Kids costumes seem over the top these days with Disney, Nickelodeon, and other trademarked characters. What’s happened to our kids’ creativity? Make simple Halloween costumes the tradition in your family with these easy, inexpensive costume ideas for kids:
Kids Homemade Costume Ideas
- Ghost
Remember this standby? Depending on the size of the child, take an old white sheet or pillowcase and cut holes for the eyes and mouth. It might be uneven, especially if the children are helping out, but a ghost with unbalanced eyes is scarier than one that looks perfect. Tie the costumes at the waist with a strip of sheet. Boo!
- Mummy
The mummy costume is a variation on the ghost; also using an old white sheet or pillowcase. Cut the sheet into strips and wrap the strips loosely around the child for an ancient Egyptian effect. Children instinctively know to walk like Frankenstein when dressed this way; it adds to the drama.
- Kitty Kat
The essentials: black shoes, black leggings or tights, black leotard or simple black turtleneck. Add eyeliner nose and whiskers and voila. Meow!
The kid’s pirate costume is a variation on the kitty cat. Start with the all-black ensemble mentioned above. Add on a scallywag-ish eye patch, one of Daddy’s vests cinched with a belt, various bandanas and scarves around the hair, and cardboard sword. Extra points if the kid can find a stuffed animal parrot to take along, too.
- Gypsy
The gypsy costume is a variation of the pirate. Again, start with the all-black ensemble, but this time add layers of skirts, the big, voluminous kind that all mommies have tucked away in the attic, waiting for the fashion to come back in. Big gold-colored earrings are key and, if there is a Magic 8 Ball gathering dust somewhere now is the time to dust it off and put it to perfect use as part of a Halloween costume.
- Ballerina
This all-pink ensemble is a no-brainer if any of the kids ever actually took ballet classes. Doubtless, everything is still somewhere in the apartment, including the tutu and ballet shoes. Plie, anyone?
- Mommy and Daddy
Dressing and acting like mommy and daddy can be a favorite activity for children. Why not let them be you for Halloween? Your child listens to everything you say and when they repeat it while wearing pumps that are way too big and lugging a handbag it can be scary. And funny. Imagine the neighborhood hilarity when your kid galumphs down the street in your fishing hat and rolled up old khakis saying, “Kids, please! Daddy needs quiet. I’m trying to tie a fly.”
DIY Costumes
Halloween is more imaginative and fun when kids make costumes out of what’s on hand: sheets, out-of-fashion clothes that have been relegated to the back of the closets and mommy’s makeup. They’ll have a ball coming up with their own, self-styled ghosts, monsters, princesses, and ballerinas.
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