | Medium (washable paint) | Toddlers, porch decor, families |
| Craft-stick mummies and monsters | 20 minutes | 4 and up | Low (tape and glue) | Classroom parties, big groups |
| Family paint night on canvas | 60 minutes | 6 and up | Medium (washable paint) | Family nights, teens, office parties |
No-carve painted pumpkins (45 minutes, ages 4 and up)
Painting a pumpkin gives a 4-year-old the whole Halloween pumpkin experience without a carving knife anywhere near the table. An uncarved pumpkin also lasts much longer than a carved one, so your kids' work can sit on the porch for weeks instead of days.
What you need
- 2 or 3 small pie pumpkins, washed and dried
- 6-Color Washable Poster Paint Set with Brush
- Assorted Artist Paint Brush Set, 12 pieces
- Round 10-Well Paint Mixing Palette
- A cup of water, paper towels, and newspaper or kraft paper to cover the table
How to paint a pumpkin with kids
- Prep the surface. Wipe each pumpkin with a damp paper towel and let it dry. Paint sticks better to a clean, dry skin.
- Paint a base coat. Brush on one solid color with the widest brush. White makes a ghost, black makes a cat. Let it dry for about 20 minutes.
- Add the face or pattern. Switch to a small round brush for eyes, mouths and dots. Squeeze a little of each color into the mixing palette so kids can dip without knocking over the cups.
- Add the details last. Once the face dries, add whiskers, stripes or glitter.
- Let it dry overnight. Set the pumpkins on paper, stem up, away from little hands.
Tip: Washable paint can rub off in rain. Display painted pumpkins on a covered porch or indoors.
Shop the pumpkin painting supplies on this page
Craft-stick mummies and monsters (20 minutes, ages 4 and up)
Teachers love this one for classroom Halloween parties. The supplies cost little per child, cleanup takes a few minutes, and every kid goes home with something they made. A mummy needs one stick and some tape. A monster or pumpkin takes five or six sticks glued side by side.
What you need
- Jumbo Natural Wood Craft Sticks, 500-count box for mummies
- Jumbo Colored Wood Craft Sticks, 50-pack for monsters, pumpkins and candy corn
- Glue Sticks, 2-pack for paper eyes and hair
- 24-Color Washable Crayons for faces
- Kids Safety Scissors
- White masking tape and scraps of colored paper
How to make a craft-stick mummy
- Tear the tape first. An adult tears 8 to 10 strips of masking tape per child and sticks them along the table edge. Small hands find tearing tape frustrating.
- Wrap the stick. Kids wrap the strips around a jumbo natural craft stick at different angles. Leave a small gap near the top for the eyes.
- Add the eyes. Draw two eyes on white paper with a crayon, cut them out, and glue them into the gap.
- Make a monster next. Glue five or six green jumbo sticks side by side onto a strip of paper. Add black paper hair, crayon eyes and a stitched mouth.
Tip: Write each child's name on the back of their stick before they start. Thirty mummies look alike at pickup time.
Shop the craft-stick supplies on this page
Family Halloween paint night on canvas (60 minutes, ages 6 and up)
A paint night turns a regular weeknight into an event. Everyone sits at the same table, paints the same simple scene, and ends up with four different paintings. Older kids and teens like it because the result looks like real art. It works just as well for an office Halloween party.
What you need
- 8 x 10 Canvas Panels, one per painter
- 18-Color Washable Kids Paint Set with Brush
- All-Purpose Brush Set, 25 pieces, to share across the table
- Oval Mixing Palette with Thumb Hole, one per painter
- Cups of water and paper towels
How to paint a harvest moon with bats
- Trace the moon. Set a cup upside down on the canvas and trace a circle in pencil.
- Paint the sky. Fill everything outside the circle with purple. Blend in some dark blue near the edges.
- Fill the moon. Paint the circle orange with a flat brush. Add a little yellow in the center so it glows.
- Add the bats. When the paint dries, paint small black bat shapes across the sky with a round brush. A simple "m" shape with a dot body reads as a bat from across the room.
- Sign and dry. Each painter signs a bottom corner. Let the canvases dry flat for an hour.
Tip: Hand out one palette per painter with a small dab of each color. Shared paint cups slow everyone down.
Shop the paint night supplies on this page
How much to buy for a classroom or party
Use these as starting points and add a little extra for do-overs.
- Classroom of 25, craft-stick mummies and monsters: One 500-count box of jumbo natural sticks, two or three 50-packs of jumbo colored sticks, five 2-packs of glue sticks, and a box of crayons for every four or five kids.
- Family of four, painted pumpkins: One 6-color paint set, one brush set and one mixing palette for four small pumpkins.
- Team of 10, office paint night: Ten canvas panels, ten mixing palettes, two 25-piece brush sets, and enough paint sets for each pair of painters to share one.
BAZIC ships orders over $49 free, so a classroom or office order usually ships at no cost.
Safety and cleanup
- Stick to washable supplies. The paints and crayons in this guide are washable. Cover the table, roll up sleeves, and keep a damp paper towel nearby.
- Supervise the scissors. Even kids' safety scissors need an adult watching for children under 6.
- Keep small parts away from toddlers. Paper eyes and glitter are small. Craft with children under 3 only with an adult at the table.
- Don't eat painted pumpkins. Once a pumpkin is painted, it's decoration only.
Halloween craft FAQ
What is the easiest Halloween craft for toddlers?
No-carve painted pumpkins are the easiest Halloween craft for toddlers and preschoolers. There are no sharp tools, and any painted pumpkin counts as a success. Give kids a wide brush and two or three colors so they don't get overwhelmed.
What paint should kids use on pumpkins?
Kids should use washable poster paint or tempera paint on pumpkins. It covers the pumpkin skin in one or two coats, cleans up with soap and water, and dries in about 20 minutes. Display washable-paint pumpkins indoors or under cover, since rain can wash the paint off.
How long do painted pumpkins last?
An uncarved, painted pumpkin usually lasts several weeks in a cool, dry spot, much longer than a carved jack-o'-lantern. Keep it out of direct rain and off damp ground to slow down rot.
How many craft sticks do I need for a class of 25?
One 500-count box of jumbo natural craft sticks covers a class of 25 for mummies with plenty left over. Add two or three 50-packs of colored sticks if kids will also build monsters or pumpkins, which use five or six sticks each.
Can kids under 6 do a paint night?
Kids under 6 can join a paint night if an adult sketches the outline first and the child fills in the colors. For a fully independent craft at that age, painted pumpkins work better.
Ready to craft?
Pick the craft that fits your group, then add the supplies below to your cart. Every supply for all three crafts ships in one order, and orders over $49 ship free. BAZIC has made school, office and art supplies for families and classrooms since 1998.
