Creative Children’s Costumes

Here are some easy to make costumes that you can probably throw together with things you already have at home:

Nerd
Find pants that are just a bit too small or short for your child, add a white, short sleeve dress shirt (with front pocket for a calculator or pocket protector, of course), slick back that hair, throw on some white socks and black shoes, and finish the look off with black, thick-framed glasses (don’t forget the tape in the middle!). Use a backpack or briefcase for a treat bag.

Scarecrow
Use a large plaid, flannel shirt, and baggy, patched jeans. Stuff plastic bags of paper in the sleeves and pant legs and tie the cuffs and jean bottoms with rope. Make sure you leave some straw hanging out of the ends. Use another a piece of rope for a belt. Add a hat and stick some straw out of the edges of it too. Add brown face make up.

Hippie
A tie dye t-shirt, bell bottom jeans, a long, straight wig, parted in the middle, and a bandana as a headband are all that are needed for this look. If you have them (and it’s not too cold), you can wear some sandals, a fringe vest or purse and a pair of big, round sunglasses to complete the look.

A Basket of Laundry
Now here’s a unique costume! Find some sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Get a thin plastic laundry basket and cut a hole in the bottom that is large enough to pull over your child’s head, but small enough that it won’t slide off of his hips. Fill the basket with laundry and pin dryer sheets to the sweatshirt.

A Bunch of Grapes
Wear green or purple sweats. Get balloons of the same color, blow them up and (carefully!) attach them to the sweat suit with safety pins. Paint your child’s face to match.

Costumes You can Make with a Box:
Simple costumes that your child can help make herself!

 

  • Robot: Paint the box silver, glue on dials and lights (the battery powered "palm lights" would work well)
  • Fridge: Paint it white and add a handle
  • Car: Paint it red, paint on wheels, or glue on paper plates for wheels
  • Rubik’s Cube: Divide each side into 9 squares, paint them all different colors or use contact paper to stick onto the squares
  • Gift: Wrap it in wrapping paper and add a large bow to the box or your child’s head
  • Cover it with a cloth, put grey make up on your face, attach tubes and wires to your face (i.e. a tube from nose of your nostrils into your ear) and you’re a science experiment.

 

Costumes That Require Sewing
If you have more time, or you’re a whiz with the sewing machine, here’s some ideas for costumes that you can sew.

Toothpaste & Toothbrush
Materials:

  • White fabric (like an old sheet)
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine and white thread
  • Material for lettering
  • Glue
  • White lampshade
  • Large piece of cardboard
  • Craft paint, any color you want
  • Paintbrush
  • 8" or larger long scrub brush
  • Hot glue gun
  • White turtle neck or sweatshirt
  • White sweatpants or tights

 

Instructions:
1. Cut out two pieces of your white material. You’ll need a piece about twice as wide as the child and the length should be about the distance from their shoulders to their ankles.
2. Using the material you want for the lettering, cut out "toothpaste".
3. Glue or iron on the letters, placing them sideways down middle of the body.
4. Cut out arm and neck holes in both pieces of your fabric.
5. Place right sides together and sew, using a straight stitch and making sure to leave openings for the head, arms, and legs at the bottom.
6. To make the toothbrush, cut a shape out of cardboard similar to the shape of a toothbrush, but make it as big as the child is.
7. Paint the toothbrush handle and let it dry.
8. Hot glue the scrub brush to the top of the toothbrush handle.
9. Put on your white outfit and your toothpaste tube. Wear the lampshade to your head as a toothpaste cap, grab your toothbrush and go get some candy.

An M&M Package
Materials:

  • Gold fabric (length needed will vary according to the size of the costume)
  • Brown broadcloth fabric
  • Scissors
  • Brown permanent marker
  • Iron-on fusible webbing
  • Fabric marker
  • An iron
  • A sewing machine and matching, gold thread
  • A stick

 

Instructions:
1. Cut the fabric to size, including seam allowances. This will be from the child’s shoulders to about a half an inch from the floor.
2. Stitch around the outside leaving holes for the arms, neck and an opening at the bottom for the legs. Use an undershirt or t-shirt to figure out where the armholes should be. The neck will just be a straight opening at the top. Sew the stick into place along the back of the neck, to create a bag shape. Turn under the fabric on the holes and hem.
3. Trace "M", "&" and "M" onto the paper side of the iron-on fusible webbing and cut them out.
4. Iron the brown broadcloth onto the letters you cut out. Allow to cool.
5. Cut the letters out of the broadcloth along the lines of the iron-on lining.
6. Peel off the paper backing and iron your letters onto the gold fabric. Allow to cool.
7. Use the brown marker to copy the writing from a package of M&Ms onto your costume.

Eyeball Costume
Materials:

  • Pumpkin costume pattern
  • White, blue, and black fabric
  • Hand or machine sewing supplies
  • Red glitter glue
  • Fiberfill stuffing

 

Instructions:
1. Cut the pattern out on white material
2. Sew the pattern according to directions.
3. Trace a circle onto the blue material for the iris, and trace a smaller circle on the black fabric to make the pupil.
4. Sew the black circle onto the blue.
5. Center the eye on the costume and sew.
6. Use a red glitter glue stick to make bloodshot marks around the iris.
7. Finish the costume by stuffing it with fiberfill.
8. For more detail, glue some pipe cleaners to a headband to make an eye lash.

 

Homemade Blood
To add that extra touch to your child’s costume, whip up a batch of fake blood.

What you need:

  • 1/2 Bottle of light corn syrup
  • Some very hot water
  • A squirt of liquid soap
  • Red food coloring
  • Blue or green food coloring (optional)

Pour the light corn syrup into a bowl and slowly add the hot water, adding and stirring until you have a blood-like consistency. Add a squirt of liquid soap (this will make the blood easier to clean later). Tint the mixture with red food coloring. To make the blood a darker color, add a drop or two of the blue or green food coloring. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.