With parties, trunk-or-treats and other events, putting together a costume for your little one can feel like more of a trick than a treat. We’ve got some out-of-the-box costume ideas to give you some DIY inspo.
Bubble Bath: The only thing you need to make this costume work is white balloons. Inflate and attach them to a white outfit to represent the bubbles. Add bathtime accessories like a shower cap, rubber duck and scrubbing brush.
Campfire: The base of this outfit is a red shirt and brown pants. Use felt to cut out flame shapes from orange, yellow and red felt, then attach them to the shirt. You can create logs using pool noodles painted brown, which can be added under the flames. Attach cotton batting to a hat or head band for the smoke, and accessorize with marshmallows on a stick.
Candy Corn: This super easy option only requires three things. Start with yellow pants and an orange shirt. To create the white tip of the candy, make a cone out of construction paper. To secure it, you can use elastic or hair clips.
Deck of Cards: Using cardboard or a box, create the shape of the deck. It should be large enough that your child can wear it, so leave the bottom open for their legs. Paint the box white and draw thin black lines to represent the individual cards. Cut holes for your child’s arms and head. Add paper hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs to the front and back.
Gnome: The key elements of this costume are the hat and beard. Create the cap by gluing together the edges of two felt triangles and turning them inside out. For the beard, cut the shape out from the felt and then glue on cotton batting. Use fabric elastic on the sides to make it wearable. You can customize the outfit to your child’s interests or go for the classic garden gnome look.
Gumball Machine: Use a red outfit as the base for this costume. Create the dispenser out of felt and attach it to a red apron. Fill a clear plastic bowl with small inflated balloons. Secure them by attaching a piece of foam board over the top of the bowl. Attach the bowl to the apron over the dispenser.
Jellyfish: The foundation for your little jellyfish is a transparent umbrella—you can go totally clear or pick a color. Attach matching ribbons or crepe paper strips to the edge. Pick out an outfit that color matches, and you’re ready for Halloween fun.
Lego: Transform into a building block with some cardboard, an egg carton and acrylic paint. Pick your Lego color and paint a large piece of cardboard. Cut apart the egg cups from the carton, paint them and attach them onto the card board. Add a matching ribbon to the top of the card board and tie a bow at the back of the neck. To complete the illusion, you’ll want to choose a monochrome outfit that matches the Lego color.
Mime: Start with a black and white striped shirt paired with black pants. Add accessories like a beret, white gloves and a bandana around the neck. The finishing touch is the classic black and white mime face paint.
Movie Director: The accessories are what makes this costume work, and they’re simple to make. Create a megaphone using construction paper. You can also use a real one if you’ve already got it. For a clapperboard, use black and white construction paper. If you want to be able to write on it, you can use a small chalkboard as the base. Add a beret or baseball cap and your little director is ready for action.
Pencil: Start with an all yellow outfit and pink shoes. For the pencil tip, use construction paper to create a beige cone. Make a mini cone out of black paper and attach it over the top of the beige one. Use yellow paper to cut out a scalloped edge to glue to the bottom of the beige cone. To make sure it stays on, you can use elastic string or hair clips.
Raining Cats and Dogs: This super simple option just requires rain gear, some pictures of cats and dogs, ribbon and glue. Print out or have your kiddo draw the animal pictures and attach them to thin lengths of ribbon. Attach the ribbons to an umbrella, and all there is left to do is dress your little one in their raincoat and boots.
Road: For this costume, you just need an all black outfit, yellow masking tape and toy cars. Create highway lines on the outfit with the tape. Attach the cars, using tape or velcro. If you don’t want to directly place the cars on the outfit, you can attach them to a ribbon your child can wear around their collar.