Scott (3) has finally decided crafts with Mom are fun. Yay! And since Ben (1) wants to be involved in everything, I’m looking for simple things the three of us can do together. This ghost craft met all my requirements and the boys loved it! My requirements for a simple, toddler friendly craft include 1. easy to manage mess, 2. hands on experience, 3. focus on the process of the craft, and 4. supplies I have on hand.
Materials for this Ghost Craft
- black construction paper
- chalk
- white tempera paint
- pom pom balls
- buttons for ghost eyes or googly eyes
Preparations Needed for this Ghost Craft
- I cut the black paper in half.
- I drew a white ghost outline on each paper with chalk.
- I made my own ghost ahead of time as an example. I had SO much fun painting with the pom poms.
The only part of this prep that I did ahead of time was to make the example ghost craft. Cutting the paper, drawing the ghost, setting out the paint and pom poms, I did all of that while the boys excitedly followed me around. We talked about the colors and the different parts of getting the ghost craft ready. It was actually a great vocabulary building experience for doing the actual craft. Scott was able to follow directions very well because he knew all the parts of the process and was ready to go. It also gave lots and lots of exposure to new words (dab the pom pom) which is super important for kids to learn and be able to say new words.
I loved watching their little hands manipulate the pom poms. Ben is gaining so much control over his fine motor movements (using the muscles in his fingers and hands). After the boys were finished painting with their pom poms we hung them up to dry and cleaned up our mess. We came back a few days later and glued on the eye balls. I hadn’t originally planned on adding the eyes, but since they painted over the eyes I had drawn, I felt like they needed something more to really look like ghosts.
Their ghosts are so cute hanging up in the art room. My mother-in-law made a cute display area on one wall. It’s a black board with giant clothes pin clips that she painted and modge podged with matching scrapbook paper. There is a clip for each child. I love that Ben is now old enough to have his own creations that hang there!
More Fun Ghost Craft Projects for Little Ones
Ghost Craft Tutorial from No Time for Flashcards
Cotton Ball Ghost Craft for Toddlers to Make from Happy Hooligans
Popsicle Stick Ghosts {Kid Craft} from Glued to My Crafts
Pencil Eraser Ghost Craft for Halloween from Crafty Morning
Spinning Ghosts Tutorial and Free Pattern from One Creative Mommy