Easy paper crafts for Halloween are a practical way to decorate the house, keep children busy and use up paper you may already have at home. With a few sheets of coloured paper or card, scissors, glue and string, you can make bats for the windows, pumpkins for the mantelpiece, paper ghosts, spider webs and small treat bags. The ideas below are designed to be simple, low-cost and adaptable for different ages.
Before you start: paper, tools and safety
Most of these crafts work with ordinary A4 paper, construction paper, thin card, wrapping paper offcuts or paper bags. Thicker card gives decorations a neater finish, while thinner paper is easier for younger children to cut and fold.
- Useful materials: black, orange, white, green and purple paper or card, tissue paper, paper bags, scraps of wrapping paper and old envelopes.
- Basic tools: child-safe scissors, glue stick, pencil, ruler, hole punch, string, wool or ribbon, removable adhesive tack and washable pens.
- Helpful extras: paper fasteners, googly eyes, stickers, washi tape and black marker pens.
For children aged 3 to 5, keep the cutting simple and offer pre-cut shapes to decorate. Children aged 6 to 8 can usually manage basic folding, simple templates and paper chains with supervision. Older children may enjoy more detailed silhouettes and folded spider webs. Adults should handle craft knives and any fiddly cutting. Keep paper decorations away from candles, hobs, heaters and open fires. If you want a glowing effect, use battery tea lights only and place them where paper cannot touch the bulb or battery unit.
Paper bat swarm for windows and walls
A group of black paper bats is one of the quickest Halloween decorations to make. They look effective on a window, around a doorway or climbing up a wall.
You will need
- Black paper or thin black card
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Removable adhesive tack or string
How to make paper bats
- Fold a sheet of black paper in half.
- Draw half a bat shape along the fold, with the body on the fold and one wing stretching out. Aim for bats between 6 cm and 14 cm wide for a varied display.
- Cut around the outline while the paper is still folded.
- Open the bat and gently crease each wing forward from the body so it sits slightly away from the wall.
- Repeat in different sizes, then attach with removable adhesive tack or thread them onto string for a garland.
If younger children find the shape tricky, make one card template first so they can draw around it. For a softer look, cut the bats from dark grey or purple paper rather than black.
Pumpkin bunting from orange paper circles
This is an easy paper craft for Halloween parties, kitchens, children’s bedrooms or classroom-style displays. It avoids complicated folding and gives children plenty of space to design their own pumpkin faces.
You will need
- Orange paper or card
- Green paper scraps
- Black paper or a black pen
- String or ribbon
- Hole punch, glue and scissors
How to make pumpkin bunting
- Draw around a mug, small bowl or roll of tape to make orange circles.
- Cut out the circles and trim a slight dip at the top if you want a pumpkin shape rather than a plain circle.
- Add a small green stalk to each pumpkin with glue.
- Draw faces with black pen, or cut triangles and mouths from black paper and glue them on.
- Punch two holes near the top of each pumpkin and thread them onto string.
Leave some pumpkins plain and give others different expressions. A mix of friendly, surprised and sleepy faces often looks better than making every pumpkin identical. If you prefer autumn decorations that can stay up beyond Halloween, use leaf shapes, acorns and plain pumpkins instead of spooky faces.
Friendly folded paper ghosts
Paper ghosts are ideal for younger crafters because they do not need to be perfectly shaped. Wobbly edges and uneven faces add character.
You will need
- White paper
- Black pen
- Scissors
- String or tape
How to make a ghost chain
- Cut an A4 sheet of paper in half lengthways.
- Fold one strip back and forth like a concertina, making each section about 5 cm wide.
- On the top section, draw a ghost with arms reaching both sides of the folded paper. The arms need to touch the folded edges so the chain stays joined.
- Cut around the ghost shape, but do not cut through the ends of the arms.
- Open the paper carefully, then add faces with a black pen.
Make several short chains and tape them under a shelf, across a window or along a party table. For a more delicate effect, use white tissue paper, but handle it carefully as it tears more easily than printer paper.
Cut-paper spider webs
Folded spider webs are a Halloween version of paper snowflakes. They are light, quick and useful for filling a window without spending much on decorations.
You will need
- White, grey or black paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Optional silver pen or glitter glue
How to make a paper spider web
- Start with a square of paper. To make one from A4 paper, fold one corner across to the opposite edge and cut off the spare rectangle.
- Fold the square diagonally to make a triangle, then fold it in half again.
- Fold once more to make a narrow triangle.
- Hold the folded point firmly. Cut the outer edge into a slight curve.
- Cut small triangles or rounded notches along both long folded sides, leaving some paper between each cut.
- Open the paper slowly and flatten it under a book for a few minutes.
Children who are confident with scissors can experiment with smaller or larger notches. Younger children can decorate a pre-cut web with a drawn spider. To make a spider, cut a small oval and eight thin legs from black paper, then glue it to the web.
Simple 3D paper pumpkins
These small paper pumpkins sit nicely on a mantelpiece, windowsill or dinner table. They use strips of paper rather than complicated origami folds.
You will need
- Orange card or sturdy paper
- Green paper
- Hole punch
- Two paper fasteners per pumpkin, or glue if you do not have fasteners
- Scissors and ruler
How to make 3D pumpkins
- Cut six to eight orange strips, each about 2 cm wide and 18 cm long.
- Punch a hole at both ends of each strip.
- Stack the strips neatly and push a paper fastener through one end.
- Curve the other ends round to meet and secure them with a second paper fastener.
- Fan the strips out evenly to form a pumpkin shape.
- Cut a green stalk and leaf, then attach them to the top fastener or glue them in place.
If you do not have paper fasteners, glue one end of each strip to a small orange circle, then curve the strips over and glue the other ends to a second circle. Hold the shape until the glue grips. Smaller pumpkins can be made with 1.5 cm by 12 cm strips.
Haunted house paper silhouette
A haunted house silhouette makes a strong window decoration and can be as simple or detailed as you like. It works especially well with black card and yellow tissue paper.
You will need
- Black paper or card
- Yellow or orange tissue paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue stick or tape
How to make the silhouette
- Draw a tall house shape on black card, adding a roof, chimney, crooked tower or bare tree if you wish.
- Cut around the outside shape.
- Draw simple window shapes. Younger children can cut square windows by folding the paper gently at the window area and making a small snip to start.
- Glue yellow or orange tissue paper behind the windows so they look lit from inside.
- Tape the finished silhouette to a window or place it against a pale wall.
Adults can add finer details such as railings, a moon, small bats or a cat on the roof. For a child-friendly version, round off the rooflines and add cheerful pumpkins at the door.
Mini paper treat bags and labels
Paper treat bags are useful for wrapped sweets, party favours or small craft kits. If the contents are edible, use wrapped treats or place food in a food-safe bag before putting it inside the paper bag.
You will need
- A4 paper, wrapping paper or lightweight brown paper
- Glue stick or tape
- Scissors
- Stickers, pens or paper shapes for decorating
How to fold a simple paper bag
- Place the paper portrait-style with the patterned or coloured side facing down.
- Fold the left and right long edges into the centre so they overlap by about 1 cm, then glue or tape the overlap to make a tube.
- Fold the bottom edge up by about 5 cm.
- Open that folded section and press the sides into a diamond shape.
- Fold the top and bottom points of the diamond into the centre and glue them down to make the base.
- Open the top of the bag gently and pinch the side edges to shape it.
Decorate each bag with a paper bat, pumpkin label or ghost tag. For a neat tag, cut a rectangle of card, snip off two top corners and punch a hole near the top. Tie it on with string or ribbon.
Making your Halloween paper crafts look pulled together
A few small choices can make simple paper crafts feel more polished. Choose two or three main colours, such as black, orange and white, then repeat them across the room. Vary the scale by mixing large window bats with small table pumpkins and a medium-length garland. Keep busy patterns for smaller details, such as treat labels, so the main shapes remain clear.
It also helps to prepare a small craft station before children begin. Put paper offcuts in one tray, tools in another and finished pieces in a safe drying area. If several children are crafting together, make one example of each project but allow their versions to look different. Halloween decorations do not need to be tidy to be effective.
When the season is over, flat pieces such as bats, webs and bunting can be stored in an envelope for next year. Any torn or plain paper can go into the recycling if it is free from glitter, plastic tape and heavy glue. With a little paper and a straightforward plan, easy paper crafts for Halloween can fill a room with handmade decorations without taking over the whole day.