Make a slinky skeleton with the kids this Halloween season
Add a little spooky fun into the afternoon by making a simple (and not too scary) skeleton craft for kids. Keep it classic, or add color and sparkle for Día de los Muertos. Kids of all ages will enjoy creating this friendly bag o’ bones, especially because it adds fun Halloween decor to any home! For more inspiration, check out our favorite Halloween crafts, Halloween treats, and family costume ideas!
Supplies for Your Skeleton Craft
This craft activity is fun, and you probably have almost everything you need at home. Gather the following items: Cardstock quality paper, brass fasteners, pipe cleaners, hole punch, glitter glue, googly eyes, gemstones, markers, ink pens or just about anything else to get a skeleton ready for the holidays.
Skeleton Craft Printable
There are a lot of great (and free) downloadable skeleton templates floating around, so take the time to look for one the kids love. Our pick for an easy download is this happy little guy. His smile and big bones make for easy coloring and decorating; he most definitely won over the artist at our writer's home.
Lay Out the Bones to Decorate
After you've cut out the pieces, lay them out for easy decorating. This is also a great opportunity to squeeze in a little science lesson about bones and the body.
Ears and Eyes and Mouth and Nose
We decided to start with eyes so the skeleton could see "what was going on," but feel free to start decorating anywhere. At this point, kids can go wild with markers, jewels or whatever else they have on hand.
Glitter glue works great for kids who want to create a sugar skull for Día de los Muertos. Add black swirls and lots of color to make it pop.
Punching Time
After everything has dried, grab a hole punch; if there isn't one in the craft box a skewer works well, and make the holes at the designated points on the template.
Get It Together
Using the fasteners (also called brads), attach all the slinky pieces to one another. If the fasteners are too long, fold them up on the backside of the skeleton to conceal them.
Silly Dancing Bones
Finally, this slinky skeleton is ready for action. Create a wall hook with a fun colored pipe cleaner; attach it with glue or punch a hole at the top of the skull and loop through. This craft will be a perfect decoration to pull out year after year, and you can even have the kids create a new one each year!
