Sustainable & Fun Halloween Crafts for Kids 🎃
- Sara Wright
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Halloween is such a brilliant time to get creative with your little monkeys — a chance to spend time together making something fun, a little spooky, and a lot messy! Even better if you can do it using things you already have at home. Here are a few easy, sustainable halloween crafts for kids we’ve been loving at cheekymono HQ this year.
🕷️ Fir cone spiders
One of our favourites! Go for a nice autumn walk and collect a handful of fir cones (a great excuse for some fresh air). Once home, grab some pipe cleaners and wrap them around the cones, four pieces will give you eight legs. Add a pair, or several, of googly eyes, and if your little one’s anything like my Solomon, maybe even a “bottom” too! And voilà, you’ve got yourself a Fir Cone Spider. Solomon was so proud of his, I just had to share a photo!
🕯️ Spooky retablo shadow box
This one’s perfect for a rainy afternoon and can be made entirely from recycled bits. We used an old cardboard box from a nappy delivery and painted it black, don’t worry about being neat, the kids can go wild with the paintbrush, so it's great for even the littlest of crafters.
Once it’s dry, cut out some spooky shapes from coloured paper, foam or fabric — ghosts, pumpkins, crooked trees, windows… whatever feels Halloween-y! Stick them inside the box to create your spooky scene.
Then let your kids fill it with anything they fancy and find.... conkers, pebbles, munchkin pumpkins, broken bits of old Halloween decorations, or tiny curios. The more random, the better! Add a couple of battery-powered tea lights and voilà, your spooky retablo shadow box is done. Ours sits in pride of place in the downstairs loo, ready to spook who ever comes to do a ...... p**!
Love the idea of a spooky retablo? We sell beautiful handmade retablos too — perfect as gifts, unique home décor, or for adding a touch of colour and story to your space. They make wonderful Halloween decorations, and each one is handmade with heart, meaning no two are ever the same. Want to bring a little Peruvian folk magic into your home? Dive into our retablo collection and find your own tiny story today!
👹 Junk-modelling monsters
Don’t throw out those empty yoghurt pots just yet! These little creatures are so much fun to make. We used old Fruit Corner pots, just wash them out, add some googly eyes, a fuzzy pom-pom, pipe cleaner or two, and a mouth. Sticky dots or a glue gun help keep things in place. The best bit? You can pop your hand inside and use it as a puppet! Or of course, save your empty toilet roll tubes — they make brilliant pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and monsters. Whatever takes your fancy!
Keep a seasonal craft box
One thing I’ve found really useful is keeping a small “recycling craft box” ready for each season. I collect coloured papers, string, offcuts of textiles, felt, and little bits of packaging, wrapping paper or cards, all in seasonal colours and/or prints. Then when a holiday like Halloween comes around, I just pull out the Autumn box (filled with oranges, browns, purples, greens and black), and the kids can dive straight in. It’s a lovely way to reuse materials, spark creativity, and keep crafting simple and affordable — plus, it saves a ton of waste and last-minute shopping!
🖍️ Free Halloween colouring posters
And finally, if you’re looking for something simple (and a little less messy), I’ve created a set of free printable colouring posters — Halloween and Día de los Muertos themed.
You can download them for free, print at home, and let your little monkeys go wild with pens, glitter, sequins, and whatever crafty bits you’ve got lying around. Simply click the button below to get started;
🎃 Closing thoughts
Whether you’re carving pumpkins, honouring ancestors, or styling your shelves for spooky season, October is a month of creativity, connection, and thoughtful choices. If you enjoyed these Halloween craft ideas, you might also like my post on home decorating ideas for Halloween, Día de los Muertos — it’s full of inspiration for bringing warmth and story into your space this season.
👻💀✨ Browse cheekymono’s Halloween-ready collection and style your own seasonal story; joyful, meaningful, and built to last.
Enjoy half term and the season... wishing you all a very and Happy (and sustainable!) Halloween & Dia De Los Muertos,
With love, Sara @ CheekyMono 👻🧡
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