Five quick easy Halloween Costumes you can whip up in an afternoon!

Life sometimes puts way more on our plates than we can manage. Just as you’re recovering from back to school frenzy and are reintegrating driving kids here and there for after school activities, Halloween is upon you before you know it. If you’ve got a few kids to costume up, it can run into some money. If you’re short on time, money or both, here are five quick easy Halloween Costumes you can make yourself in just a couple of hours. A trip to the dollar store for a few nifty accessories and you’ve got some happy trick or treaters. These costumes are a hit with young children.

The quintessential costume is the ghost. Yes, the plain white sheet is the main part of this costume, but your ghost needn’t be a plain Jane or Joe. This is a styled out ghost, cool as can be. Arrange the sheet over the child so that it’s evenly distributed by length and width. Ask the child to point to each eye – they think this is silly and it adds to the fun. Take a marker and draw circles, big enough for clear viewing. Trim the hem as necessary. Pin armhole openings, loose enough to allow easy movement. Remove the sheet. With a glue gun, attach sequins or beads around the eye holes and day-glow stickers everywhere. Stitch the armhole openings. You’re done!

Your little princess will feel like a real Princess in this Halloween Costumes. You can find the basic dress at a thrift shop. Look for a special occasion dress. Let your child do the choosing of color and style. A stop at the fabric shop will yield all the trims, lace, appliques and satin flowers you’ll need to make this dress truly special. A rhinestone tiara completes the picture perfect Princess costume.

Little girls invariably want to be an angel at least once! Again, it’s easy to find a white, special occasion dress at thrift shops. The fabric shop supplies more adornments. Use a spray adhesive to make sprinkles of glitter stick, as desired.

SpongeBob Square Pants(TM) is a funny looking guy popular with boys. All you need is a rectangular cardboard box and some acrylic paint. For authenticity, Google an image of this character. Mark the eye and mouth openings and paint away. This quick easy Halloween costume goes faster when your child participates in the painting, which he’ll want to do!

A pair of jeans, a plaid shirt and a few dollar store accessories are all you need for the cowboy or cowgirl costume. With a hat, six-shooter belt and inexpensive boots, your kid is ready to rustle up some treats!

No matter which of these quick easy Halloween costumes you choose, attach reflective, glittery or glow-in-the-dark doo-dads for safety’s sake. A little imagination and a few hours is all you need for a Happy Halloween!