This year has been full of twists and turns, and as we approach the holiday season, it’s apparent things will be different. Traditions and gatherings will likely need to adapt, but not all is lost. With a little creativity, it’s possible to ensure all the holidays are still magical this year, even if they must be different. And since Halloween is approaching, I’m sharing 3 simple DIYs you can do with your kids at home this Halloween to ensure it’s still fun for all involved!
Halloween DIY 1: Ghost Cookies
Or “Spooky Cookies” as my daughter likes to call them! This first project is a tasty one. I don’t know about you, but one thing my kids absolutely love to do is to bake in the kitchen with me. So what better than a little cookie decorating to kick Halloween up a notch?
Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (my favorite is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut oil, refined
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Ghost Ingredients
- mini chocolate chips (2 per cookie)
- chocolate chips (1 per cookie)
Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2) Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.
3) Melt coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
4) Add your sugar and vanilla, mixing well.
5) Add your eggs one at a time.
6) Slowly add in your flour mixture, stirring well until combined.
7) Stir in your chocolate chips.
8) Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
9) Once done, allow them to cool completely. Get these ingredients ready to decorate!
2 cans of whipped vanilla frosting, 1 piping bag, mini chocolate chips
Directions to Make Your Ghosts!
Fill your piping bag with icing (if you don’t have a piping bag, just grab a zip lock bag and cut the corner!). Make sure the hole is large enough for you to mound your frosting. Slowly begin icing your cookies. Start in the middle, then moving in circles move outward and upward to create a swirled mound of icing on top of your cookies! This doesn’t have to be perfect! After all, no two ghosts are alike, right?
Once you’ve iced all your cookies, grab your chocolate chips. This is a fun part that the kids can help with!
Use three chips per cookie to create eyes and a mouth (2 minis for the eyes, and a regular one for the mouth). When you’re finished, serve them immediately or put them in the refrigerator to allow the frosting to stay in shape until you’re ready to serve them.
Halloween DIY 2: Mummy Mason Jars
Since we’re on the topic of spooky, we’re making mummy mason jars. This is a simple DIY with minimal items that you can make to decorate your house!
Materials
- Mason jars (I used 16oz and 32oz)
- Gauze
- Googly eyes (assorted sizes)
- Hot glue or Regular, School Glue
- Items to fill the mummies such as prizes, treats, tea lights, or whatever you want!
Directions
Grab a mason jar and place a dab of hot glue towards the bottom. Quickly attach your gauze to the glue. Then, have your little one wrap the gauze upward to the top. Add another dab of glue to secure the end in place.
For the smaller jars, I cut my gauze in half, width-wise. Have your little ones place the eyes over the gauze by adding two dabs of regular glue on the gauze where the eyes should go, and have your child place the googly eyes on top of the glue. Next, take a small piece of gauze and wrap and glue it around the jar so it slightly covers the googly eyes. At the end, you can fill your jars with whatever you’d like! Look below for suggestion.
I suggest adding…
- Tea lights and turning them into center pieces or decor.
- Non-candy Halloween treats like bubbles, spider rings, or stickers.
- Healthy snacks like trail mix to use as snack jars.
But they can really be used for anything! So cute, and so fun. My kids love this one.
Halloween DIY 3: Construction Paper Bats
This is probably the simplest of them all, but it is so fun for kids!
Materials
Directions
Simply fold your paper in half lengthwise or widthwise, then draw half a bat on your paper. Start with the ear and side of the head, then arch upward and outward for a wing. Come back to the fold creating a few arches and points on the underside of the wings. These don’t have to be perfect! And make sure your draw them in an assortment of sizes.
Next, grab some scissors and cut them out! My daughter loves using her safety scissors, so this was a perfect project for her. When you’re done, tape them up in a swooping fashion, hole punch them and add to twine to create a cute garland, or fly them around like paper airplanes. The bottom line is have fun with them! It’s as simple as that.
Happy Halloween!
I hope these 3 simple yet fun projects inspire you to create your own fun for your family this Halloween! Happy crafting!
About the Author
Lauren Jansen is a mom of two and an Interior Designer.
She shares all her DIY ideas and design tips on her blog, Farmhouseish.
Instagram: @farmhouseish
Pinterest: @farmhouseish
Website: farmhouseishblog.com
