Halloween crafts can be projects that bring the entire family together. These are projects that can be used to decorate the home, so that your house is transformed into a spooky and festive place. It also gives you ideas for things you can do with groups of children at Halloween parties or school craft classes. Whatever your reason, Halloween is a great time to get crafting.

Halloween Crafts for the Yard

Aside from the classic and traditional carved pumpkin jack-o’-lantern, there are other things you can do to get creative and make the exterior of your house look festive. In fact, you can add to your jack-o’-lanterns with other styles of decor that have the same idea. Turn flower pots into painted pumpkins, either upside down or right side up.

You can also use empty milk or orange juice jugs for a new twist on an old classic. Using a black marker you can create ghost faces on white milk jugs or jack-o’-lantern looks on the orange juice ones. Using a blade to cut away part of the bottom, you can use Christmas or string-bulb lights to illuminate the inside. Put as many bulbs in as you like, then set more jugs side by side with the rest of the string lights running into these.

Also, make use of what you have on hand and create a giant black spider to scare the neighbors. Using a giant black trash bag stuffed with leaves, you create the body. The head is the same process, only a smaller end result. Twist more bags in pairs lengthwise to create the legs, then use black electrical tape to fasten it all together. Get creative with eyes; you can cut them from plastic cups, paper plates, construction paper or paint them on. Don’t forget fangs and an hourglass for a really sinister arachnid.

Bats and Spiders

Speaking of giant spiders, not much else creeps people out for Halloween more than spiders and bats. So what better way to get creative with Halloween crafts than to incorporate these critters into the plan. One method you can use includes mini-pumpkins as the body of either one.

The basic idea is to paint the pumpkins black, and be creative with the faces. Wings, ears or spider legs can be created from thick construction paper, poster board or craft foam. You can also use pipe cleaners to create spider legs or add dimension to bat wings. Simply glue on or attach with black electrical tape.

The same principle can be applied to creating bats or spiders from black balloons. A larger one for the body, smaller for the head, and use paper for the features. Make eyes, ears, fangs, wings or legs and attach with glue or tape. Remember, the balloons don’t get filled very full. That way you avoid them popping or looking like overstuffed critters.

Recycle, Reuse and Get Scary

A great way to make decorations is by repurposing items meant to go to the trash bin and giving them a new use. The skeleton of plastic bottles is a neat way to do this. Keep in mind though, it does require cutting, and only adults can do most of this activity. Also, you can use clear or white, or paint clear bottles white, but you want to end up with a consistent end result.

Milk jugs become the head and chest cavity by bringing them together where the lid openings are. Your child can paint on a skeleton face while you do some cutting of the ribs. The pelvis is yet another jug, but just the bottom part cut and shaped a bit like hips. The bones are made from plastic bottles, with or without the centers cut out. It looks more realistic with them cut, but does not have to be. Attach the bones with wire so the skeleton has some realistic movement involved.

Use old white sheets stuffed with old newspapers to create ghosts around the home. If you have some old white pillowcases too, then you can vary the size of the ghosts. Either use the entire sheet, or divide into smaller sections for a family of ghosts. Decorate the faces with markers, partially fill with newspaper and cinch off with wire or rubber bands. Suspend them from rafters or doorways to spook your guests.

There are plenty of ways to get crafty for Halloween, decorate the home and create some family bonding moments. Have kids offer their own ideas or at least express their individuality by decorating pieces. Halloween crafts can be saved for the next year when a whole new bunch of ideas get added.