22 Thrifty Halloween Ideas for Kids
Half term is approaching for most of the UK, and for a lot of parents that means time to fill entertaining the kids which can add up to a great deal of expense. Below I list some of my favourite thrifty Halloween ideas for activities in and out of the house – as well as money saving tips for Halloween days out.
As well as sharing my own ideas for Halloween on a budget, I’ve reached out to other bloggers to bring you 22 thrifty Halloween ideas for kids this half term. From days out on a budget to crafts and baking, we’ve got you covered!
Read on to discover our favourite ideas for Halloween on a budget.
Pumpkin picking and carving
Pumpkin picking seems to be more popular than ever in the UK, certainly in my local area there seem to be more and more farms offering pumpkins fresh from the fields, as well as assorted Halloween activities. Depending on the cost of entry, this can be a very reasonably priced day out.
I’m very lucky that we live on a farm that grows pumpkins so we can pick our own from the comfort of our own “back yard”! However, there are a couple of local farms that I love visiting and would recommend if you are in the Cheshire / Merseyside / Manchester areas.
Kenyon Hall Farm, Croft, Warrington
Of course, if you just want the pumpkin you could pick one up for £2 or less from a supermarket or farm shop. Grab a pumpkin carving kit and you’re good to go!
You could carve into a traditional Jack O’ Lantern face, or get creative searching the internet for images and video tutorials. Here’s some great tips on pumpkin carving.
Save money on days out with KidsPass
KidsPass is a fantastic money saving app with discounts on a range of theme parks, days out, restaurants and more. You can get up to 40% off cinema tickets and this works even if the tickets are just for adults!
Thrifty Halloween baking
Baking is a relatively cheap activity that kids of all ages love. I’ve asked a few fellow bloggers for their favourite Halloween recipes:
Halloween Bark from Sophobsessed.com – This looks AMAZING! We had a go at making this and now it’s become one of our favourites.
Teacake spider treats from the Gingerbread House – these look yummy and so simple. And who doesn’t love a Tunnock’s teacake!
Orange Jelly Pumpkins from Mybump2baby.com – again these look so simple and super cute!
Healthy Halloween Muffins from In the Playroom – a fantastic idea to use up some of the pumpkins, and healthy to boot!
We love these cute Halloween cookie cutters for making spooky treats.
Thrifty Halloween Crafts
Crafting is a cheap activity that gets kids using their creative skills. As a computing teacher, I’m going to offer you a – shock horror- iPad based activity!!
The iPad gets a bad reputation, but it is the way you use it that matters and there is a great deal of creativity in using the right apps. Obviously this is only a cheap option if you already own an iPad/iPhone!
Make spooky digital photo collages for Halloween using Pic Collage
1.Download the free app Pic Collage
2. Take a photo of a face, an animal or even an object. This could be a new photo or one from the camera roll or internet.
3. Using the search function (magnifying glass in blue circle), search for features such as “Pirate hat clear background” “cartoon eyes/nose/mouth clear background”(adding the words “clear background” prevents getting an image with a background behind it)
4. Add the features / accessories to the photograph. If you have access to a printer, you could print out and add further crafty embellishments or use for a greetings card. No printer or ink? Email the collage to a willing recipient!
This is simple enough for my 3 year old to do it with support; older children can get much more creative and imaginative!
More thrifty halloween craft ideas for kids:
Jo from ARoseTintedWorld has many fabulous thrifty Halloween craft ideas in this post – I can’t wait to try some of them out!
Apple Bobbing from Lesbemums – such a cheap and simple idea and great for Halloween!
Make ghost bunting from Daisiesandpie.co.uk – another very cheap and simple idea, I think we will be trying this out this week.
Halloween Q Tip painting from The Gingerbread House – this tutorial comes with some free printables and introduces children to the concept of Pointilism.
Want more free printables? Here’s some Halloween cut out paper crafts from In the Playroom. These look super cute! While these Halloween paper crafts from Messy Little Monster are great if you want to colour in and customise your Halloween characters.
We also love these cute Halloween house craft kits from Baker Ross for some low cost Halloween fun.
If you’re feeling adventurous, this Paper Mache Pumpkin Tutorial from We Made This Life looks fantastic I. know my daughter would love to get messy making this!
Ghost and Bat Halloween Bunting from BlueBearwood – This is so simple and repurposes eggboxes in a really clever way. We will definitely be trying this one out!
This Origami Witch’s Hat Tutorial from The Gingerbread House looks great and a new one for us to try out this half term.
Finally, this Halloween Rock Painting Tutorial from Messy Little Monster looks so effective, it will be another one my daughter will love to try out this year.
Want more Halloween Craft ideas? In this post, TheQueenOfCollage reviews a book of 30 Halloween activities for kids.
Save Money with Cashback
If you’re out and about over half term, make sure you use cashback apps wherever possible to earn money as you spend. I really like Airtime Rewards for getting money off my mobile phone bill, while Topcashback have some great new member offers including these below:
Latest TopCashBack New Member Offers:
Head to the library for Spooky halloween Stories
The library is a fantastic FREE place to use all year round. My 3 year old loves to choose new books each time we visit. Additionally, libraries often have free or low cost story telling and craft activities available, especially over half term. Check your local listings for details.
In this post, Claire from Theladybirdsadventures gives us her top Halloween themed books for young children.
Have a Spooky Halloween Movie Night
This is another great half term idea for when the weather is bad and you just want to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie! Grab a blanket, head for the sofa and snuggle in. Combine with some of the Halloween baking ideas in this post to make sure you have plenty of spooky snacks.
Obviously, we want a spooky but family friendly film. Free channels often put on kid’s Halloween films and TV specials to coincide with half term, but if you have Disney Plus, Anna from In the Playroom rounds up the best family friendly Halloween movies on Disney Plus in 2022.
More Thrifty Halloween Ideas?
Do you have any other suggestions for thrifty Halloween activities? Let me know in the comments. If you are a blogger and have a suggestion to add to this post, please get in touch and I will be happy to include your link.
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I’m taking part in the Mummy Monday linky with Becca from Becca Blogs It Out
You live on a pumpkin farm! That’s so amazing! And your little pumpkin sitting on a pumpkin is so cute! xx
Yes we are very lucky! I loved your pics of the twins with their pumpkins too! x
I loved the article! Thank you for all the Halloween tips!
Thankyou for reading 🙂
We went pumpkin picking yesterday and had a great time! Thanks for the great thrifty Halloween ideas, and thanks for featuring me!