When it comes to Halloween crafts, one supply always saves the day: pipe cleaners. They’re cheap, easy to find, and bend into just about any shape your kids can dream up. For Halloween, that means spooky spiders, silly skeletons, mini pumpkins, and even colorful BOO signs. The best part? Pipe cleaner crafts don’t require tons of prep or expensive supplies—just a little creativity and a lot of imagination
In our house, Halloween is a big deal. We decorate, carve pumpkins, and set aside time every week in October to make something crafty. Pipe cleaner projects are always a hit because my kids love twisting and shaping them into silly (sometimes spooky) creations. Plus, they double as decorations for windows, mantels, and even trick-or-treat night.
Why You’ll Love Pipe Cleaner Halloween Crafts
- Budget-friendly – A bag of pipe cleaners from the dollar store can make a whole haunted house full of crafts.
- Perfect for all ages – Toddlers, preschoolers, and older kids can all enjoy twisting and bending pipe cleaners.
- Fine motor skill booster – Great for strengthening little hands while keeping kids entertained.
- Double duty – Fun craft time and ready-made Halloween decorations all in one.
- Mess-free – No paint spills or glue explosions required (unless you want to add them).
Pipe Cleaner Halloween Crafts
1. Boo Sign Craft
This BOO sign craft is colorful, fun, and super easy to make with just pipe cleaners. Twist pipe cleaners together into letters and connect them to spell out “BOO”—perfect for hanging on the wall or adding to your Halloween décor.
2. Skeleton Craft
Kids will love twisting pipe cleaners into a spooky skeleton shape. Make one or a whole crew, then string them together into a garland for an easy, lightweight Halloween decoration.
3. Spiderweb Craft
This spiderweb craft starts with a few simple twists and turns but ends up looking impressively spooky. Add a pipe cleaner spider on top, and you’ve got the perfect Halloween window or mantelpiece decoration.
4. Spider Craft
Nothing says Halloween like a creepy crawly spider, and pipe cleaners are perfect for shaping eight bendy legs. Glue on some googly eyes for extra spookiness, and let your kids scatter their spiders all around the house.
5. Beaded Pumpkin Craft
Kids will love stringing orange beads onto pipe cleaners to make mini pumpkins. Add a green pipe cleaner stem, and you’ve got a festive fall decoration that’s also a sneaky fine motor activity.
6. Witch’s Broomstick Craft
Turn pipe cleaners into mini broomsticks with just a few twists. These make a great stand-alone craft or the perfect prop for tiny Halloween figurines.
7. Straw Pumpkin Fine Motor Craft
This activity combines pipe cleaners and straws to create textured little pumpkins. It’s a fantastic fine motor challenge for preschoolers and looks adorable once finished.
8. Spider Threading Colour Matching Activity
Part craft, part game—kids weave pipe cleaners through a web and match colors as they go. It’s a fun way to sneak in some color recognition practice while keeping the Halloween theme alive.
Pipe cleaner Halloween crafts are the ultimate win for parents and teachers. They’re easy to set up, low on mess, and endlessly flexible—you can make decorations, toys, or even learning activities with just a handful of pipe cleaners. Whether you’re looking for a quick after-school activity or a classroom project, these crafts are guaranteed to bring out the spooky creativity in your little ones.
So stock up on pipe cleaners this fall, set out a pile for your kids, and watch as they twist, bend, and shape their way into the Halloween spirit!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
