Halloween is such an exciting time of year for kids. From the costumes and party games to the decorations and the trick or treating, it is never-ending fun. Buck the trend for shop-bought (which can also be expensive) and try these ideas for colourful and creative homemade Halloween costumes instead!

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When it comes to homemade Halloween costumes, the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re into spooky sights, playful pumpkins or giggling ghouls there is something for everyone. A time to be creative, recycle, restore and just have a bit of DIY fun.

Here are some of our favourite ideas for homemade Halloween costumes – let your imagination run wild, and let us know what you create!

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Homemade Halloween Costumes for Kids

#1. Robot Family

Image: Tell Love and Party

Let’s be honest, if I tried to put my partner in one of these robot costumes from Tell Love and Party I’d probably never see him again, but it is great inspiration for the kids’ costumes. They are really cool, aren’t they? And honestly, a lot easier to make than you might think. Get raiding the toolbox for washers and any old scraps – the more the merrier.

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#2. LEGO Brick

Image: Simple Joy

LEGO fans, look no further! We’ve got you sorted with a ridiculously simple and easy DIY LEGO costume from Simple Joy. All you will need is a rectangular box, some primary colour paint, and empty yoghurt pots.

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#3. Scuba Diver

Image: Delineate Your Dwelling

Ready for the next adventure and to dive into their Halloween stash? Keep a few large soda bottles in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and you could make your very own Scuba Steve Halloween costume like this one from Delineate Your Dwelling! The pool masks probably won’t be lying around at home, but you can always make your own.

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#4. Be Your Own Planet

Image: Delineate Your Dwelling

Any hula hoops lying around after summer? Create a DIY planet costume, which is perfect for wannabe astronauts. Now all they have to do is come up with a name for their new planet!

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#5. Fluffy White Cloud

Image: Oh Happy Day

Homemade Halloween costumes don’t come much more unique than this fluffy white cloud! Oh Happy Day created this fun costume idea by using old pillows…and plenty of patience.

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#6. Granny

Image: Brit.co

A trip to the charity shop might be in order to pull together the right level of grandma chic for this costume! And you can fashion your own walking stick by sticking fake ‘legs’ on to a stick, bat, branch or even a long wrapping paper tube.

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#7. Pac Man

Image: The Effortlessly Chic

We absolutely adore these Pac Man-inspired homemade Halloween costumes from The Effortless Chic, and you can be guaranteed it’s going to be a firm favourite with the kids!

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#8. A Bag of Jelly Beans

The Sits Girls

This Jelly Bean costume is the perfect homemade Halloween costume idea for kids. You will need a printer to print off the logo (or you could draw it freehand on some craft paper), a selection of coloured balloons and a clear bag. Keep the balloons for party games later that evening too!

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#9. Toy Soldier

Image: Wild Ink Press

Remember the little green army guys we played with as kids? Bring the Disney favourite Toy Story to life with your very own life-sized toy soldier! Pick up a cheap army costume and simply spray paint it green – it’s that easy. I can’t promise it will be comfortable, but they will absolutely love it for as long as it takes to trick-or-treat.

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#10. Cupcake Cutie

Image: Sew What Alicia?

You know the way we say to our kids that we could just eat them all up? Well, now you (nearly) can. Check out this adorable cupcake costume, which is perfect for pint-sized cuties who aren’t quite ready for a scary Halloween ensemble. The DIY aspect is as simple as gluing multi-coloured pom poms onto a white t-shirt or onesie to create the look of sprinkles.

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#11. Hot-Air Balloon

Up, up and away! Oh, my word, how cute is this hot-air balloon costume? And it’s actually fairly easy to assemble with a cardboard box, some helium balloons, strings and an imagination. You could even paint the basket/box to add some more colour.

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#12. Bubble Bath

Image: Giggles Galore

Sometimes the simple homemade Halloween costumes are the best, and the most original. This bubble bath idea, complete with rubber ducky, really takes creativity and bath time to a whole new level! They can splish, splash and splosh their way around trick-or-treating this Halloween!

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