As the years have come and gone, parents and children have become more and more creative in selecting costumes, from the adorable to the unusual. Here are a few to choose from!
Flower
green or brown hooded sweatsuit
2 sheets yellow or white posterboard
green felt
2 plastic headbands
craft glue
small stuffed bumble bee
From posterboard, cut out petals. From green felt, cut out long leaves. Glue petals to one headband and glue green felt leaves to the other headband. Put petal headband on head and leaf headband around neck. Glue a small stuffed bumble bee to sweatshirt. You can fashion one from felt or posterboard.
Fisherman
flannel shirt
blue jeans
lief jacket
rubber boots
fishing pole (real or made from a stick or branch)
floppy fishing hat
cardboard
silver spray paint
black marker
12" piece of yarn
hole punch
Cut four fish out of cardboard. Spray paint silver on both sides, let dry. Use marker to draw an "X" in place of the fish's eyes. Punch hole near mouth of each fish and string from a piece of yarn. Carry fishing pole in hand and sling fish over shoulder.
Artist
red beret or other hat
cardboard
craft paint in several colors
cape or smock
paint brush
Have child wear hat tipped sideways. Draw on a black mustache with eyeliner or face paint. Cut out an artist's paint palette from cardboard. Paint five or six circles in different colors around palette. Hot glue paint brush onto palette or hold in hand.
Firefighter
Yellow or red raincoat
rubber boots (yellow, red or basic black)
toy fire hat
cardboard
aluminum foil
stuffed Dalmatian toy
Make an axe out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Get dressed and carry puppy!
Farmer
flannel shirt
overalls
galoshes
straw hat or baseball cap
plastic pitchfork (or fashion from cardboard)
stuffed pig or chicken
Very simple, just get dressed! Carry pitchfork and stuffed farm animal.
Tired Woman
well-worn nightgown
well-worn terry bathrobe
big fuzzy slippers
curlers
plastic coffee mug
Get dressed. Put curlers in child's hair. Have her carry a coffee mug and hang a sign around her neck that says "I'm Not a Morning Person!"
Pretzel
brown hooded sweatsuit
dark brown tights
cotton batting or old pillow stuffing
hot glue
white packing peanuts
Stuff tights with cotton batting or pillow stuffing. Fold into a pretzel shape and hot glue in place. Use white packing peanuts as salt and hot glue on.
Teletubbies
red, blue, yellow or green hooded sweatsuit
2 matching colored chenille sticks
plastic headband
thin cardboard
silver spray paint
Twist chenille sticks onto headband for antennas. Paint child's face same color as s
sweatsuit. Cut a tummy sized square of cardboard and spray one side with silver paint, let dry. Glue to tummy of sweatsuit.
Pizza Slice
2 sheets of red, yellow or orange poster board
yellow, green, red, and brown construction paper OR craft paint
Cut the posterboard into 2 pie shapes (triangle). Then on one side of each piece, glue on red circles for pepperoni, brown splotches for sausage, green squares for green peppers, and yellow strips for cheese. You can use pieces of posterboard or construction paper, or you can paint them on. Then when you are done, use some more posterboard to connect the two slices, by cutting two long strips and attaching them to the wide end of the slice and draping them over the child's shoulders (imagine those signs that people where in the city streets, the walking billboards of yesteryear). Pizza!
Patch of Dandelions
green sweatpants or leggings
light blue sweat shirt
yellow felt
big yellow buttons
green felt
white pompoms
cotton batting or cotton balls
Cut leaves out of green felt and glue or stitch onto green pants. Cut yellow felt into circles, slitting them to make fringe around the edges. Hand stitch on over green leaves with big yellow buttons. Hand sew white pompoms on to make dandelions that have gone to seed. Glue cotton batting or cotton balls onto blue shirt for clouds. Cut a large yellow circle from felt for the sun.
Bubble Bath
white sweatsuit
small white balloons
shower cap
bath scrubby (with rope to hang from wrist)
rubber ducky
Pin small white balloons all over shirt. Put on shower cap, hang bath scrubby from wrist and carry a rubber ducky or glue him to the shoulder of the shirt.
Bag of Jelly Beans (or gumballs)
clear plastic bag (dry cleaning bags are great)
balloons, several different colors
bright colored scarf
white posterboard
black marker
craft glue
Have child step into bag to make holes for the legs and arms. Fill bag with balloons use a bright scarf to tie around the top of the bag. Cut a square of posterboard to create a sign that says "Jelly Beans 5¢". Glue it to the front of the bag.
M&M
black sweatsuit
2 pieces of cardboard
craft or spray paint, any color of M&M's
black craft paint or markers
heavy duty string
Cut two large circles out of cardboard. Paint. Draw or paint on "m&m" onto both circles. Use heavy duty string to attach the 2 pieces together and hang over shoulders, sign style.
Table for One
cardboard
red checkerboard table cloth
play dishes
play food
silk flowers
plastic headband
Cut cardboard into a circle, cut out a hold for your head. Put head into hole and rest on your shoulders. Cover with a red checkerboard tablecloth. Make your head into a centerpiece by gluing silk flowers to the headband. Glue play dishes and play food onto the table, add accessories (salt and pepper shakers, napkins, menu, etc.).
Mr. Potato Head
black sweatsuit
burlap bag
old shirt or rags
white felt
black felt
red felt
peach felt
brown felt
Velcro fasteners
fiber fill
red clown shoes
white gloves
Fill the burlap bag with old shirts or rags. Using felt, cut out the eyes (black and white), nose (peach), mouth (red), and mustache (brown). Attach Velcro to the backs of the pieces of felt. Use fiberfill to stuff each parts. Attach the Velcro backs to the suit.
King & Queen of Hearts
4 pieces of white posterboard
2 pieces of cardboard (from nylon package)
gold spray paint
red lipstick
Draw the King of Hearts face on one side of the white posterboard, then just hearts on back side. Put a strap (scrap of material) stapling the two posters to fit over child's head on to their shoulder. Make gold crown out of nylon cardboard. Put a heart of lipstick on child's cheek. Repeat for the Queen.
Grapes
purple or green sweatsuit
purple or green balloons
double-sided tape or adhesive Velcro circles
chenille sticks or raffia
Stick balloons to clothing. If using tape, twist it around tied-off end of balloon and crimp tightly onto clothing. Velcro circles come apart. Each half can be attached to a balloon and the clothing. Make a "stem" by twisting together brown and green pipe cleaners or raffia and attach to hat. This works best as an indoor party outfit and should not be worn by children under five -- balloons are a choking hazard.
Grape Vine
brown sweatsuit
brown shoes
double sided tape
purple balloons
Cover your body with double sided sticky tape. Then fill up purple balloons and attach the balloons to the double sided tape. You may use a garbage bag tie to attach the balloon to the double sided tape. This is preferred if you are going outside in the wind.
A Highway
black sweatsuit
yellow craft paint or yellow tape
small plastic toy cars
Paint two solid yellow lines down the middle of the shirt, or use 2 inch pieces of yellow tape. Glue on plastic cars.
Laundry Basket
hooded sweatsuit, any color
small round laundry basket
string
odd socks
armful of clothing
empty detergent bottle
empty fabric softener bottle
Cut a hole in the bottom of the laundry basket to fit to child's body. Attach twin strings to act as suspenders to hold the basket up. Fill it with clothes and empty detergent bottles.
Static Cling
Mismatched clothes
safety pins
dryer sheets
socks
small towels
hair gel
Wear any kind of mismatched clothes, pin one pant leg up, pin dryer sheets on you as well as socks, small towels, etc. Use hair gel to make your hair look like it has static.
Punk rocker
black pants
leather jacket
colored hair spray
sunglasses
hair gel
hair spray
Use hair gel and hair spray to tease hair into crazy spikes. Color.
Priest
black pants
black button-down shirt
black shoes
white posterboard
rosary
bible
Create a priest's collar from white posterboard and insert into front collar area of shirt. Works best if you use a shirt that has the same type of self-faced collar as priests wear, or you could tuck under the collar points for a similar effect. Add rosary and bible. Especially a cute costume for a boy who is constantly in trouble!
Crayon
any color sweatsuit
matching color construction paper or posterboard
black marker
Paint the word "crayon" sideways in black, and use the same color construction paper to make your pointed hat. Staple a string on it and tie it under your neck to keep it secure, you can paint your face the same color too.
About the Author
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is also the owner of FamilyCorner.com Magazine at
http://familycorner.com Subscribe to her free holiday newsletter, Family Holidays, by sending any email message to mailto:holidays-on@mail-list.com or by filling out the form on the left side of this article
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