Halloween is one of our favourite celebrations!  It is a time to get together with little friends in the neighbourhood, greet our neighbours at their homes, eat some treats and of course exercise our creativity with some DIY, homemade costumes!  As a child, my mother used to sew us many costumes (some of which my children still wear today) and I loved to the personal touch and excitement that each Halloween brought.  We brainstormed some ideas and with IKEA cardboard packing sheets (you find them at the door to help secure items in  your car) we show you 8 different ideas made from mainly cardboard, recyclables and paint!  We’d love to share your cardboard Halloween costumes in our stories on Instagram, so please do tag us!  (https://www.instagram.com/make_it_your_own_/) 

 

Materials

  • Cardboard (The IKEA sheets are easier to cut than some cardboard- giving the kids the ability to do some of it on their own)
  • Paint
  • Brushes/ Sponges or cardboard scraps
  • Paint pens or markers
  • Good scissors
  • Large bowl or plate (bugger than your face)
  • Elastic

We always find these items useful too:

SmockCraftTray

Directions

  • Sketch out your ideas on your cardboard sheets.   Make sure to make doubles of each- one for the front and another for the back!
  • Paint the large portions of your work with paint.
  • Add details with paint pens, permanent markers, beads, paper, rope etc.
  • Here are some of the ideas that we came up with:

1) Rocket Ship Costume

2) Popsicle Costume

3) Plant and Watering Can Costume

4) Running Shoe in Gum Costume

5)  A Christmas Tree Costume

6) A Birthday Cake Costume

7) Candy Costume

8) Pencil and Paper Costume

  • Trace around a large plate or bowl to make your mask hole.  Have an adult cut out this portion out for you.  To secure this to your head, use large elastic which you can purchase at dollar stores, drug stores, fabric and craft stores.   You can also use the elastic to join the two pieces of your costume together over top of your shoulder on each side, (gluing on the inside of the cardboard pieces) and adding a bit at the waist on each side.  Another option is to glue your pieces to an old or thrifted shirt.
  • Once Halloween is done, tuck your costume away for the next year for a younger sibling, gift it to a smaller neighbour etc.!

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8 Cardboard Halloween Costume Ideas for Kids! We show you several ideas for making recycled costumes that mainly only use cardboard, recyclables and paint! A rocket ship, paper and pencil, gum stuck to a shoe, a watering can and plant, a birthday cake etc.! #recycledcostumes #recycledhalloweencostumes #diycostumes #cardboardcostumes #cardboardhalloweencostumes #kidshalloweencostumes

Purpose

  • Re-imagining items for new purposes.
  • Recognizing different aspects of various seasonal celebrations.

Safety Notes

  • We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
  • Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.  Items such as an exacto/craft knife should only be used by an adult.
  • Cord, yarn, rope etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.  Remove costume when on playground equipment etc.
  • Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
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