Looking for fun painted pumpkin ideas for Halloween? These are some of the best ones we've seen this autumn so far, from simple glitter-dashed squashes to Harry Potter-inspired pumpkins. 

Painted pumpkins are one of the easiest Halloween crafts for kids to do before spooky season really starts. Not only will they be a delight in the window of your home for trick-or-treaters but they help everyone get into the seasonal spirit of celebrating Halloween and can even be used as part of a spooky Halloween game if you're having a party.

With only a couple of weeks to go until the big night, this is how to paint your own pumpkins - and some ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

How to paint your own pumpkins

You will need...

• Pumpkins
• Acrylic paints
• Paint brush
• Glitter
• Masking Tape
• Pencil

How to paint your own:

• Paint the pumpkins in different patterns with bright acrylic paints. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle some glitter on top.
• For a stripy pumpkin, stick strips of masking tape onto the side of the pumpkin, then paint the un-taped sections in black. Allow to dry, then remove the tape. Add fine brush strokes of blue and pink paint on the painted sections, and paint the stalk.
• For a spotty pumpkin, first paint 3/4 of the pumpkin with 2 coats of white paint and leave to dry. Then take a pencil and dab the end in some pink paint, and stamp onto the white to create a spotty pattern.

Halloween painted pumpkin ideas

1. Simple painted pumpkin idea

This is a super basic painted pumpkin idea - all you need is a black Sharpie. It's one of the best ideas to go for if you've only got limited time on your hands to decorate your pumpkin before the evening or you've got limited supplies.

2. Animal pumpkins

Whether it's your favourite animal or a furry friend at home, animals are super easy designs to put onto pumpkins. As well as a fox, you could make any orange animal very easily - from a tabby cat to a tiger. For animals of other colours, use different colour paints straight onto the pumpkin as the background then use a marker to complete the design.

3. Spider pumpkin

Turn one spooky creature into another with this spider pumpkin idea. You'll need some large black pipe cleaners for the legs, black paint for the pumpkin and white paint for the big eyes. It's a super unique idea that's a great one if you're looking to do something a little different this Halloween.

4. Glitter pumpkin

While you won't need loads of paint for this, you'll certainly need plenty of glitter and glue. Start with your paint base then layer up with glue over the top of the paint once it's dried. Before the glue dries, pour plenty of glitter all over the top of the pumpkin then leave it to dry one more time.

5. Portrait pumpkins

If you love classic Halloween movies, you'll love this painted Halloween pumpkin idea. It's certainly one for those with more of an artistic flair - and plenty of time.

6. Calligraphy pumpkin

This DIY pumpkin idea is so cute and playful! You don't need loads of different coloured paints to complete the look, you'll just need two aesthetically-pleasing colours and a steady hand with a Sharpie.

7.  Gingham print pumpkin

Gingham was one of the best and brightest looks of summer 2021 and we're bringing that look into autumn this year. It's a design that's equal parts simple and stylish. Go for one bold colour on a white painted pumpkin for ultimate impact.

8.  Monogrammed pumpkins

Monogrammed pumpkins are a great way to welcome people into your home over the festive season. It also makes for a great activity to do with the family as you can pick the colours, design and shape of the pumpkin together.

9.  Neon pumpkin

Much like the neon paint pumpkin design, this one just needs a couple of neon paints and some space - it's definitely not one you'll want to do indoors! Apply the neon however you want. We love this dripping look but a splatter also works just as well.

10. Flower pumpkin

Any lover of bright colours will appreciate this bold pumpkin design. Level up the look by creating more than one of these flower pumpkins for ultimate #flowerpower on Halloween.

11. Doorstop pumpkin

These colourful painted pumpkins give trick-or-treaters somewhere to head for. First, buy a number stencil of your house number to set to the pumpkin. Once in the position you want it, cover it in two coats of paint, waiting at least half an hour between coats so they have a good chance to dry. Then move the stencil and there you go!

12. Harry Potter pumpkin

Harry Potter is one of the most popular Halloween kids costumes every year - so why not bring turn the boy wizard into a pumpkin? You can use simple acrylic paints to make Harry's iconic glasses, scar and other features. If you're feeling truly adventurous, copy this design and turn a smaller vegetable into Hedwig.

13. Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkin

Another Halloween classic, this pumpkin is inspired by Jack Skellington. The main character of the movie is the star of the show with his iconic skeletal white face and stitched mouth. 

14. Sweet pumpkin

If you’ve got a real sweet tooth then Halloween is undoubtedly your favourite holiday, with so many Halloween food ideas on offer in the supermarkets. Celebrate with this cute pumpkin design in the theme of donuts. All you need is some colourful paints and a steady hand. 

15. Two tone pumpkin

Don’t settle for one colour when you can have many! To create this unique design, get some simple masking tape, a foam brush and your favourite acrylic paint colours. This will help to create the striking two tone effect without smudges or overlaps. 

16. Funny pumpkin

Turn your favourite funny quote or meme into a Halloween decoration with this entertaining idea. All you need is paint for the base of the pumpkin if you don’t want to leave it orange and a bold marker-style paint for the slogan. Be sure it’s big and bold so trick-or-treaters don’t miss it!

17. Dotty pumpkin 

This dots pumpkin is equal parts unique and so simple. While this designer has gone for classic silver painted dots on a black background, you could also use a whole multitude of colours to create this fun painted pumpkins design. 

18. Autumnal pumpkin

When we say it's spooky season, what we really mean is that it’s autumn. The leaves are turning brown and the days are getting colder. Celebrate the season with this autumnal-themed pumpkin design using bold brown, mustard yellow and green colours to resemble foliage at this time of year. 

19. Leaf print pumpkin 

If you want an autumnal design that’s a little more inventive, go for this leaf print painted pumpkin design. This designer has gone for a cool blue colour but if that’s not quite right for you, you could go for a warm red or orange shade. 

20. Musical pumpkin 

With the return of theatres and live shows this year, we’ve all been able to go back and see our favourite live musical shows. Celebrate that occasion with this great design! This creator has gone for the musical Wicked, a perfect pick with its traditionally spooky feel.

21.  Summer pumpkin

Refusing to believe that autumn is here already? Look back to warmer weather with this cute painted pumpkin idea, featuring oranges and bees. Go one step further and spray the stalk of the pumpkin with gold for that truly bright and bold feeling. 

22. Winnie the Pooh pumpkin

Want to create this loveable character from the famous children's book? All you need is some yellow and black paint. Create the ears using small pieces of cardboard, also painted yellow, and fix into the pumpkin by cutting small slices along the top.

23. Pokemon pumpkin

Recreate your favourite Pokemon characters with this fun idea! While this creator has gone for Gengar, you could also use yellow, red and black paint to make your own Pikachu pumpkin. This idea works for any character that's round with large features, easily recognisable from wherever you keep your pumpkin.

24. Greeting pumpkin 

This painted pumpkin design is so simple - but so effective. Paint your entire pumpkin white and with a very steady hand, carefully apply your greeting to trick-or-treaters. While we love this poetic approach, a basic ‘welcome’ message would also do the trick. 

25. Frankenstein pumpkin 

Frankenstein is a classic Halloween monster so perfect for a painted pumpkin idea if you want to stick to the spooky tradition. A strong green, black and white paint is all you need to create this design. 

26. Vampire pumpkin

In a similar fashion, try this cute vampire design. While a white-painted pair of fangs will turn any smiley face into dracula, to get this more unique younger vampire look you’ll need to do something a bit different. Make sure to pick a pumpkin that’s not too big and round out the facial features like the eyes, a smaller mouth and childlike fangs. 

Using the two ideas above, you could create a spooky family to represent your own! 

27. Movie night pumpkin 

Halloween is for snuggling down on the sofa with a good film and a cup of hot chocolate. Bring that idea into your living room permanently with this unique movie night painted pumpkin - featuring popcorn, of course!

28. Sea life pumpkin 

These tropical pumpkins will certainly remind you of sunnier climates! This designer has gone for octopus, turtle, flamingo and anchor designs to bring a real look of the sea to Halloween. 

29. Rainbow pumpkins

Rainbow pumpkins are a colourful way to brighten up your doorstep. Whether you go for all colours on one pumpkin or one pumpkin for each colour of the rainbow is up to you. 

30. Crayon pumpkin

This video shows you step-by-step how to make this fun pumpkin idea. It’s not strictly a painted pumpkin design as you won’t need any paints to pull this off but well worth trying it out if you’ve got some old Crayon ends lying around. 

Make these cat and ladybird fancy dress outfits to keep your little ones entertained.

Our ideas for a cat and ladybird costume are perfect for a children's party, Halloween or just for playing around the house.

Most children love to play dress up! But, there's no need to head to the shops and pick up a costume.

Save money, and make the most of any old clothes you have in the back of the wardrobe by giving them a new lease of life.

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Make your own cat fancy dress outfit:

You will need

• Tracing paper and pencil
• 20 x 30cm heavy weight fusible interfacing (20 x 30cm)
• black felt
• 10 x 20cm fusible webbing
• 10cm square pale pink felt
• 10cm square white felt
• White embroidery thread
• 40cm of hat elastic
• 20 x 25cm white fur fabric, short edges parallel with the pile of the fabric
• Black T-shirt
• 10 x 55cm rectangle of black fur fabric, long edges parallel with the stroke of the fabric
• 56cm of 1.2cm-wide black elastic
• 75cm of 2-3mm wire
• Strong sticky tape

Instructions

1. Print the cat template below, then trace the mask pattern onto folded tracing paper, with the broken line against the fold. Cut out the pattern and trace details on the other half. Open out and draw around it on the smooth side of the interfacing, marking dots and crosses. Fuse to the black felt and cut out.

2. Cut the fusible webbing in half. Trace the ears and nose on the back of one piece and fuse onto pale pink felt. Trace the centre and eyebrows onto the back of the other piece and fuse onto white felt. Cut out, peel off the backing and press in place on the mask.

3. Stitch whiskers between the dots with three strands of embroidery thread. Pierce holes at crosses and insert hat elastic. Check the fit and knot the ends.

4. From the white fur fabric, cut a 15 x 20cm oval for the tummy and a 10cm square for the tail tip. Pin the oval to the T-shirt front, and catch in place at the top, bottom and sides.

5. With right sides facing, stitch the tail tip to one short edge of the black fur tail. Fold in half lengthways, right sides together, then stitch the long edge and across the end of the tip. Turn out.

6. Overlap the elastic ends by 2cm and sew together. Bend 6cm at each end of the wire in a loop and wrap with sticky tape. Insert the wire into the tail. Sew the raw end of the tail to the elastic, catching in the loop of the wire.

Cat mask template -Click here to download the cat template

Make your own ladybird fancy dress outfit

You will need

• 10 x 90cm wide black felt
• 150cm square red net
• Child’s hairband
• Two black pipe cleaners
• Two large black pompoms
• Bodkin or safety pin
• 160cm of 1.2cm-wide black elastic
• All-purpose household glue
• 140cm of 2mm wire
• Wire snippers
• Strong black sticky tape
• Red tights

Instructions

1. Cut two 6cm-diameter circles and fourteen 4cm-diameter circles from the black felt. From the red net, cut one 60 x 150cm, one 50 x 150cm and one 40 x 150cm rectangle for the skirt.

2. To cover the headband, cut a 5 x 40cm strip of black felt. Fold lengthways in half and stitch close to the long edge, making a tube. Oversew one end closed. Insert the hairband into the tube. Trim the open end to fit over the hairband then oversew closed.

3. To make antennae, wrap one end of each pipe cleaner tightly around a pompom and fluff out. Wrap the other ends around the top of the headband, 5cm apart. Twist the ends around the pipe cleaners to secure.

4. Fold each skirt piece in half widthways and pin, then stitch the short edges together with a 1.5cm seam. Press seams, then press the skirts in half lengthways to make a double layer with the seam inside. Slip the mid-length skirt over the longest one, then slip the shortest skirt over the top. Pin the folded edges together.

5. Make a channel for the elastic by stitching 6mm then 2.5cm below the folded edges. Snip a hole in the channel in the longest skirt and thread through 56cm of elastic. Adjust to fit, then overlap the ends and stitch. Separate the layers and fluff out the skirt. Glue eight 4cm felt circles to the top layer.

6. Snip the wire in half for the wings. Bend 4cm at each end at right angles. Bring the straight ends together and bind with strong sticky tape. Squeeze the wings into matching shapes. Cut the legs off the tights and slip one leg over each wing. Pull taut, and tape tightly around the straight ends. Cut off the excess.

7. Glue three 4cm felt circles to each wing. Tape the wire ends together at the centre of the wings. Cut two 50cm lengths of elastic to make straps. Adjust to fit, overlap the ends and stitch. Slip the straps over the wings and glue to either side of the centre tape. Neaten the join at the centre with 6cm felt circles glued on either side.

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble! Your little witches and wizards will love making these colourful, magical potions in time for Halloween night.

We haveHalloween crafts for kidsare the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

Make the spookiest night of the year that little bit more authentic with these eerie-looking potions in bottles. Weird and wonderful creations bubbled up in a witch's cauldron, bottled just for Halloween night. You'll find potions to turn your worst enemy to stone, potions that make you fly and just one for true love.

It's easy to get the kids involved in putting together these bottled elixirs, from picking the colours of the glitter to inventing mysterious names to go on each bottle's label. You could choose to theme the potions and have a matching set, or go for an assortment of colours and bottles to make it look like a real mismatched apothecary right in your own home.

You'll be able to find most of what you need at home: you can recycle old plastic bottles and use just a few spoonfuls of your washing up liquid. Everything else will be easy to locate in your local craft store.

You will need...

• Small bottles
• Glitter
• Stars confetti
• Water
• Washing up liquid
• Tags
• Letter rubber stamps
• Black ink
• Twine

How to make your witch's potions

• Remove the cap or cork stopper from the bottle. Pour some glitter into the bottle, followed by the star confetti.
• Fill the bottle with water, and add a couple of drops of washing up liquid, then replace the lid or cork stopper.
• Stamp the tag with letter in black ink, then tie around the neck of the bottle with twine.

Follow our simple guide to making these fantastic fright lights out of white paper light shades. With three different spooky designs, this craft will brighten up your house whilst adding a fright factor for Halloween night. Our Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

These spooktacular lanterns will make any Halloween party instantly more festive with their frightening designs. The older kids will have so much fun getting stuck into dyeing the lanterns and sticking on the ghastly skull, bat and pumpkin templates.

You will need...

• Halloween face & bat templates
• Rubber gloves
• Orange & purple dyes
• Measuring jug
• Water
• Large washing bowl
• White paper light shades
• String
• Washing line
• Pegs
• White paper
• Black card
• Pencil
• Scissors
• PVA glue

How to make your Halloween lanterns

• Wearing rubber gloves, make up the dye in a jug following the packet instructions. Pour into the water in a large washing bowl, and mix well. Submerge a section of a paper shade into the dye and leave for 5 minutes, before turning and soaking the next section. Continue moving the shade around, until the entire shade has been dyed.
• Remove the shade and hang up with some string on a washing line until it is dry. Mix up the next colour dye, and repeat the proces.
• Print the black skull and pumpkin face templates onto paper and cut out. Glue the skull templates to a plain white shade. When the orange dyed shade is dry, stick the pumpkin face templates in place.
• Print and cut out the bat templates. Draw around the different sized bats on black card, and cut out. Bend the wings up slightly, then glue to the purple dyed shade.

Not only is this a really fun craft for your kids to get involved in, it takes no time at all and won't break the bank.

In fact, you'll find most of the necessary items at home already. Our Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

This eight-legged headpiece would make a great accessory for your little ones to wear to school on a Halloween-themed day or as part of a trick or treating outfit.

You can even turn this into a hands-on activity for a kids' party and shake things up a bit by having a variety of coloured card to choose from. After all the fun of making them you'll be proud to look around and see an assortment of rather snazzy looking spiders.

Don't forget to finish off your hat with the wiggle eyes - a fabulous addition to any Halloween craft as it's guaranteed to provide a giggle if not a scare!

You will need

• A3 Black card
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Glue
• Wiggle eyes

How to make the spider hats

• Cut a sheet of A3 paper into 2 strips measuring 10cm wide. Glue the strips together, and when dry measure it around your childs head. Then cut off the excess card and stick the loose ends together to create a base for the hat.
• Cut 8 thin strips of black card measuring 2cm wide, and bend in quarters to create spider legs. Glue 4 either side of the top inside edge of the hat.
• Stick lots of different sized wiggle eyes to the front of the hat - the more the scarier!

If you're looking for a Halloween decoration that's easy to make, doesn't cost too much and provides a fun activity for your kids then you've come to the right place!

Our Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

These plant pot spiders will make the perfect addition to any Halloween party and would look great hanging from the ceiling or dotted around the room.

Pop into your local craft store and you'll easily find everything you need to create these great decorations. Choose as many colours as you like and get creative with fun facial expressions for your new eight-legged friends.

You could even use them to create your own trick or treat game. Hide sweets and prizes under some and a nasty surprise of plastic bugs or fruit under others and let your little ones choose at random.

Your creepy crawlies will take no time at all to make and it's so easy to get the kids involved painting, sticking on googly eyes and designing faces to go on each pot. Just follow these simple steps and you'll have these eight-legged creatures adorning your house in no time.

You will need

• Plastic plant pots
• Black, green and purple acrylic paints
• Paint brush
• Black, green, red and white self-adhesive felt
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Wiggle eyes
• Pipe cleaners
• Hot melt glue gun or strong glue

How to make plant pot spiders

1. Paint the outside of the plant pot with 2 coats of acrylic paint and then leave it to dry.
2. Draw some eyes, a nose, a mouth and eyebrows on the self adhesive felt. Cut out and stick to the painted pot. Then add some wiggle eyes.
3. Cut and bend 8 pipe cleaners into leg shapes. Stick to the underside of the flower pot with a hot melt glue gun or strong glue, and leave it to dry.

Cast a spell this Halloween with this magically easy craft. Any little witch or wizard won't be complete without his or her own personalised spell creator. Read on to find out how to make this wizard's wand from your own back garden!

This is a great activity that is not only cheap but can get the whole family involved. OurHalloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

Allow your creative side to take over with this activity and choose a variety of colours of paint, glitter and wool to really personalise each wand. Your little ones can let their imagination run while and do whatever design takes their fancy: paint lots of different rings around the stick for a rainbow effect wand, start with a solid base colour and add dots for a spotty creation or use metallic paints to give the wand a real shine.

At a Halloween party use these wizard's wands to make a fun party game. Choose a Harry Potter film to watch and let your kids make a list of their favourite spells to learn. Your kids can spend time perfecting their wand technique before engaging in a friendly duelling tournament. Just sit back and watch them brandishing their wands to the tune of 'Wingardium Leviosa'!

You will need...

• Twigs
• Bright acrylic paints
• Paint brush
• Glitter
• Bright wool
• Scissors

How to make your wizard's wand

• Collect some long, strong twigs from the garden and allow to dry out if wet.
• Paint the twigs in bright colours. Before the paint dries, sprinkle the twigs with glitter.
• When dry, cut a length of bright coloured wool, and bind around the bottom of the twig. Tie a knot to hold it in place.

Get Halloween ready with these simple paper plate masks in three spooky designs, guaranteed to make you the scariest mummy of the night. Our Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

Little ones love dressing up on Halloween, but that doesn't mean it has to take you all day to make something, these are super easy and super speedy, they're bound (get it?) to be fun!

You will need...

• Paper plates
• Orange, black, white, pink and blue acrylic paints
• Paint brush
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• Craft knife
• Bandage
• Black confetti spiders
• Scissors
• Orange tissue paper
• Green & black card
• Pink & black foam sheets
• Orange, black and pink ribbon
• Black & silver twine
• Garden cane, cut into 30cm pieces
• Sticky tape
• Hot melt glue gun

How to make the paper plate masks

1. Paint the paper plates with 2 coats of orange and black acrylic paint and leave to dry.
2. Use the lid of the glue stick to draw round eyes on the back of the plates. Carefully cut out with a craft knife.
3. For the mummy mask, first cut a roll of bandage into 2.5cm wide strips and stick across the black painted plate with glue. Trim around the edge with scissors, and add some black confetti spiders.
4. For the pumpkin mask, cut 3cm wide strips of orange tissue paper, and snip along one edge to create fringing. Stick onto the orange plate in overlapping layers with glue. Draw and cut a green card stalk, a black card mouth and triangular nose and stick to the pumpkin's face.
5. For a black cat mask, simply paint eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers onto a black plate with acrylic paint. Cut some pink and black foam triangles, and stick to the top of the plate for the cat's ears.
6. To make the mask holders, bind ribbons and twine around the length of a piece of garden cane, using tape to hole the ends in place. Glue to the back of the masks with a hot melt glue gun.

Your kids can stand out from the crowd with these homemade trick or treating bags. Follow our method for customising a plain cotton bag into the perfect accessory for Halloween night.

OurHalloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

This craft activity gives kids the opportunity to really get creative. They design their own potato stamp so can invent a spooky character or design a cool pattern to print onto their bag. The great thing about this craft is each child will have something unique at the end, ready to take out trick or treating and fill up with sweets!

Top tip: You could use small cookie cutters to help create your spooky design.

You will need...

• Knife
• Paper towel
• Felt tip pen
• Sheet of A4 paper
• Scissors
• Small cotton bag
• Paper plate
• Fabric paint
• Iron

How to make your trick or treat bag

• Cut a potato in half lengthways, and then blot one half dry with the paper towel. Draw a spooky shape with a felt tip pen, then carefully score around the pen lines with the knife. Cut around the sides of the potato and remove the unwanted parts of the potato, leaving a raised design.
• Cut a piece of paper to fit inside the cotton bag. Lay the bag flat on a work surface ready for printing.
• Pour a little fabric paint onto a paper plate, and dab the potato into the paint, ensuring that the surface is evenly coated. Start stamping onto one side of the bag. Leave to dry, then turn the bag over and print the other side. The potato can be washed after use and used again with another colour.
• Remove the paper from inside the bag, then iron over the design to seal the paint.

Get ready for Halloween night with these super spooky monster feet. Use our template to create a pair of scary footsteps that your kids can wear on their feet.

Who's that creeping up behind you? Whoever it is has rather large and rather terrifying feet! Our Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to spend some quality family time together.

These colourful crafts are quick and simple to make and you'll easily be able to find what you need in your local craft store. Once made, these can be used in multiple way: place them strategically around the house for a Halloween party to make it seem a though a monster has been creeping around in the dark; or use them as part of an outfit for you little one.

Be creative with their costume - furry trousers, sparkly tops, crazy fac paint - and finish it all off with a pair of home made monster feet.

Your kids will love stomping around in their very own pair of monster feet, especially if they can design and make them themselves. Cover the footsteps in pom-poms, feathers, wiggle eyes - anything to make them extra spooky.

You will need...

• Halloween scary steps template
• 
  
• Foam sheets
• 
  
• Pencil
• 
  
• Scissors
• 
  
• Feathers
• 
  
• Wiggle eyes
• 
  
• Pom poms
• 
  
• Glue
• 
  
• Craft knife
• 
  
• Ruler

How to make your scary steps

• Print the monster foot template on paper and cut out. Draw around the template on a sheet of foam, and cut out. Repeat to make 2 large feet,
• 
  
• Draw and cut out small foam triangles, and stick to the toes of the foam feet with glue.
• 
  
• Decorate the feet with bright feathers, pom poms or wiggle eyes.
• 
  
• Using a craft knife and ruler, cut a cross on each foot, large enough for your child's foot to fit through