17 clever DIY Halloween costumes you can make!

17 DIY creative and clever Halloween costumes for kids and teens. #7 gets my most creative award! Now why didn’t I think of that? The minimalist Cinderella princess costume is my favorite costume idea for a group of teen girl friends! But there are lots of great ideas in this list of DIY Halloween costumes.

It can be so, so tempting to just order an inexpensive costume off of Amazon. They are much better costumes than the cheap plastic ones you could buy when I was a kid. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone. I have been known to do that once or twice!

But it’s so much more fun when you make your own. Or mom (or dad) makes your costume! I’ve scored the inter-webs to bring you the best 17 clever and creative ideas for DIY Halloween costumes. They’ll be fun to make. And make you (and your kid) proud!

TIP!! Having trouble finding just the right color shirt or pants for your DIY Halloween costume? Dye them! RIT Dye, the trusted brand I first saw my mom use – ahem – maybe 40 years ago, is available on Amazon.

Clever and Creative DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids (of all ages)

1. Easy and fast DIY Athena Costume from Mom Behind the Curtain – So easy and comfortable to wear. It would also work for a Greek Goddess costume, especially if your daughter loves the Goddess Girls books.
2. DIY Groot ears from My Crazy Goodlife – I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy 2 this weekend and Baby Groot is just cute! That’s all there is to it. These ears would make a cute costume when a more elaborate one would get in the way. Or you could just do Baby Groot in leaves on a headband. You could even pair it with the #14 No-sew Leaf Girl Halloween costume, below.
3. Big Troll Hair DIY – Easy to Make Costume Piece! from Fleece Fun – Big and PINK. How fun!
4. Star Wars BB-8 Costume from Desert Chica – So clever! And light-weight.
5. Halloween: Martian and Astronaut Sibling Costumes from See Vanessa Craft – This is a pretty martian costume worthy of any little ballerina.
6. Easy Cinderella Costume Shirt Tutorial from rae gun ramblings – Add a dress-up crown and these would make fantastic sister or friend costumes for a group of teen girls. Like these Disney Princess tiaras on Amazon with 2-day shipping. They’ll be comfy in their own jeans and look so cute!
7. Yummiest Homemade Mac and Cheese Costume for Halloween from Coolest Homemade Costumes – So clever! Of all of the costumes here, I think this one gets the most clever award.
8. Snail Costume from Oh Happy Day – Adorable! And it’s made mostly from paper. Talk about inexpensive!
9. Sea Anemone Costume from Mighty Girl – This just goes to prove that the mind of a child is best at coming up with clever costumes. Nestle a little stuffed clownfish in it, and the problem of the costume identity is solved! You could also call it a Finding Nemo costume. I found several cute stuffed clownfish on Amazon that are inexpensive and available with 2-day shipping! There’s even this one that comes on a headband that would be perfect! Or try one of these tropical fish balloons and it can “swim” in the anemone.
10. Cool Jet Pack Illusion Costume from Coolest Homemade Costumes – This IS cool, or rather hot. Great for teen boys who might be hesitant to wear a costume because it’s not “cool.”
11. Umbrella Bat Costume – Easy to follow, no sew instructions from Mother Natured– An umbrella! Now why didn’t I think of that?
12. Baby Gumball Machine Costume from Costume Works – So cute I could just eat her up!
13. Infant Cactus Costume from Happiest Camper – Adorable! For anyone who’s ever wanted to cuddle a cute little cactus. Actually, this would easily scale up to any size.
14. No-Sew Leaf Girl Halloween Costume from Alpha Mom – Who would have thought a shredded t-shirt would be so pretty? My girls just love flower crowns! Add a flower crown, like these from Amazon, for a woodland fairy costume.
15. Starbucks Vanilla Latte Costume from Costume Works – What is it with teen girls are Starbucks? This Starbucks Latte costume is sure to be a hit with their crowd.
16. DIY Sheriff Callie Horse by Desert Chica would make any little cowgirl happy!
17. Star Trek Halloween Costume for Kids from Tried and True – Star Trek is timeless! At least in our geeky family.

BONUS!!! I don’t really consider this costume clever, but the geekiness made me think of it. If we’re going to “think geek” then we can’t forget Star Wars! It’s so easy to pull together this Star Wars Luke Skywalker DIY costume. My son was a Jedi more than one year. Even my daughter was a Jedi once for Halloween, long before Rey got to star in a movie.

I hope these creative DIY costumes get your ideas flowing! While you’re thinking Halloween, don’t forget to check out my other great Halloween ideas for easy and fun Halloween party food and Halloween crafts.