Halloween is a wonderful time of year, and if you’ve got a pile of paper lunch bags, you might be wondering if there are any crafts you can do with your little one to turn your bags into amazing (and cheap) decorations.Some of these crafts can even be used to hand out treats in, making your house a particularly special one on the block! Even if you seal the bag, you could always cut a small hole in the top to add sweets and let little fingers dip in. With that in mind, let’s look at some great paper bag Halloween crafts.
Frankenstein’s Monster Bag
Source: https://iheartcraftythings.com/paper-bag-frankenstein-craft.htmlIf your child is a big fan of Frankenstein’s Monster, this is the perfect bag for you to create together. You can either stuff the bag with newspaper to give it shape and solidity or slip in some sweets and pass it and its fellows out to trick or treaters.
Materials
For this craft, you will need:
- Black paint
- Green paint
- Paintbrush
- Black card
- Green card
- Glue
- Googly eyes
- Black pen
- Silver pom poms
- Scissors
- 1 paper lunch bag
- Newspaper (for stuffing)
Step 1: Paint Your Bag
Help your child to paint the bottom half of one side of the lunch bag green. Leave it to dry and then paint the other side green too.Repeat this on the top half, but using black paint, so half of your bag is green and the other half is black. You are then going to fold the top down. If you want to make the bag finished rather than use it as a trick-or-treat bag, stuff it with newspaper and then staple or glue the top shut at this point.
Step 2: Give Frankenstein’s Monster A Haircut
Next, help your child trim a series of triangles into Frankenstein’s Monster’s hair so that he has shaggy hair all along the top edge of the bag. You may want to cut quite a lot off so that he just has a trim at the top of his head, rather than a length of the black bag.
Step 3: Glue The Eyes On
Get your child to stick the eyes on below the Monster’s hair, and then help them to draw on a nose and either a big smile or a scowling stitched mouth. Add vertical lines across the mouth to represent the stitching.Help them ink some heavy eyebrows above the googly eyes (or even stick black card eyebrows on top) and then draw some other areas of stitching onto the face in random places.
Step 4: Glue The Bolts
The easiest way to make bolts for Frankenstein’s Monster is to use silver pom poms, but you could also make some little silver bolts out of aluminum foil or silver card if you don’t have any pom poms. Glue them low down, near the bottom of the bag.
Paper Bag Bat
Source: https://iheartcraftythings.com/stuffed-paper-bag-bat-craft.htmlEveryone loves bats, and they come into their element for Halloween, so how about a paper bag bat? If you’ve got plenty of black paint, this is the perfect craft to do with a child, and you could even hang a flock of these up on the ceiling to make a spooky Halloween decoration.
Materials
A paper bag bat will require:
- 1 paper bag
- Black paint
- Paintbrush
- White card
- Googly eyes
- Stapler
- Glue
- Black card
- Newspaper (for stuffing)
- Clear fishing wire (for hanging with)
- Pencil
- Scissors
Step 1: Paint Your Bag Black
Help your child paint the bag black all over so that it’s ready to be turned into a bat. You may need a couple of coats, allowing the paint to dry in between so that it doesn’t smudge. If you make the bag too wet, it may tear.
Step 2: Cut Out The Ears
Once the bat is dry, turn the bag over and draw large triangles at the top for ears using your pencil. Cut these out so finish the top of your bat’s head.
Step 3: Stuff The Bag
Fill the bag with slightly crumpled newspaper, and then staple (or glue) the top parts so that the bag is held shut and you’ve got a nicely defined bat shape. The glue will look neater if you have the time and patience, but it does take longer to dry.
Step 4: Glue The Eyes And Add Teeth
Help your child glue the googly eyes to the front of the bag, and then assist them in cutting two sharp teeth out of a white card. These want to be stuck to the front of the bat’s face. If you’re feeling particularly spooky, get your child to add some little drops of blood to the tips to turn it into a vampire bat.
Step 5: Cut Out The Wings
Take your black card and cut out two nice, large wings to glue to the back of the paper bag. You can go for cartoon-y or very realistic; it’s up to you! Consider gluing the wings for neatness, or just use your stapler if you’re aiming for a quick craft.
Step 6: Hang Up The Bag
You can hang the bat up either upside down or the right way up. If you’ve got a flock of bats, consider doing a mix so that some of your flocks are roosting and others are swooping overhead. You may want to curve the wings around the ones that are roosting and leave the other bat wings spread out. You can also hang the bats at different levels, making some low enough that your guests might brush against them.You can add some little cardboard feet if you want to, but this is optional. If you do want to, cut some triangles out of the black card, and cut toes out of them, and then glue them to the bottom of the bat.
Green Paper Bag Spider
Source: https://iheartcraftythings.com/stuffed-paper-bag-spider-craft.htmlHalloween wouldn’t be Halloween without a spider or two, and paper bag spiders are both simple and very effective. Use them as decorations, or just have fun crafting them with your kids. Again, these are great to hang up where they can just brush people’s heads and give them a fright!
Materials
You’re going to need:
- 1 paper bag
- Green paint
- Paintbrush
- Lots of googly eyes
- Green and yellow pipe cleaners
- Newspaper for stuffing
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Glue
- Gray yarn
- A scrap of white card
Step 1: Paint The Paper Bag
Paint the paper bag bright green, as acidic as possible. You will need to help your child to make sure they don’t smudge the paint and let it dry as you move between sides. You can make your spider other colors, but green is a very effective one for Halloween.
Step 2: Stuff The Bag
Stuff the bag full of newspapers until you have a square-shaped spider, and then fold down the top and roll it neatly.Staple the bag shut and turn it over so that the stapled part is underneath; this will give you a neat spider.
Step 3: Cut Your Pipe Cleaners In Half
Cut your pipe cleaners in half and then get your child to bend them at right angles. Glue the legs to the spider at different angles, and get one or two waving up in the air. You can either alternate your green and yellow or put the yellow ones at the front.
Step 4: Glue The Eyes To The Front
Help your child choose a selection of eyes in different sizes and colors, and glue them to the front of the bag. You can do any order or layout, and if you’re making multiple spiders, vary it.Next, cut some little curvy fangs out of a white card, and then glue these to the front of the spider’s face. Add a fleck of green paint to represent the spider’s venom. You can also add a black line along the spider’s back for extra decoration.
Step 5: Hang The Spider Up
Cut a length of gray yarn and glue it to the back of the paper bag so that your spider dangles down from the ceiling, and you’ve got a spooky decoration all done! Make a whole host of different colors, and terrify your guests.
Ghostly Paper Bag
Source: https://iheartcraftythings.com/simple-paper-bag-ghost-craft.htmlThis is one of the simplest paper bag crafts. If you can source white paper bags, they are even easier. If not, whip out the white paint and get crafting!
Materials
You’re going to need:
- 1 paper bag
- Googly eyes
- White card
- Black marker
- White tissue paper
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Glue
- White cotton
Step 1: Paint The Bag If Necessary
If you need to paint your bag white, do that first; you may need a couple of coats, especially if your paint is thin. Now, turn your bag upside down so that the serrated edge becomes the bottom of the ghost, and what was the bottom of the bag becomes the ghost’s head.
Step 2: Glue The Googly Eyes
Stick the googly eyes to the front, and then draw some black circles around them to make your ghost look hollow and sickly.Next, help your child draw a wailing mouth underneath the ghost’s eyes.
Step 3: Cut Out The Hands
Cut out some ghostly arms from white cards. If you make the edges of these wavy, they will look more frightening and insubstantial.These are going to be glued to the back of the card to make them nice and neat. Get your child to help you glue them at different angles, and if you want your ghosts reaching forward, create a crease in the arms so that the creepy fingers stretch toward your guests.
Step 4: Hang Them Up
Next, glue the white cotton to the top of the ghost’s head so that you can hang it up.
Step 5: Glue The Tissue
Get your child to tear off some long strips of white tissue paper and glue these to the paper bag in trailing tendrils that will flutter spookily in the wind.
Light Up Pumpkin Bag
Source: https://blog.privateislandparty.com/halloween-crafts-paper-bag-jack-o-lanterns/If you haven’t got a pumpkin to carve, you can make a great paper lantern out of a paper bag and some orange paint.
Materials
You’re going to need:
- 1 paper bag
- Scissors
- Orange paint
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Some glue
- 1 electric candle
- A scrap of green card
Step 1: Paint The Bag
Get your child to paint the bag orange (as always, leave time for both sides to dry properly). Add a bit of glue to your orange paint to stiffen the paper bag so it will stand up well. You can also insert some lolly sticks to make it stand up better if necessary.You are going to be standing the bag upside down, so invert it so that the bottom of the bag is the top of the craft.
Step 2: Cut Out The Face
Get your child to draw a scary face on the front of your Jack O’ Lantern, and then cut it out carefully using sharp scissors or a craft knife. Don’t let your child use the knife or scissors as this could be quite fiddly and they may hurt themselves. Make sure you just cut through the front layer, rather than both.
Step 3: Glue The Stem
Cut out a small, slightly curvy stem from the green card and glue it to the top of the bag to represent the pumpkin’s stem.
Step 4: Stand It Over The Electric Candle
Turn on your little electric tea light and stand the bag over it. Do not use a real candle with a flame for this craft, as it’s highly flammable and could pose a serious fire risk.
Mummy Bag
Source: https://www.craftsonsea.co.uk/paper-bag-mummy-puppet-craft-for-kids/For perhaps the simplest of all these crafts ““ or at least the one that requires the least paint ““ consider a paper bag mummy. You can use these as gift bags to hand out treats very easily.
Materials
You’re going to need:
- 1 paper bag
- White tissue paper
- Black marker
- Googly eyes
- Glue
Step 1: Turn The Bag Over
If you want a neater version of this craft, you can turn your paper bag over, glue the open end, and cut a little slot in the top ““ or you can keep things simple by just making your mummy with the serrated edge of the bag at the top. You may want to trim the serration off to have a smooth edge.
Step 2: Glue The Googly Eyes
Get your child to draw two black circles on the bag with the marker pen, about two-thirds of the way up the bag. Next, glue the googly eyes to these circles, giving the mummy a “haunted” look.Draw a little mouth underneath.
Step 3: Cover The Bag In Tissue Bandages
Next, get your child to tear off strips of white tissue to wrap around the bag, and glue these in place. The effect can be as haphazard and lopsided as you like, and you can leave bits dangling to show your mummy unraveling.You’re done! This bag is very simple so you can make a whole pile of them if you’re expecting lots of little guests.
Conclusion
You now have a whole host of different craft ideas to do with paper bags for Halloween, and whether you want decorations to hand out to your guests or you’re looking to decorate your living space for a wonderful Halloween party, there are great, simple projects you can do with your child.Happy Halloween!
Comments
0 comments
