Halloween crafts for toddlers & pre-schoolers

Why spend money on Halloween crafts when you and your toddler can work on your own special art projects? This makes for a fun play date idea too, so don't be shy about inviting his friends over for an afternoon.

Besides just hanging fake cobwebs all over the house, involve your toddler by making homemade decorations, toys and paintings. Here are a few scarily brilliant ideas for creating Halloween crafts with your toddler.

Pumpkin-seed art

What you'll need:

pumpkin seeds, acrylic paint, plastic freezer bags, sheets of paper, child-friendly glue

• Save the pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin carving, rinse them and let them dry.

• Put a little acrylic paint in a plastic bag and add the pumpkin seeds. Let your child squash the bag to cover all the seeds with a coat of paint.

• Lay the coloured seeds out on a thin baking sheet or cardboard to dry. Take a few A4 or A5-size sheets of paper and draw a big tree, some flowers, a dog, a dragon – go where your imagination takes you.

• Once dry, let you child apply small bits of glue to the seeds and stick them onto the drawings. Let him do whatever he likes – the idea is for him to express his creativity. Hang the final product in a place of prominence!

Watch-out: Keep your child under constant surveillance to avoid any choking hazard with the seeds.

Witch hats

What you'll need:

paper plate, construction paper, child-friendly scissors, tape, black paint, elastic string, sequins, stickers, ribbons

• To make the top of the hat, roll the paper into a cone shape and tape it shut.

• Cut wedge-shaped holes into the centre of the paper plate. This will be the rim.

• Fold the triangular shapes in the centre of the plate upwards, and stick them to the inside (bottom) of the cone. You should now have the shape of your hat.

• Paint the hat black and let your child decorate it with ribbons, sequins and buttons – whatever she likes.

• Cut a piece of elastic string to tape to the opposite sides of the hat (long enough to fit under your child's chin). Now send your scary little witch out on her quest for treats!

Ghost footprints

What you'll need:

washable white acrylic paint, sheets of paper, black marker pen

• Have your child sit on a chair or a kitchen counter top.

• Coat her foot with white paint.

• Have her step onto the sheet of paper and make a good print of her foot.

• Use the marker pen to draw eyes and an open ghost mouth in the heel part of the print.

• You could either cut out the footprint and place them in a trail around the house, or make a poster to welcome trick-or-treaters at the door.

Children have active imaginations, so involving them in creative craft-making will stimulate their creativity and excite their growing minds. Besides a sense of pride and accomplishment she'll feel, it's a lovely family activity to build long-lasting traditions and memories.