If you’re looking for very affordable, economical Halloween decor you could make at home with your kids here it is! It is a great opportunity for kids to go outside and get creative.
Ghost leaves are placed everywhere throughout my house, especially in August’s room. There are a couple of garlands around our living room of ghost + bat leaves and yarn ghost friends. All of it is so cute and easy to make!
Leaf Preparation
Get outdoors! This craft will get you and the kids outside this fall season. Make the scavenger hunt to find maple leaves (if available) a fun one. I recommend any leaves that are wide in size and large enough to see from some feet away!
It’s wonderful to see children connecting with their creative side. This activity could give them a sense of control they’re not always used to.
GHOST LEAF SUPPLIES:
- Washable Kids Safe Paint
- Maple Leaves (If available)
- Paint Brushes
- Water
The second best part of this craft activity: is paint! Get some water, paper (to protect the surface you are painting on), paint, and brushes ready.
Paint the whole front of your leaves white for ghosts, and all black for bats. I had to cut the curved edges off the leaves because it was hard to paint on, or simply ruined the aesthetic lol. So I highly recommend picking out greener leaves, to avoid breakage!
Painting the ghost leaves more or less rustic
Now… I LOVE the rustic look. Which is why I chose not to add too many layers of paint to my leaves. I little by little watered down the color by adding water to my brush before I dipped it into the paint. Hence, the leaf colors are more exposed in between the streaks.
You can paint as many layers as you would like depending on how bold you would like your ghost/bat to be. I suggest letting your ghosts dry for about 15 to 20 minutes after each layer. This could help the base color lay on better while looking less streaky.
Add 3 ovals, 2 eyes, and 1 mouth, as a face at the top of the leaf for ghosts! Add two circles as the eyes and some vampire-like teeth for a bat. The mouth could be painted like the capital letter B, but instead of two curves, you make them pointed.
After the leaves are fully dried, hang them with either double-sided wall-safe tape or double-sided mounting tape!
Hope you enjoyed making these easy DIY ghost + bat leaves for the Halloween season!
