DIY Halloween Decorations You Can Actually Pull Off (Even With Kids “Helping”)

Easy DIY Halloween decorating guide with kid friendly crafts, balloon arches, spooky snack stations and simple styling tips for a fun home party.

Halloween in Australia has gone from “a few kids in costumes” to full blown neighbourhood events. The good news is you do not need a movie-sized budget to make your place look amazing. With a mix of crafty DIY ideas and a few smart buys, you can turn your home into a spooky showstopper that still feels fun and family friendly.

This guide walks you through easy DIY Halloween decorations for indoors and outdoors, how to style your snack station, and simple activities the kids can help with. Along the way, you can tap into ready made Halloween party supplies and decorations so you are not cutting and gluing everything from scratch at midnight. Start with a few staple party supplies, then layer your DIY ideas over the top.

Step 1: Choose Your Halloween Vibe

Before you start cutting cardboard into tombstones, decide what “level of spooky” works for your family and your guests. Once you pick a mood, choosing colours, props and costumes becomes much easier and you will avoid that “everything looks random” feeling.

• Cute and kid friendly – think smiling pumpkins, pastel ghosts, friendly bats and bright colours.
• Classic Halloween – orange, black and purple, spiderwebs, pumpkins and witches.
• Full haunted house – darker lighting, faux cobwebs, creepy silhouettes and jump scares (best for older kids and adults).

Create a colour palette first: maybe orange and black, neon green and purple, or even black and gold for a more stylish look. You can build your base with core party decorations like banners, garlands and tableware, then layer your DIY pieces on top. If you want your whole set-up to match, solid colour ranges like red party supplies, blue party supplies and gold party supplies make it easy to stay on theme.

DIY Front Yard And Porch Ideas

Your front entrance sets the tone for trick or treaters. You want something that looks impressive from the street but is still quick to put together on the day of your party. Focus on height, lighting and a few eye-catching details near the door.

Balloon Bat Arch At The Front Door

Balloon garlands look fancy but they are surprisingly achievable when you break them down into steps. Start with a ready made strip or balloon tape, or use a simple fishing line. Inflate a mix of orange, purple and black balloons and tie them onto the strip in clusters.

Once your garland is full, curve it around the doorway, letterbox or fence line. Cut out bat shapes from black cardboard and tape them onto the balloons so it looks like a swarm flying around your front door. If you want to save time, pair your DIY pieces with a kit from the balloon arches and garlands range so all the tricky parts are already sorted. A few loose balloons tied to the letterbox finishes the look.

Cardboard Graveyard On The Lawn

A DIY graveyard is a brilliant low cost way to fill space and get big impact. Use old packing boxes or foam board and cut out tombstone shapes. Paint them grey and add cracks and moss detail with darker paint or texta. Write silly epitaphs like “Here lies my homework” or “RIP screen time” for a more light hearted take that kids will love.

To give the area extra presence, you can add a creepy character or two. A stand up character from the life size cardboard cutouts section instantly makes the yard feel like a scene from a movie and doubles as a fun photo spot. Scatter a few battery candles along the path and you have an instant “haunted front yard” without needing expensive animatronics.

Turn Your Living Room Into A Haunted Hideout

Indoors is where you can control the lighting, sound and small details that make Halloween unforgettable. Focus on a few key zones: the entry, the main party room and a photo corner. You do not need to decorate every surface – just the spots everyone sees most.

Spooky Ceilings And Doorways

Use crepe streamers, paper fans and hanging shapes to bring the ceiling to life. Mix store bought items from the paper decorations section with DIY bats and ghosts cut from black and white paper. Drape pieces of black tulle or cheesecloth over curtains and bookcases to give everything an aged, cobwebby feel.

Doorways are perfect for “curtains” of ribbon or streamer strips that guests have to walk through. Hang these from a tension rod or masking tape line and layer in a few store bought danglers from the hanging decorations range for extra texture. Finish with a spooky banner or two from banners so every entrance feels like part of the haunted house.

Instant Halloween Photo Wall

One of the easiest wins for a Halloween party is a simple backdrop where everyone can snap photos. You do not need to paint a mural. Choose a bold scene setter or curtain design from the party backdrops collection, tape it to the wall and add some fairy lights or battery candles at the base.

Put a basket of props next to it so guests can grab silly glasses, hats and signs. The photo booth props category has everything from speech bubbles to themed masks that suit kids and adults. For little ones, mix in favourites like Bluey party supplies or Peppa Pig party supplies so nervous party guests feel more comfortable jumping in front of the camera.

DIY Snack Station That Looks “Pinterest Level”

The food table is where you can really lean into your Halloween theme without too much effort. A few clever serving ideas and simple crafts can turn everyday snacks into something special. Think of it as your “spooky grazing table” – fun to look at and easy for guests to help themselves.

Build A Spooky Sweet Bar

Start with a dark tablecloth, then add height using boxes disguised with black fabric or patterned paper. Fill clear jars from the lolly jars range with orange, black and purple treats from lollies and candy. Stick hand written labels on each jar with names like “Spider Eggs” for chocolate balls or “Witch Teeth” for white lollies.

Individual serves are perfect for kids parties. Layer jelly, mousse or chocolate soil in mini dessert cups, then top with gummy worms for “graveyard dirt cups”. A tiered stand from the cake stands section helps you stack cupcakes and cookies without crowding the table and creates that dramatic dessert bar look.

Easy Halloween Baking Shortcuts

You do not need to be a professional cake decorator to impress your guests. Pick up basic supplies from cake decorating supplies and keep the designs simple. Use themed sprinkles, coloured buttercream and fun piping tips from the edible cupcake and cake decorations collection to turn plain cupcakes into monster faces, pumpkins or spiderwebs.

Top your main cake with a themed topper so you get instant height and drama with almost no effort. Browse the cake toppers range and match it to your overall colour scheme. Finish with sparkly or shaped candles from birthday candles for that final “wow” moment when everyone gathers around to sing.

Costumes, Characters And Photo Ready Looks

Decorations are half the story at Halloween. The other half is who walks through the door. You can lean into your theme by suggesting dress code ideas on the invite, then making it easy for guests to join in. A little planning with costumes means your photos will look like a scene straight out of a movie.

If your kids love superheroes, a heroic dress up theme fits nicely with a city skyline backdrop and comic style decorations. You will find ready made outfits in costumes and accessories, with full looks for little heroes in superhero costumes, plus favourites like Batman costumes and Avengers costumes.

For adults, keep it simple with capes, masks and headbands from the accessories section so guests can throw something on as they arrive. Display these near your photo wall and people will naturally grab them before posing for a picture. If your party has younger guests as well, you can mix in soft themed options like Barbie party supplies or unicorn party supplies to keep things sweet rather than scary.

Fun DIY Activities Kids Can Help With

Half the fun of Halloween is in the lead up. Turn some of your decorating jobs into craft activities so the kids feel proud when they see their creations on party day. Choose ideas that use simple materials and do not need fancy tools.

Paper Plate Ghosts And Pumpkins

Give each child a white paper plate and have them draw ghost faces with black markers. Punch a hole at the top and hang them from the ceiling or along a wall. Do the same with orange plates for pumpkins. A roll of string and a packet of plates from the plates section will go a long way and you can recycle the plates once the party is over.

DIY Trick Or Treat Boxes

Instead of standard lolly bags, let kids decorate their own treat containers. Start with plain boxes or bags from the lolly bags and boxes range. Provide stickers, markers and cut out shapes so they can create monster faces or haunted houses on the front. Line them up on your lolly table ready to be filled at the end of the party.

Simple Party Games With A Spooky Twist

You do not have to reinvent the wheel for Halloween games. Classic activities with a spooky twist work beautifully for mixed age groups. Musical statues becomes “frozen zombies” and pass the parcel becomes “hot pumpkin”. Browse the party games category for ready to play options you can mix with your own DIY ideas. Finish the party with a themed piñata from piñatas for a big, exciting finale.

Low Effort Touches That Make A Big Difference

Once the big pieces are in place, small details will pull your Halloween look together. These finishing touches take just a few minutes but make the whole space feel styled and intentional.

• Bunting and banners – hang a simple “Happy Halloween” or themed banner from the birthday decorations section above your food table for an instant focal point.
• Confetti and table scatter – sprinkle themed confetti around your centrepieces. It fills empty space without blocking plates and cups.
• Tableware that matches the mood – choose paper plates, cups and napkins from paper plates, paper cups and paper napkins that pick up your main colours so the whole table looks coordinated.

Putting It All Together

The key to stress free Halloween decorating is to mix clever DIY ideas with ready made pieces. Choose one or two hero projects, like a balloon arch or cardboard graveyard, then support them with store bought items that save you time. Build your base with staples like balloons, tableware and banners, then let the kids loose on simple crafts that add personality to every corner.

Whether you are hosting a full costume party or a low key trick or treat stop, these DIY Halloween decoration ideas will help you create a space that feels fun, inviting and totally on theme. With a few smart shortcuts and the right mix of party supplies, you will be free to enjoy the night instead of spending it refilling sticky tape and searching for scissors. Turn up the spooky playlist, switch on the pumpkin lights and get ready to make Halloween memories that the kids will talk about for years.