Family Halloween Costume Hacks
Halloween is just around the corner, along with Trick-or-Treat, school and church Trunk-or-Treats, and Halloween parties. You know what’s scarier than ghosts or ghouls? Waiting until the last minute to figure out Halloween costumes for the whole family. With back to school and Labor Day, and fall sports starting again, it’s understandable how Halloween sneaks right up. Before you know it, it’ll be the end of October!
Instead of panicking and enduring unnecessary stress the weekend (or days) before, we’ve curated an easy and affordable list of costume ideas and tips for you. From scary to silly, your whole family is sure to be set this Halloween!
Toy Story Family
Kids and adults alike are drawn to the classic movie, Toy Story. Parents can easily repurpose their wardrobe to go as Woody and Jessie by simply donning jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat. Kids can choose from a number of characters, from Hamm the Piggy Bank to Buzz, or the trio of aliens. This is a great option for families of all sizes, because the options are endless.
Sweet Treats
Get inspiration from the very treats you will be receiving, and send the family out as assorted candy bars. This costume can be affordably assembled by making a sandwich board out of old boxes. Have the kids get to work, either painting or coloring the cardboard to finish it off. If cardboard is too difficult to find or cut, felt is another easy material that is both easy to move in and warm if Trick-or-Treat night is cooler than expected!
Tall, Grande, and Venti
Can’t get enough of your morning brew? Dress the family up in corresponding coffee-cup sizes for a latte fun! Coffee cups can easily be molded from poster board or extra cardboard, and stuffed with tulle to mimic foam. Use a pool floaty noodle as a straw and make sure to spell your name incorrectly on the side of the cup. Why say boo, when you can say brew!
Work with what you have
Want to add a little pizazz to your family costumes? Consider adding in your wagon or stroller to complete the ensemble. For the littlest of family members who may have a hard time keeping up, consider upgrading your wagon to an airplane or space ship for the night. Styrofoam can be cut into the shape of wings or thrusters to give real liftoff. The whole family can dress as corresponding astronauts or pilots. If you want to really outdo yourself, many of the Star Wars ships can be replicated with a little (or a lot of) extra effort.
Fit Together
Everyone loves the game Tetris, so why not send the family as individual pieces who all fit together when standing still? This costume is geared for the older kids, since it is somewhat complicated to navigate walking in a larger than life game piece.
While you won’t need to be an engineer to make this costume, it will take a little ingenuity and time. But the reactions you’ll get from your neighbors will make it well worth it! First, the boxes should all hit (around the shin) at the same place for the whole family, so for the shorter family members, you will need smaller boxes as opposed to longer ones for taller participants. Once you shape the boxes, paint them different colors and add the corresponding lines to make individual blocks. Don’t forget to cut in a hole for you face! Once assembled, test out all the possibilities on how you fit together as a unit.
Use this Halloween to flex your creative muscles, and as an opportunity to do something as a family. Save the stress for after Halloween — when you have to figure out what you should do with all that candy!
