EASY HOMEMADE KID COSTUMES

Homemade kid costumes are an easy and affordable alternative to store-bought. With just a little vision and imagination, you can create your own original costumes for pennies!

Start out by surfing the internet for costume ideas, then go in search of the materials to make your unique costume ideas a reality.

FINDING GREAT COSTUME MATERIALS

Take stock of your closets for items that can be transformed into kids costumes. I keep a large plastic storage container filled with used clothes that I view as having "costume potential".

These could include plain oversized sweatshirts and kid-sized sweat suits which can be decorated with fabric paint or tape, stuffed, or cut up as needed. Also, long colorful skirts which can be fashioned into capes.

Old sheets can be dyed or spray painted to make a character's robe and discarded scarves and belts to make a sash or headband, well you get the idea...

Yard sales are another valuable resource for "recyclable" kids costumes and dress-up items, as well as old clothes, such as bridesmaid dresses, old suits and uniforms, belts, shoes, hats, scarves, gloves and even costume jewelry.

Children's resale stores and discount clothing outlets often have used Halloween costumes (probably worn only once) and assorted clothing items that you can purchase at very reasonable prices, too.

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NO SEW KIDS COSTUMES

If you don't sew, you can still make a great homemade costume using these common household items:

Stapler and Masking Tape or Iron-on Tape - for quick hems

Fabric Glue - for adding embellishments

Black Electrical Tape - for creating different looks:

Striped on a yellow raincoat or sweatshirt for a bumble bee,

A circular pattern on a white sweatshirt for a spider web

Place a stripe of white medical tape down a dark pants leg for a police officer or military costume.

Colored Tape makes similar cool effects: See "How to Make a Kids Costume from a Trash Bag"

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PLACARD COSTUMES

Another quick and easy idea for kid costumes is a "placard" costume in which the child wears a hooded sweatshirt and pulls front and back cardboard panels (the placard) on over it.

Placard costumes can be adapted to many different themes, such as:

Ladybug

M & M Chocolate Candy

(two kids of different heights can be "plain" and "peanut"!)

Soccerball, Basketball or Baseball

Apple or Pumpkin

For more GREAT ideas: Click on "Thirty Quick and Easy Kid Costumes"