Written By Bethany Harper Roth, MFHD
There are two kinds of parents in this world. The kind that started hand sewing their child’s Halloween costume back in April, and the kind who just googled “quick and easy halloween costumes” because your kid needs a book character costume for school. By tomorrow morning.
Yeah, I see you. This post is for the latter.
I tend to specialize in these Quick & Easy Guides because my family is a real throw-it-together-at-the-last-minute kind of family, too. So fear not. We can work with whatever’s in your child’s closet.
Pete the Cat
Dark denim blue jeans, yellow tshirt, and some blue cutout cat ears. Draw and cut some oversized buttons on some construction paper and hot glue them to the shirt.
Draw a nose and whiskers on with mom’s eyeliner. Bonus points if you’ve got white converse!
The Mouse, from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Gray long sleeved shirt and blue overalls. Mouse ears. Tennis shoes.
Draw a nose and whiskers on with mom’s eyeliner.
Print and cut a clip art chocolate chip cookie for the overalls pocket, and boom, you’re done.
Spookley the Square Pumpkin
I always keep the Amazon boxes that my purchases come in. They typically come in really handy around Christmastime, when I always need extra boxes for wrapping.
A couple of years ago, I was teaching kindergarten when Spookley the Square Pumpkin was all the rage on Netflix. Little did my students know, that Spookley originally came from a book.
So I ripped out one of those large amazon boxes, spray painted it orange, and drew a face on it. I wore it around all day with my pumpkin headband and won first place at the teacher luncheon costume contest!
Crayons, from The Day The Crayons Quit
Pick a color! Any color. Pick a tshirt and leggings in the same color, print and glue a crayola logo on the front, and top with a pointy hat in the same color. If you don’t have a hat, you can fold some construction paper into a party hat shape and call it a day.
Got 2 days? You can literally have the whole costume delivered from Amazon for under $20.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Green stripey shirt. Dark green leggings or jeans. Red beanie, with yellow circles cut and glued for eyes. Bonus points if you add antennae. (His are purple.)
Wilbur, Charlotte’s Web
Fully pink ensemble, plus a pig nose and some ears. Easy peasy.
Junie B. Jones
Junie B. is a sassy, sarcastic, and somewhat sloppy grade-schooler, so any slouchy looking girly ensemble will do. But if you’re looking to nail her classic look, she can be found in a pink sweater, a purple skirt, white knee high socks, and mary janes. Top it off with an oversized bow headband, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Clifford or Emily Elizabeth, from Clifford
Clifford is super easy. Fully red ensemble, plus a red beanie with some red droopy ears cut and glued from construction paper.
For Emily Elizabeth, leave your daughter’s hair down, clothe her in a white shirt, pink cardigan, and a black skirt. Give her some striped knee socks and black ballet flats. Let her carry her stuffed Clifford to school for bonus points.
Rainbow Fish
The key to this outfit is teal. Get a teal shirt and some kind of teal or purple leggings or skirt. Cut some scale shapes out of teal, green, pink, or purple construction paper and glue them to the shirt.
Llama Llama
Llama Llama’s outfit itself is quite simple. Get a red pajama set or some green overalls with an orange undershirt.
The llama part is a little trickier. I’m in love with this alpaca hat that creates the llama look.
Corduroy
This is the easiest costume! Brown shirt, green overalls, and bear ears.
Draw on a nose and some whisker dots with mom’s eyeliner and you’re good to go.
Cat in the Hat
Black pants or leggings. White tshirt. Black cardigan.
Add a red scarf or a red bow tie. Use that eyeliner for a nose and whiskers. Then, top it off with the classic hat.
Harry Potter
If your kids are a little older, bust out your old black graduation gown. Pair it with a scarf that matches the color of their favorite house, give them a wand, and they’re set.
Matilda
Matilda is an easy costume because she’s basically just a school girl. Her classic ensemble consists of a blue dress (sometimes a blazer and a pleated skirt), white tights or knee high socks, and mary janes. She’s also always seen with a red bow headband, and several books in hand. That’s what makes her such a great choice for book character day!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
The key to this is brown. Brown leggings and a brown shirt. Cut some bubble letters out of many different colors of construction paper and glue it to the ensemble.
Add a green hat, headband, or scrunchie to top the coconut tree, and you’re done!
As parents, we’re well versed in last-minute day saving. And the night before Halloween at school is no exception.
Share with us what’s worked for you last minute on Halloween, or if you use something from this list, be sure to send us a pic!
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Bethany Harper Roth, MFHD
Bethany Harper Roth is a Child & Family Specialist based out of Nashville, TN. She holds 2 degrees in Child & Family Development and Early Childhood Education from Missouri State University. Bethany has research published in social & emotional development, has spoken at numerous Childhood Mental & Emotional Health Conferences, and is a licensed educator who has worked with children for over 15 years.
Based on the information provided in the article, it seems that the author is a parent who specializes in quick and easy Halloween costumes for children. The author mentions that their family is also a "throw-it-together-at-the-last-minute" kind of family, indicating that they have experience in creating costumes with items readily available at home. The author also mentions winning a costume contest at a teacher luncheon, suggesting that they have firsthand experience in creating unique and creative costumes.
Now, let's provide information related to the concepts used in the article:
Quick and Easy Halloween Costumes:
The article provides several ideas for quick and easy Halloween costumes for children. These costumes are based on popular book characters and can be created using items that are commonly found at home. Some of the costume ideas mentioned in the article include:
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Pete the Cat: This costume requires dark denim blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt, blue cutout cat ears, and oversized buttons made from construction paper. A nose and whiskers can be drawn on with eyeliner, and white converse shoes can be added for bonus points.
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The Mouse, from "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie": This costume requires a gray long-sleeved shirt, blue overalls, mouse ears, tennis shoes, and a nose and whiskers drawn on with eyeliner. A clip art chocolate chip cookie can be printed and cut out to be glued onto the overalls pocket.
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Spookley the Square Pumpkin: This costume can be created using an orange spray-painted Amazon box with a face drawn on it. A pumpkin headband can be worn to complete the look.
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Crayons, from "The Day The Crayons Quit": This costume involves picking a color and wearing a t-shirt and leggings in that color. A crayola logo can be printed and glued onto the front of the t-shirt. A pointy hat in the same color can be added, or a construction paper party hat can be folded.
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar: This costume requires a green stripey shirt, dark green leggings or jeans, a red beanie with yellow circles glued for eyes, and optional antennae.
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Wilbur, from "Charlotte's Web": This costume involves wearing a fully pink ensemble, a pig nose, and some ears.
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Junie B. Jones: This costume can be created using a slouchy-looking girly ensemble. For the classic look, a pink sweater, a purple skirt, white knee-high socks, mary janes, and an oversized bow headband can be worn.
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Clifford or Emily Elizabeth, from "Clifford": For Clifford, a fully red ensemble is required, along with a red beanie and red droopy ears made from construction paper. For Emily Elizabeth, a white shirt, pink cardigan, black skirt, striped knee socks, black ballet flats, and a stuffed Clifford can be carried.
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Rainbow Fish: This costume requires a teal shirt and teal or purple leggings or skirt. Scale shapes made from teal, green, pink, or purple construction paper can be glued onto the shirt.
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Llama Llama: This costume can be created using a red pajama set or green overalls with an orange undershirt. An alpaca hat can be worn to create the llama look.
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Corduroy: This costume involves wearing a brown shirt, green overalls, bear ears, and drawing a nose and whisker dots with eyeliner.
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Cat in the Hat: This costume requires black pants or leggings, a white t-shirt, a black cardigan, a red scarf or bow tie, and a classic hat. A nose and whiskers can be drawn on with eyeliner.
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Harry Potter: For this costume, an old black graduation gown can be paired with a scarf that matches the color of the child's favorite house. A wand can also be added.
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Matilda: This costume involves wearing a blue dress (sometimes with a blazer and pleated skirt), white tights or knee-high socks, mary janes, a red bow headband, and carrying several books.
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: This costume requires brown leggings and a brown shirt. Bubble letters made from different colors of construction paper can be glued onto the ensemble. A green hat, headband, or scrunchie can be added to represent the coconut tree.
These are just a few examples of quick and easy Halloween costumes for children based on popular book characters. The article provides more details and suggestions for each costume idea. Remember, the key is to use items that are readily available at home and to get creative with what you have. Happy Halloween!
