Halloween is more than candy, costumes, and pumpkins — it’s also a time when spooky stories and mysterious haunted houses come alive! Every town once had that one old house everyone whispered about… but today, those places are rare. So instead of waiting to find a haunted mansion, kids can build their own magical spooky houses using simple supplies at home!
This list of 15 haunted house crafts for kids is full of imagination, creativity, and giggles—not screams! Whether your little one enjoys friendly ghosts or wishes to explore the spooky side of Halloween, these craft ideas make October truly magical.
So gather paper, glue, popsicle sticks, and paint — and let’s start building haunted houses that are cute-scary, not nightmare fuel! 🧡👻
✂️ 15 Haunted House Crafts Kids Will Love
1️⃣ Popsicle Stick Haunted House
Paint popsicle sticks black, glue into a house shape, add paper windows, bats & a ghost.
Kids love decorating each window with spooky characters
2️⃣ Shoe Box Diorama Haunted Mansion
Turn an old shoe box into a spooky scene with toy figures or paper puppets.
Add cotton spider webs & mini pumpkins for a wow factor!
3️⃣ Paper Roll Haunted Tower
Stack decorated toilet rolls like castle towers.
Add paper windows, a crooked roof, and ghost peeking out.
4️⃣ 3D Haunted House Color-Cut-Build
Print or draw your own house scene, color it, cut along tabs, and stand it up.
Fun + quiet activity to keep kids happily busy.
5️⃣ Paper Bag Puppet Haunted House
Decorate a paper bag into a talking haunted house face.
Lift flap windows to reveal silly monsters inside!
6️⃣ Cardboard Box Haunted Mansion
Use cardboard panels to cut spooky shapes — moon windows, crooked doors, tall towers.
Paint in purple, gray, or midnight black for creepy charm.
7️⃣ Halloween Painted Rock House
Paint rocks with haunted house silhouettes & glowing windows.
Kids can create a whole spooky village!
Cut a plate into a house shape, color, and add bats, ghosts, moon & stars.
Simple, mess-free toddler favorite.
9️⃣ Haunted House Bookmark Craft
Cut bookmark strips and decorate with tiny windows, ghosts, spiders.
Encourages reading + creativity.
🔟 Glow-in-the-Dark Haunted House Scene
Use glow paints on black paper — windows, bats, moon, ghost shadows.
Turn off lights to reveal spooky magic!
1️⃣1️⃣ Cotton Ball Ghost Haunted House
Make a soft ghost from cotton and place it popping out of the house.
Cute craft for younger children.
1️⃣2️⃣ Stick-Puppet Haunted House Playset
Make house + puppets (witch, bat, friendly ghost) on sticks.
Kids put on their own Halloween puppet show!
1️⃣3️⃣ Tissue Box Creepy Castle
Wrap an empty tissue box in black paper and cut door openings.
Insert little monster toys inside — peek-a-boo haunted fun!
1️⃣4️⃣ Haunted Gingerbread Paper House
Use brown craft paper like “gingerbread house” style but Halloween-themed.
Candy corn roofs, frosting-style borders, spooky gumdrops — adorable twist!
1️⃣5️⃣ DIY Haunted House Lantern
Create a house from black cardstock, cut window slots, and put a battery candle inside.
Safe glowing craft — no real flames needed.
🕸️ Extra Spooky Add-Ons for Any Craft
Kids can upgrade their haunted houses with:
- Cotton spider webs
- Paper bats and owls
- Pipe-cleaner spiders
- Glitter glue “magic dust”
- Popsicle stick fences
- Tissue ghosts
- Glow-in-the-dark stickers
Halloween crafts become mini worlds full of imagination!
🎯 Learning Benefits of Haunted House Crafts
| Skill | Benefit |
| Fine Motor | Cutting, gluing, assembling |
| Creativity | Designing spooky themes |
| Storytelling | Ghost & Halloween characters |
| Courage & Confidence | Fun way to face “scary” themes |
| STEM basics | Building 3D structures |
| Recycling | Using boxes + paper tubes |
Kids learn best through hands-on holiday play. It’s fun + educational!
🎃 Halloween Story Starters for Kids
Let kids draw or tell stories after crafting:
- “Who lives in your haunted house?”
- “Is your ghost silly or friendly?”
- “What magical doorways and secret rooms are inside?”
- “Does your house come alive at midnight?”
This boosts imagination + language skills.
🧡 Tips for Parents & Teachers
- Choose friendly ghosts for younger kids
- Keep crafts bright, silly & colorful — not scary
- Play fun kid-friendly Halloween music
- Let kids add pretend play toys
- Display houses as Halloween table decor or window art
- Celebrate each creation — no “perfect results” needed
Halloween is about joy, creativity & memory-making.
🧚 Kid-Safe Haunted House Themes
Instead of real horror, go for:
- Cute ghosts
- Magical witch houses
- Pumpkin villages
- Bat castles
- Friendly monster homes
- Spooky fairy cottages
Think spooky-sweet, not scary-scary 👻💗
🏁 Final Haunted Thought
Haunted house crafts let kids enjoy Halloween magic in a playful, artistic, and positive way. With cardboard, paper plates, craft sticks, and imagination, children can build entire spooky towns and characters they adore.
So this Halloween, skip the fright — and build fun haunted houses full of giggles, glue, and tiny ghosts saying boo-but-cute! 🎃👻✨
Let creativity haunt your craft table in the happiest way!