4 Halloween Costumes Teachers Can Easily Make For Students Who Don’t Have One

With Halloween rapidly approaching, many students are scrambling to find the perfect mask or the scariest zombie outfit. They’re dressing up as superheroes, witches, TV show characters, and more… but what happens if a student shows up to school on parade day without a costume?

Perhaps they forgot to pack theirs, or maybe their families simply didn’t have the means to buy one. Either way, if you feel compelled to help out (like any teacher would!) be prepared with these ideas below. Not only are they quick, but they’re also made out of classroom and household supplies that you probably already have, or really inexpensive items.

What’s your student’s favorite animal? Recreate it with a lightning-fast Halloween mask made with construction paper, scissors, glue, and string. If you’re artistically inclined, draw a few of the animal’s features right onto the paper and cut out spaces for the eyes, or find free printable templates here. (Gotta love Pinterest.)

Make an iPhone keyboard come to life with construction paper, popsicle sticks, and markers. Use yellow paper for smiley faces, and add a popsicle stick via tape for the student to hold it. (Cut out circles, eyes, and smiles beforehand to save time.) Then grab a few markers and encourage your student to embellish. From the heart-eye Emoji to the cry-laughing one, the possibilities are endless.

Witch 

Have your student put their own spin on witchcraft by decorating the iconic black hat. Target and your local dollar store are great places to look for inexpensive hats. Grab one in advance just in case; if no one ends up using it, consider it a mid-day wardrobe change for yourself. Otherwise, encourage your wicked witch to decorate their hat with glitter, stickers, string — whatever you have on hand.

Good luck to you on Halloween — may the sugar be limited and the spirits high. (A teacher can dream, right?!)