Whether you’re looking for Halloween crafts for kids or Halloween crafts for preschoolers, I’ve got you covered. To add the cherry on top, each Halloween craft is paired with a Halloween book for kids! Why did I do this? Let’s take a look.

I am sure that you’ve heard that children who are read to more often have improved language and listening skills, experience stronger emotional connections, and gain a lifelong love of reading. Adding a craft to story time offers even more benefits to children! Crafting helps refine fine motor skills, offers opportunity to make decisions and problem solve, improves self-regulation (like patience and flexibility), and can build self-esteem. So, let’s dive into some (non-spooky) fun with these Halloween-themed books and engaging crafts for kids and preschoolers!

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1. Fine Motor Broomstick (pair with Room on the Broom)

This broomstick is the perfect Halloween craft for kids when paired with the book Room on the Broom. I especially like this as a Halloween craft for preschoolers as it works on fine motor skills.

What You’ll Need

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Pipe cleaner
• Pony beads

The Process

• Take your construction paper and fold it in half or into three sections. Cut along the fold.
• Then, take your scissors and cut along the construction paper to create the brush part of the broom, leaving a half inch at the top.
• Next, roll up the brush construction paper to create a small roll.
• Take a brown pipe cleaner and wrap it around the construction paper brush tightly.
• Finally, use pony beads to thread along the pipe cleaner to decorate their witches broomstick.

2. Egg Carton Spiders (pair with Happy Halloween from the Very Hungry Spider)

Your kids will have a blast exploring spiders with this perfect combination of Halloween craft and Halloween book.

What You’ll Need

• Egg carton
• Scissors
• Paint/paintbrush
• Hole puncher
• Pipe cleaners
• Glue
• Googly eyes or construction paper

The Process

• Cut one cup out of an egg carton. Trim it so that it sits flat.
• Then, paint the egg cup.
• When the cup is dry, use a hole punch to punch 4 holes on each side of the cup (8 total). If you don’t have a hole punch, use scissors to poke the holes — this should be done by an adult only!
• Next, thread a pipe cleaner through one side of the cup to the other side of the cup. Cut off any that you feel is too long and then bend the legs as shown in the photo.
• Finally, add googly eyes or make eyes out of construction paper.

3. Paint Smash Monster (pair with Monster Needs a Costume) – a great Halloween craft for preschoolers, but fun for all ages!

This is the perfect Halloween craft for preschoolers, but can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. Pair with this fun Halloween book for kids!

What You’ll Need

• White card stock
• Construction paper
• Paint
• Craft sticks
• Googly eyes
• Scissors
• Glue

The Process

• First, fold your white card stock in half to make a crease in the middle of the paper. Open back up.
• Add paint to the middle of your paper. After adding the paint, fold the card stock in half again and smash the paint down between the two halves of the paper to create your colorful, silly monster face. Then, use your fingers to rub the paper from the crease outward to spread the paint out across the paper.
• After your paint is dry, cut out your monster face and glue it to your craft stick.
• Next, cut out several different construction paper pieces to create limbs and hair for your monster. Glue them on.
• Finally, add googly eyes.

4. Skeleton Handprint (pair with Bonaparte Falls Apart)

This craft is not only fantastic for Halloween, but also makes a perfect Science activity for kids as well! Pair with this fun Halloween book to make this craft come to life!

What You’ll Need

• White paint and paint brush
• Black construction paper
• Glue
• Q-tips
• Scissors

The Process

• First, brush your child’s hand with white paint. Then stamp it onto the black construction paper.
• Next, cut q-tips in half as needed to fit the length of the finger.
• Finally, glue q-tips along finger and hands to create a skeletal handprint.

5. Make Pumpkin Soup (pair with Pumpkin Soup)

This isn’t exactly a Halloween craft, but it is a fun activity for kids to get them into the kitchen! This book pairs perfectly!

What You’ll Need

• 4 lbs of Sugar Pie Pumpkins 
• 2-3tbs of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup of diced pancetta.
• 1/2 cup or two med-large shallots
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine or sherry
• 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1-2 tsp of fresh thyme (finely chopped)

The Process (recipe from Snap.Craft.Chomp)

• prepare your pumpkin.
• Slice the top offs of your pumpkins and then cut it in half (from top to bottom). It’s easier to clean your pumpkin, when it’s been cut open.
• Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard of the stem, pulp and seeds (you can keep the seeds to roast, if you like). I used my pumpkin carving utensils from those booklets you get at the grocery store or Halloween store; it makes it easier and safer to clean your pumpkin. * Make sure you scrape all of those strings out of your pumpkin.
• Brush the halves with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. I like using coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. You may or may not use all of your olive oil or may need more – just enough to coat your halves.
• In a baking dish, place the halves face up and roast until golden brown and easily pierced with a fork (about 60 minutes)
• Let the pumpkin cool, peel off the skin and coarsely chop it up.
• In a Dutch oven, drop in the pad of butter and the pancetta. Sauté until the pancetta is totally brown and crispy. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and save for garnish.
• Toss in the shallots and sauté until soft, 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the 1/4-cup of wine and let them reduce for about two minutes.
• Add the broth, the water, pumpkin and the fresh thyme.
• Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about ten minutes.
• Blend the soup in a blender, in batches, and return to a pot or the Dutch oven. If you have trouble blending, add some of the soup you already blended to the blender to get more liquid in there.
• Once you have added the blended soup to a pot, add more salt and pepper to taste.

6. Yarn Wrapped Jack-o-Lantern (pair with Stumpkin) – this is an especially good Halloween craft for preschoolers, but is fun for all ages!

This Halloween craft is perfect for preschoolers or children working on fine motor skills. This cute Halloween book will make these crafts even more fun to create.

What You’ll Need

• Paper plates
• Orange paint & brushes
• Orange yarn
• Black fabric or construction paper
• Tape
• Glue
• Scissors

The Process

• To begin, paint the paper plates orange on one side.
• When the paint is dry, use scissors to cut the plates into pumpkin shapes.
• Then, tape one end of the yarn onto the underside of the pumpkin.
• Next, wrap the yarn around the pumpkin.
• Finally, cut Jack-o-Lantern facial features from black fabric or construction paper and stick on with craft glue.

7. Fork Painted Cat (pair with The Little Kitten)

Nothing says Halloween like a black cat. This Halloween cat craft is absolutely adorable and so easy to make. And how cute is this Halloween book for kids?!

What You’ll Need

• Plastic fork
• Black paint
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue

The Process

• First, dip the plastic fork into black paint. Then, stamp it on the black paper, creating a circle.
• Then, take some construction paper and cut out your pieces for the ears, eyes, nose, and whiskers. 
• Once your paint is dry you can glue on your nose, eyes, ears, and whiskers.

8. Puffy Paint Ghosts (pair with Ghost Afraid of the Dark)

This adorable ghost craft makes Halloween a little less spooky for kids! Pair with this darling Halloween book for kids. This is perfect for kids of all ages, but especially for preschoolers.

What You’ll Need

• Elmer’s glue
• Shaving cream (foam, not gel)
• Black card stock
• Googly eyes
• Paint brush

The Process

• First, mix 1 part glue to 2 parts shaving cream.
• Then, use paint brush to create ghosts onto the black paper.
• Once dry (it dries puffy!), stick on googly eyes.

9. Pinecone Costume Contest (pair with The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky)

This may be one of my favorite Halloween crafts for kids! And how fun is this Halloween version of a classic kids book?!

What You’ll Need

• Pinecones
• Googly eyes
• Paint
• Pipe cleaners
• Construction paper or felt
• Pom poms

The Process

• Pinecone mummy process
• Pinecone ghost process
• Pinecone witch process
• Pinecone pumpkin process
• Pinecone bat process
• Pinecone spider process

10. Hanging Bats (pair with Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat)

To round out our selection of Halloween crafts for kids, here is a fun bat craft using upcycled toilet paper rolls.

What You’ll Need

• Cardboard tube
• Paint
• Construction paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Marker
• Bat wing template (optional)

The Process

• First, paint your cardboard tube whatever color you’d like your bat to be.
• While the cardboard tube is drying, draw some bat wings onto construction paper and cut them out. (If you don’t want to draw them yourself, you can use the bat wing template).
• Then, glue the wings onto the back of the cardboard tube.
• Finally, cut out some little triangles from your construction paper to make ears. Glue on googly eyes. Use a marker to draw a mouth.