Halloween is such a fun time of year — the excitement, the crafts, the storytelling! Whether you’re a teacher looking for a meaningful classroom activity or a parent wanting to add some creative fun to your Halloween festivities, these Halloween Suncatchers are always a hit.
They’re simple to prep, low-mess, and look beautiful hanging in a window. Plus, they can easily be turned into a learning activity with writing extensions or mini research projects.
Students (or kids at home!) can choose from a bat, spider, or ghost design and use tissue paper to create their own glowing suncatcher masterpiece.
🕸️ Step 1: Plan and Design
Before crafting, I like to have kids spend a few minutes planning their design.
They can draw a quick sketch, choose which colors of tissue paper they’ll use, and label their plan.
This simple step helps them think about color, symmetry, and design — and it’s a great way to slow things down and build anticipation for the project.
Teachers can also use this page as a prewriting activity, and parents can use it to encourage creativity and decision-making at home.
🦇 Step 2: Create the Suncatcher
Now for the fun part!
Kids can choose from a bat, spider, or ghost template. You’ll need laminating or contact paper and tissue paper squares (store-bought or cut from gift tissue paper).
Here’s how I make mine:
1. Prep tissue paper and template
- Tissue Paper: You can use pre-cut craft tissue, or just cut up regular tissue paper into small squares.
- Template: Print the shape(s) you want to use. I used these free Canva images. Click Here for Free PDF. Cut out the inside so only the black outline remains.
*Note: I used free Canva shapes for the bat, spider, and ghost templates in this post. You can download them at the link above to use at home or in your classroom. These images are for personal and classroom use only and should not be resold or shared as standalone files.
2. Create
- Lay the template black side down on laminating film or contact paper (sticky side up if using contact paper). I used the laminator for mine!
- Fill the inside with tissue paper squares in any design you’d like.
- Seal it with another piece of contact paper or run it through the laminator.
- Add googly eyes, legs for the spider, or a silly face.
- Cut around the outline and hang it in a window.
✨ Tip: These look gorgeous when the light shines through!
🕯️ Step 3: Connect It to Learning
If you want to turn this fun craft into something more meaningful, here are a few ways to extend it:
For Classrooms:
Tie the craft into writing by having students complete one of these:
- ✏️ How-To Writing: Explain how to make a Halloween suncatcher step by step.
- 📖 Narrative Writing: Write a story about your bat, spider, or ghost.
- 📘 Informational Writing: Research bats or spiders and write facts about them to go along with your suncatcher.
Each of these options builds planning, sequencing, and descriptive writing skills — and the finished pieces look adorable on a hallway display titled “Our Spooky Suncatchers.”
For Home or Halloween Parties:
Use this as a creative, calming activity during a Halloween playdate or party.
You can:
- Set up a “Suncatcher Station” where kids choose their design and materials.
- Pair it with a storytime about a ghost, bat or spiders.
- Have kids name their creation and write a short story or sentence about it to take home.
👻 Why I Love This Activity
It’s quick to prep, easy to clean up, and works beautifully in both classroom and home settings.
For teachers, it’s a great way to blend art and literacy.
For families, it’s a simple way to bring learning and creativity into Halloween fun.
If you’d like ready-to-use templates, planning pages, and differentiated writing extensions, you can find my Halloween Suncatcher Craft & Writing Pack in my TPT store.
🕷️ Final Tip
If you hang these in the classroom or on your front windows at home, try layering different tissue paper colors — the sunlight shining through gives them a beautiful stained-glass look!
Looking For More Halloween Fun?
Find more Halloween fun in my TPT shop, including creating a monster, a fun activity for staff, and more!
