A trick or a treat? On October 31st, you’ll surely hear this phrase from many little ghosts, witches, and pumpkins ringing your doorbell. Halloween may not be as big in France as it is in the United States, but more and more families are using this day as a fun way to entertain their little tribe. A costume suited to the occasion, spooky decorations, and plenty of treats are, of course, essential! In this article, you’ll find all our ideas for creating a DIY Halloween costume for your child, decorating the house, and preparing a snack for the whole family!

What is the origin of Halloween?

Today, Halloween is mainly an occasion to dress up, go trick-or-treating, and get together with friends or family. But where does this tradition come from? This celebration is said to have originated with the Celts over 2,500 years ago. It was then likely brought to the United States by Irish migrants before spreading to us. Indeed, The Halloween tradition is based on the Celtic festival of « Samhain ». During this festival, the Celts not only celebrated their harvests but also believed that, on that evening, the world of the dead came into contact with the world of the living. According to legend, the dead tried to take possession of the souls of the living. To avoid this, people hid or disguised themselves with frightening masks.

The origin of the name Halloween, however, does not come from the Celts, but from Christianity. Indeed, Halloween comes from the English expression « All Hallows’ Evening », meaning « the eve of All Saints’ Day ».

Our DIY Halloween costume ideas for kids

Most children love dressing up, and Halloween is the perfect opportunity to wear their best costume. In stores, you’ll be spoiled for choice with so many options available! But whether you’re crafty or not, you can also easily create a costume using everyday items. Not only will it be custom-made, but also more budget-friendly. Discover our DIY Halloween costume ideas:

Halloween ghost or pumpkin costume

Let's start with the classic Halloween costume: the ghost! All you'll need is a white sheet or tablecloth that you no longer use and a pair of scissors to cut out two holes in the fabric. You can also use a large T-shirt and draw a scary ghost face on the front with fabric markers. Our tip: paint your child's face white so they look completely ghostly.

No white sheet or T-shirt within reach? With orange fabric, you can simply make a blanket pumpkin costume . Just proceed in the same way as for the ghost by drawing a scary face with a marker, like the ones you can find on Halloween pumpkin lanterns .

Halloween mask for children: a bat

For this homemade Halloween costume, you won’t need much. Make a costume bat mask with cardboard, a pair of scissors, and an elastic band. Online, you’ll easily find a pattern to help you cut the mask into the right shape. Then, simply cut two holes on the left and right to thread the elastic through. Make sure the mask fits your child’s head well, especially around the eyes. For the rest of the outfit, choose black clothing. ;)

Halloween costume for baby

Your baby is still too young to go trick-or-treating, but you can still celebrate Halloween together. If you want to dress up your little adventurer, make sure the clothing is made of soft, skin-friendly fabrics like cotton . It must not be too tight and should contain no elements that your little one could swallow . As you’ve surely already noticed, little ones grow at a rapid pace. That’s why it’s not always worth buying a new outfit that will already be too small next year. Take a look on Vinted or Le Bon Coin—you’ll surely find what you’re looking for! It’s even better for the planet ;)

Moreover, there are a multitude of baby pajamas with cute pumpkin or little ghost patterns, and they make a great Baby Halloween outfit . These can be worn even outside of Halloween day, and you’ll surely have the opportunity to resell them.

Our DIY Halloween decoration ideas

Do you like to adapt your interior decor to the seasons? Then you’re probably looking for ideas to add a Halloween touch to your home. The good news is that you can easily create homemade Halloween decorations . Here are our Halloween craft ideas for a spine-chilling setup:

There is, of course, the very classic ... Halloween pumpkin to have at home. You can also plan a decorating workshop with your little adventurer, where the idea is to decorate them with paint or markers. With older children, you can hollow them out and carve scary faces. Have fun customizing pumpkins of all sizes! For example, butternut squash makes a great ghost. Make soups, cakes, or pies with the flesh, and delight both your eyes and taste buds.

With cardboard and colored paper like Canson, it’s easy to make a Homemade Halloween garland to hang in your living room. Simply cut out the shapes you want: a bat, pumpkin, ghost, or spider. To hang it, you have two options:

• Make small holes in the paper to thread a string through

• Attach your different shapes to a string with small wooden pins

Do you have some glass jars lying around the house for recycling? Easily transform them into Halloween lanterns —several options are available to you:

• Paint your jars white with acrylic paint and create scary eyes and a mouth in black. Add a small candle, and you’re equipped with a phantom lantern . Use orange paint to create a pumpkin.

• With a strip of gauze that you wrap around and stick onto your jars, you can easily create a Lantern de momie d'Halloween . Make the mummy’s eyes by cutting out circles from white paper, then drawing a small circle with a black marker. Place your candle inside the lantern.

Our Halloween recipe ideas

For your child’s Halloween meal, focus on seasonal products such as pumpkins, apples, pears, or mushrooms. They’re also perfect for making Halloween-colored purées or compotes and ideal during the early stages of . Here are our ideas to add to the Halloween menu for older children:

Recipe: pumpkin and chocolate chip muffin

Naturally sweet, pumpkin lets you not only sneak a vegetable onto your little one’s plate but also reduce added sugar. Promise—you won’t taste it!

The recipe is as follows:

1. Cut the pumpkin into pieces and steam them for about twenty minutes, then mash into a purée.

2. In a first bowl, beat the egg, then add the milk and oil, and mix gently.

3. In a second bowl, sift the flour and add the baking powder, salt, and cane sugar.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture into the first mixture. Then add the pumpkin purée and chocolate chips. Mix well to obtain a smooth batter.

5. Pour the batter into buttered and floured muffin tins, filling them two-thirds full, then bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes at 180 °C.

6. Take your muffins out of the oven and let them cool.

You can decorate your muffins with Halloween figures made of fondant or chocolate. This recipe is easy to make with four hands—your little wizard will be delighted to take part in this cooking workshop, an activity that’s perfect for developing his .

Recipe: Halloween Ghost Meringues

Craving a little ghostly treat? This recipe will delight all sweet tooths over 24 months old.

The recipe is as follows:

1. Preheat your oven to 100°C.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. As soon as the whites start to foam, gradually add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks are achieved.

3. On a sheet of parchment paper and using a piping bag, make ghost-shaped meringues.

4. Bake your meringues for 1 hour at 100 °C, and check regularly.

5. When cooked, let them cool and draw the eyes and mouth using melted dark chocolate.

For a savory touch, discover our special Halloween butternut soup. You can easily serve it with toast in the shape of a bat, monster, pumpkin, or ghost. Enjoy your meal! We hope these ideas will inspire you!

Enjoy this day with your family by dressing up, doing makeup, cooking, watching a movie, and taking part in activities. Happy Halloween! ;)