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Oil Pastel Haunted House Craft For Kids (Free Template)

When Halloween time rolls around, what are the top things you think of? For us, it’s ghosts, haunted houses, pumpkins, and bats!

And what do you know, this haunted house craft for kids has all of those rolled up into one super fun art project!

This project blends paper crafting with oil pastels to create a colorful haunted house scene. 

It’s a perfect way to get little kids involved with Halloween in a fun, non-scary way. On top of that, you’ll also allow your child another opportunity to work on creativity, fine motor skills, and more! 

Read or watch the video below to see how to make this Halloween art project with your kids or students! Also, if you want more ideas, check out these Halloween crafts for kids!

Haunted House Art Project

oil pastel haunted house image collage with the words haunted house craft

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Supplies

  • Watercolor paper or White art paper
  • Oil pastels
  • Colored card stock (in black and yellow/orange)
  • White card stock 
  • Baby Oil
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick 
  • Haunted house template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

Download the haunted house template and print it onto the corresponding colored card stock. Cut the pieces out that you want to use. 

Start making the background by using yellow and orange oil pastels to create a large moon in the sky.


Fill in the background with the shade of your choice. In this example, we used a light orange all over the background. Then we went over the light orange with a dark orange around the edges. Finally, we used a dark orange-red at the very edges of the paper.

Blend the oil pastels together by dipping the paintbrush in a tiny bit of baby oil and blending the edges into the center of the art paper.

Wipe the paintbrush clean and blend the moon together with baby oil as well. Let dry completely before moving on. 

Begin building the fence by gluing the thin, black rectangle about 1″ from the bottom of the paper, on either side of the house. 

Glue the fence pickets on top of the black rectangles.

Now it’s time to assemble the haunted house! Use the glue stick to secure the haunted house onto the background.

Glue the windows and doors onto the haunted house.

Add any bats or ghosts you’re using to the scene and glue them in place.

That’s it! This haunted house art project is such a fun Halloween activity for kids. It’s especially fun for kids who have never experimented with oil pastels before. 

Halloween Fun

Want some more fun and educational Halloween printables for your kids? We’ve got you covered! Our Halloween printables bundle has a little bit of everything – from color by number pages to pattern block mats & more. Your kids will have a blast practicing their fine motor skills, counting, letter recognition, and more. It’s packed with 77 pages of fun so there’s lots of variety and learning potential. Your kids will never get bored!

haunted house craft

Oil Pastel Tips

The first thing we learned when doing this craft was that the type of paper you use is so important!

The very first time we did this project we used smooth, white card stock for our background. When we went to blend the oil pastels with the baby oil, it didn’t really work. Instead, the oils sort of separated and had thin spots and chunky spots. It definitely didn’t look great. 

haunted house craft with bat and ghost

The second time we attempted this project we used kids’ art paper. The paper is simply a generic art paper and is much thinner than the card stock we originally used.

The thing that made the oil pastels work better was the tooth of the paper. When we added baby oil we were able to actually get the pastels to blend evenly and create a much smoother gradient than with the card stock. The best paper to use is watercolor paper, but we didn’t have any on hand. 

The moral of the story is to be sure that the paper you use has some texture to it so you are able to blend the pastels after you color them. 

Also remember that if you use too much baby oil, your glue will have a harder time holding the paper to the oil pastel background. Just a bit of baby oil will do the trick! 

Another option to consider when using oil pastels is to skip using the baby oil and instead use your fingers to blend the pastels together. This can be a good option for kids who don’t mind getting messy and like to be hands-on. The downside to this, in my opinion, is that you have to use even more of the oil pastels so there is no white of the paper showing through. 

Halloween Ideas For Kids

Parents and teachers always want to create a fun and educational environment for kids, especially around Halloween time. Although it is the “spookiest” holiday, there are tons of ways to make it both fun and instructional for kids.

One way is to create a mini theme in the classroom or at home that focuses on a specific aspect of the holiday. This can be anything from crafts and books to printables and more. Not only will this help kids learn more about Halloween, but it will also be a lot of fun for them!

Read on below for our favorite ideas.

Children’s Halloween Books

These Halloween children’s books are perfect for reading aloud to kids, whether they’re in your classroom or your own family. They’re sure to get everyone in the mood for trick-or-treating and all the other fun that comes with this spooky holiday. Plus, they’re just plain fun to read aloud.

Below are some of the top-rated Halloween books for kids. Add them to your home collection or borrow them from your local library.

Room On The Broom: This has to be one of our favorite Halloween books of all time! The story follows a witch and her cat as they happen upon some animals who help the witch. There’s danger, mystery, and friendship in this adorable children’s story.

5 Minute Spooky Stories: We love Disney’s 5-minute storybooks and this one is perfect for Halloween! See how all your favorite Disney characters celebrate this spooky holiday.

Ten Timid Ghosts: This is a fun countdown book about a witch who moves into a haunted house where 10 ghosts already live. The witch scares the ghosts out one by one until they devise a scheme to get her out of their house. This Halloween children’s book is good for kids who love rhyming stories!

Halloween Kids’ Art & Crafts

Crafts are not only fun but they also offer a number of benefits. For example, crafts can help to boost a child’s confidence and self-esteem.

They can also promote problem-solving skills and fine motor development. And let’s not forget the fact that Halloween crafts are simply a lot of fun! Try adding in some of these fun ideas:

Spookley The Square Pumpkin Art Project – Making art is a great way for kids to practice their fine motor skills. And what better subject matter for a project than everyone’s favorite fall item – the pumpkin?

This Spookley project is perfect for kids of all ages. Simply print out the template, paint it, and then let your little ones go to town cutting and gluing. The best part is that no two Spookleys will ever be alike – each one will be as unique as the child who made it!

Handprint Mummy Craft – This handprint mummy craft is perfect for a spooky season! It’s a fun and easy project for young kids, and it’s sure to get them into the Halloween spirit.

Halloween kids craft image collage

Paper Plate Frankenstein Craft – Remember how fun paper plate crafts were to make when you were a kid? This Frankenstein craft is perfect for kids who want to get creative and have some fun. They get to paint, cut, and glue, all while creating their very own monster.

Halloween Black Cat Craft – This Halloween, help your kids get into the spooky spirit with this fun black cat craft! Not only will it get them into the Halloween mood, but it’s also a great way to help them work on their hand-eye coordination.

Kids’ Halloween Activities

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Halloween with the little ones? These free printable candy corn worksheets are just the thing!

They include a letter maze, handwriting page, and line maze, all featuring everyone’s favorite fall treat. Plus, they’re a great way to sneak in some extra learning while the kiddos are busy having fun.

Halloween is a spooky time of year, but that doesn’t mean your little ones can’t enjoy it too! If you’re looking for some kid-friendly fun this Halloween, why not print out these free Halloween coloring pages?

Halloween activities for kids

These Halloween pattern block mats for kids are a great way to get them involved in some spooky fun this October! They’re also a benefit to kids because they help with fine motor skills, shape recognition, and problem-solving.

Halloween’s just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with some fun and educational activities?

These Halloween fine motor activities are perfect for helping your child develop those all-important motor skills. From tracing and scissor practice to Q-tip painting, there’s something for every child to enjoy!

Share With Us

Did you make this haunted house craft with your kids or students? We love seeing how your art project turns out. Snap a picture of them and share them with us by posting it on our Facebook wall or by posting in our private Facebook group

Spooky season is here and what better way to celebrate than with this delightful candy corn headband craft! This candy corn headband craft is a wonderful way for kids to improve their fine motor skills and follow instructions. The craft is simple, engaging, and easy to make!

More Halloween Ideas For Kids

Free Haunted House Template 

two examples of oil pastel haunted house craft

Oil Pastel Haunted House Craft For Kids

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Learn how to make this easy and fun haunted house craft for kids that mixes oil pastels and paper crafting!

Materials

  • White art paper 
  • Oil pastels
  • Colored card stock (in black and yellow/orange)
  • White card stock 
  • Baby Oil
  • Glue stick 
  • Haunted house template

Tools

  • Paint brush
  • Scissors

Instructions

    1. Download the haunted house template and print it onto the corresponding colored card stock. Cut the pieces out that you want to use. 
    2. Start making the background by using yellow and orange oil pastels to create a large moon in the sky. 
    3. Fill in the background with the shade of your choice. In this example, we used a light orange all over the background. Then we went over the light orange with a dark orange around the edges. Finally, we used a dark orange red at the very edges of the paper. 
    4. Blend the oil pastels together by dipping the paintbrush in a tiny bit of baby oil and blending the edges into the center of the art paper.
    5. Wipe the paintbrush clean and blend the moon together with baby oil as well. Let dry completely before moving on. 
    6. Begin building the fence by gluing the thin, black rectangle about 1" from the bottom of the paper, on either side of the house. hands gluing fence onto haunted house craft
    7. Next glue the fence pickets on top of the black rectangles. 
    8. Now it's time to assemble the haunted house! Use the glue stick to secure the haunted house onto the background. 
    9. Glue the windows and doors onto the haunted house. 
    10. Add any bats or ghosts you're using to the scene and glue them in place. 

Did you make this craft?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Haunted House Craft Template 

Enter your email address below to download your haunted house craft template. 

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Ellen

Monday 30th of October 2023

Please send me the template. Thanks.

Sam

Monday 30th of October 2023

Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you. Once you've been confirmed as an email subscriber (by clicking the link in the first email), you simply enter your email in any of the forms and it'll automatically redirect you to the download page.

jeltje

Monday 30th of October 2023

the link please

Sam

Monday 30th of October 2023

Since you’re already an email subscriber, all you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of any post and it’ll automatically redirect you to the download page ◡̈

nancy

Sunday 22nd of October 2023

Great craft

Sam

Monday 23rd of October 2023

Thanks, Nancy!

Melissa

Sunday 22nd of October 2023

HI! I would like to receive the oil patel haunted house free template

Sam

Monday 23rd of October 2023

Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you. Once you've been confirmed as an email subscriber (by clicking the link in the first email), you simply enter your email in any of the forms and it'll automatically redirect you to the download page.

moreno

Saturday 21st of October 2023

thank you

Sam

Monday 23rd of October 2023

You're quite welcome!

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