Easy Halloween Crafts for Preschoolers: 8 Ideas Built on Free Coloring Pages

Halloween crafts should feel like play, not a project with a dozen steps. These easy Halloween crafts for preschoolers all start the same gentle way: your child colors a page, and then you turn it into something to wear, hang, or give away. The coloring does the fine-motor warm-up, and the craft gives it a happy ending that goes on the fridge or the window.

Every coloring page below is free to print from DoodleGrove with no sign-up and no watermark, in both US Letter and A4 so the sizes work on either side of the Atlantic. If you are new to printing them, the printing guide shows the best settings for bold, easy-to-color lines. For bigger kids who want sharper scissors and more steps, see our Halloween paper crafts for kids, and teachers can borrow ideas from these Halloween classroom activities.

What you need before you start

Preschool crafts work best when the supplies are already on the table. Almost everything here uses the same short list, so you can set it out once and make several crafts in one afternoon.

• Printed coloring pages (plain printer paper is fine; card stock is sturdier for masks and magnets)
• Chunky crayons, washable markers, or colored pencils
• Child-safe scissors, with an adult to cut the tricky parts
• A glue stick and clear tape
• A hole punch, a ball of yarn or string, and a few craft sticks

Keep each craft short. Color one page, do two or three building steps, and stop while it is still fun. Many of the pages below are marked Easy, which means big shapes and open spaces that are kind to little hands.

Quick pumpkin crafts

Pumpkins are the friendliest place to start, because a round shape and a smiley face are easy for preschoolers to color inside.

1. Jack-o’-Lantern window suncatcher

This one turns a colored pumpkin into glowing window art as soon as the afternoon sun hits it.

You need

• crayons or markers in bright orange and yellow
• child-safe scissors
• clear tape

Steps

1. Color the Happy Halloween Jack-o’-Lantern, pressing hard so the orange glows.
2. An adult trims around the pumpkin and gently cuts out the eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Tape the pumpkin to a sunny window so the light shines through the carved face.

Want a simpler shape to cut? The Classic Jack-o’-Lantern has the boldest lines, and the Big Jack-o’-Lantern by the Fence gives a larger face for little hands.

2. Smiling pumpkin lacing card

Lacing is quiet, calming practice for small fingers, and it builds the grip children later use to hold a pencil.

You need

• a printed pumpkin page, on card stock if you have it
• crayons
• a hole punch and a length of yarn

Steps

1. Color the Smiling Pumpkin however your child likes.
2. An adult punches a ring of holes around the outside of the pumpkin.
3. Wrap one end of the yarn with tape to make a stiff tip, then let your child thread it in and out of the holes.

Other round, open pages that lace well are the Bunny in a Pumpkin Costume, the Kitten in a Pumpkin, the Pumpkin in a Witch Hat, the Jack-o’-Lantern Cupcake, and the Pumpkin Boat.

Friendly ghost crafts

Ghosts are the least scary characters of the season, which makes them a great choice for the youngest crafters.

3. Little ghost garland

One page becomes a whole string of ghosts to hang across a doorway or a window.

You need

• the Nine Little Ghosts page
• crayons
• scissors, tape, and a long piece of string

Steps

1. Color the Nine Little Ghosts, giving each one a different cheek or bow.
2. An adult cuts the ghosts apart into nine little shapes.
3. Tape each ghost along the string, then hang the garland where everyone can see it.

For a shorter garland, print the Ghost Friends Hugging, the Ghost Hugging a Pumpkin, and the Ghosts Over a Jack-o’-Lantern and cut out just the ghosts.

4. Ghost paper bag puppet

A paper lunch bag and one colored ghost make a puppet for gentle pretend trick-or-treating.

You need

• a plain paper lunch bag
• a printed ghost page and crayons
• a glue stick and scissors

Steps

1. Color the Ghost with Balloons and, with an adult, cut out just the ghost.
2. Glue the ghost onto the flat bottom flap of the bag so its face sits on the fold.
3. Slip a hand inside and let the ghost nod and say boo.

The Ghost in a Pumpkin and the Ghost Witch in a Pumpkin make fun puppets too.

Cute bat crafts

Bats have a simple shape and big wings, so they color quickly and hold up well when you cut them out.

5. Flying bat headband

A wearable craft is always a hit, and this one takes only a strip of paper and one small bat.

You need

• the Simple Smiling Bat page and crayons
• scissors and tape
• a strip of paper long enough to go around your child’s head

Steps

1. Color the Simple Smiling Bat and cut it out with adult help.
2. Tape the ends of the paper strip into a loop that fits snugly.
3. Tape the bat to the front of the headband so it looks like it is flying overhead.

Swap in the Bat Wrapped in Its Wings or the Fluffy Baby Bat for a different face.

6. Hanging bat mobile

A quiet bedroom craft: a few bats on strings that spin slowly over a desk or a reading nook.

You need

• two or three printed bat pages and crayons
• scissors, tape, and yarn
• a craft stick or a small stick from the yard

Steps

1. Color the Bat Flying Past the Moon and one or two more bats, then cut them out.
2. Tape a length of yarn to the back of each bat so they hang at different heights.
3. Tie the yarn to the stick and hang it up where the bats can turn in the air.

Good mobile pages include the Bat Under the Stars, the Bat with a Pumpkin, and the Bat Hanging from a Branch.

More Halloween character crafts

Once your child has the color-cut-stick routine, these two friendly faces keep it going.

7. Candy Corn Buddy fridge magnet

A tiny craft that turns one happy candy corn into a keepsake for the fridge.

You need

• the Candy Corn Buddy page and crayons
• scissors and a glue stick
• a small piece of card and a sticky magnet from a craft set

Steps

1. Color the Candy Corn Buddy in yellow, orange, and white.
2. Cut it out, glue it onto the card for strength, and trim the card to match.
3. Stick the magnet to the back and put the buddy on the fridge.

For more small shapes to cut, the Halloween Icons for Little Kids and Halloween Things to Color pages are full of them.

8. Friendly Frankenstein paper plate mask

A mask is a whole costume on its own, and this one uses big, open shapes that are easy to color.

You need

• the Friendly Frankenstein page and green crayons
• a paper plate and a craft stick
• scissors, a glue stick, and tape

Steps

1. Color the Friendly Frankenstein and cut out just the head.
2. Glue the head onto the paper plate and, with an adult, cut out the eyes.
3. Tape the craft stick to the back so your child can hold the mask up to their face.

The Little Grim Reaper makes a friendly mask too, with a hood that frames the face.

Tips for crafting with preschoolers

• Let the coloring be the main event. If your child only wants to color and skip the gluing, that still counts.
• Do the sharp cutting yourself and hand the pieces back for sticking and decorating.
• Print two copies so one can be a practice page and mistakes feel safe.
• Name the colors and shapes out loud while you work for a little early-learning boost.

The best easy Halloween crafts for preschoolers are the ones that end with a smile and something to show, so stop while everyone is still having fun.

FAQ

What age are these crafts for?

They are planned for ages three to five. Younger threes will lean on an adult for cutting and gluing, while fours and fives can do more of the building steps on their own.

Do preschoolers have to cut everything themselves?

No. An adult should handle the scissors for anything tricky, such as carving a pumpkin face or cutting out eyes. Children can color, peel tape, glue, and thread yarn.

What paper should I print on?

Plain printer paper is fine for coloring, garlands, and puppets. Use card stock when you want a sturdier mask, magnet, or lacing card that will be handled a lot.

How do I keep it from getting frustrating?

Keep each craft to a few steps and follow your child’s lead. If attention fades, save the building for later and let the colored page be the finished project.

Are the coloring pages really free?

Yes. Every page is free to print for home, classroom, and family use, in US Letter and A4, with no sign-up.

More Halloween coloring pages for preschoolers

• Pumpkin Coloring Pages: jack-o’-lanterns, smiling pumpkins, and pumpkin patch friends, many marked Easy (21 pages)
• Ghost Coloring Pages: friendly ghosts holding pumpkins, balloons, and potions (17 pages)
• Bat Coloring Pages: cute single bats and simple night scenes (21 pages)
• Halloween Coloring Pages: candy corn, a friendly Frankenstein, and little-kid icon pages (20 pages)