It is officially October, and the air is getting crisp, the leaves are turning orange, and the spooky season is upon us. But did you know that October is a special month for one particular nocturnal creature for two reasons?
Yes, we are talking about the bat!
October is widely known for Halloween celebrations, but it is also Bat Appreciation Month. While movies and spooky stories often paint bats as scary creatures of the night, they are actually fascinating, helpful animals that play a crucial role in our ecosystem.
This dual celebration gives us the perfect excuse to break out the black construction paper, the googly eyes, and the glue sticks. We are going to celebrate the way we know best—by making 20 Brilliant Bat Crafts for Kids!
Whether you are a teacher looking for classroom decor, a parent wanting a rainy afternoon activity, or just a Halloween enthusiast, this list has something for everyone. We have gathered ideas using paper, cardboard, yarn, nature items, and everyday recyclables.
Why We Should Appreciate Bats (A Little Learning Before Crafting)
To make your crafting session even more valuable (and to impress Google with educational content!), share these fun facts with your kids while you craft. It transforms a simple art project into a science lesson.
- Bug Busters: A single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour. They are nature’s pest control!
- Not Blind: The phrase “blind as a bat” is a myth. Bats can actually see quite well, but they use echolocation (sound waves) to navigate in the dark.
- Mammals: Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Flying squirrels just glide, but bats actually fly!
- Pollinators: Just like bees, some bats pollinate flowers and spread seeds to help rainforests grow.
Now that we appreciate our winged friends, let’s get crafting!
The Essential Crafting Toolkit
Most of the crafts on this list use supplies you likely already have at home. Before you start, gather these essentials:
- Paper: Black construction paper, cardstock, and tissue paper.
- Adhesives: Glue sticks, PVA glue (white school glue), and tape.
- Cutting: Safety scissors for kids.
- Recyclables: Toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and old CDs.
- Decorations: Googly eyes (a must!), glitter, and markers.
Part 1: Paper & Cardboard Creations
Simple, low-mess crafts perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
1. The Classic Corner Bat Bookmark
Keep up with your reading this season with a cute bat bookmark! This isn’t your standard flat bookmark; it fits neatly on the top corner of your page so you never lose your place.
- How to do it: Start with a square piece of black paper. Fold it into an origami corner bookmark base. Add pointy ears to the top and glue wings to the back. Use white paper to make sharp little fangs. It looks like the bat is biting the page!
2. The Colorful “Personality” Bookmark
Who says bats have to be black? Here is another idea for a Halloween corner bookmark, and we love how colorful it can be!
- The Twist: Keep the bat’s wings black to maintain the silhouette, but change up the body color for a different bat each time. Make a purple bat, a neon green bat, or even a polka-dotted bat. This is great for assigning different colors to different kids in a classroom.
3. Bat Treat Bags
This little bat treat bag is great for collecting a small stash of candy or for giving your friends little Halloween gifts. And no, not all gifts have to be sweet edibles; there are plenty of non-candy gifts out there like stickers or erasers!
- How to do it: Take a small black paper lunch bag (or paint a brown one black). Fold the top down and cut the edge into a rounded “head” shape. Glue wings to the back. When you fill it with treats, the bat looks plump and happy!
4. Accordion Fold Flying Bats
This is a great exercise for fine motor skills.
- How to do it: Fold a piece of black paper back and forth like a fan (accordion style) to create textured wings. Staple the center of the fan to a simple black cardboard body. Attach a string, and when you bounce it, the wings will flap because of the folds!
5. Paper Plate Moon & Bat Silhouette
Instead of making the bat the main object, make a scene.
- How to do it: Paint a paper plate bright yellow (for a full moon) or spooky purple. Cut a simple bat silhouette out of black cardstock and glue it in the center. Punch a hole at the top and hang it in the window.
6. Handprint Bats
A classic keepsake craft that parents love.
- How to do it: Trace your child’s hand on black paper twice. Cut them out. These handprints become the wings! Glue them to a simple round body shape. The fingers look like the bony structure of a bat’s wing.
7. The Paper Chain Bat Family
- How to do it: Cut strips of black paper and loop them together to make a chain. On every second or third loop, attach a pair of wings and some eyes. It makes a perfect garland to drape across the fireplace mantel.
Part 2: Recycled Materials (Upcycling Fun)
Teach sustainability by turning trash into treasure.
8. Toilet Roll Bat
The king of recycled crafts!
- How to do it: Take an empty toilet paper roll. Fold the top edges down inward to create two pointy “ears” on the sides. Paint the whole thing black. Add wings and eyes. These can stand up on a shelf or hang from the ceiling.
9. Egg Carton Bats
- How to do it: Cut a strip of three cups from an egg carton. The center cup is the head, and the two outer cups are the wings. Paint everything black. You can cut the edges of the outer cups to make them look jagged. Thread a ribbon through the top to hang them up.
10. Bottle Cap Micro-Bats
These are tiny and adorable—perfect for magnets.
- How to do it: Paint a metal or plastic bottle cap black. Glue tiny paper wings to the back and miniature googly eyes to the front. Glue a magnet to the back, and you have a spooky fridge decoration.
11. Spoon Bats
- How to do it: Take a black plastic spoon (or paint a white one). The bowl of the spoon is the bat’s face. Glue wings to the handle of the spoon. You can stick the handle into a potted plant to make it look like the bat is roosting in your flowers.
12. Coffee Filter Tie-Dye Bats
This combines science (chromatography) and art.
- How to do it: Color a coffee filter with washable markers (purple, black, blue). Spray it with water and watch the colors blend. Once dry, pinch the center with a clothespin (painted black). The clothespin is the body, and the coffee filter becomes colorful, tie-dyed wings.
13. The Cardboard Tube candy stash
Similar to the toilet roll bat, but seal the bottom with tape. Fill the tube with candy, then fold the top down to close it. It’s a bat piñata for one!
Part 3: Nature & Texture Crafts
Using different materials for sensory play.
14. Pinecone Bats
Go for a nature walk and collect some pinecones.
- How to do it: The pinecone acts as a fuzzy, textured body. Glue black construction paper wings to the sides and add eyes. These look great sitting on a nature table or hanging from a Christmas tree (if you like spooky trees!).
15. Yarn Wrapped Bats
Great for dexterity.
- How to do it: Cut a bat shape out of sturdy cardboard. Give your child a ball of black yarn. Have them wrap the yarn around the cardboard bat until it is completely covered and looks “furry.”
16. Rock Painting Bats
- How to do it: Find a smooth, oval rock. Paint it black. Paint white fangs and yellow eyes. You can glue paper wings to the bottom of the rock, or simply paint the wings onto the rock itself if it’s wide enough. Hide these in the garden for neighbors to find!
17. The Pom-Pom Bat
- How to do it: Make a large black pom-pom using yarn (or buy a mega-sized one). This is the body. Glue on felt wings and felt ears. It is soft, squishy, and makes a great “pet” bat for kids.
18. Foam Cup Hanging Bats
- How to do it: Punch two holes in the bottom of a Styrofoam cup. Thread a string through so the cup hangs upside down. Paint the cup black. The wide part of the cup is the shoulders, and the narrow part is the feet. Add wings. Hanging them upside down makes them look like they are sleeping!
Part 4: For the Older Kids (Slightly more advanced)
19. Origami Bat
- The Challenge: There are many tutorials online for origami bats. They require no cutting or gluing, just precise folding. This is great for older elementary kids who want a challenge. Using special Halloween-patterned origami paper makes these look professional.
20. Stained Glass Bat Window
- How to do it: Cut a bat outline (frame) out of black cardstock. Stick it onto clear contact paper. Have the kids fill the inside with torn pieces of purple and blue tissue paper. Seal it with another sheet of contact paper. When you put it on the window, the sun shines through the wings!
Tips for Displaying Your Bat Crafts
Now that you have an army of paper bats, what do you do with them?
- ** The “Bat Cave” Door:** Tape the paper bats all over your front door to welcome Trick-or-Treaters.
- The Chandelier: Hang the toilet roll bats or egg carton bats from a light fixture or a mobile frame to create a swarm of flying bats.
- The Window Invasion: Use the silhouette bats to create a scene in your front window. Backlight them with orange or purple fairy lights for a spooky effect at night.
Final Thoughts
Halloween doesn’t have to be about expensive store-bought decorations. Some of the best memories are made sitting around the kitchen table, covered in glue and glitter, laughing at a bat whose eyes are slightly crooked.
This October, take a moment to appreciate the real bats outside eating the mosquitoes, and then come inside to celebrate them with these 20 Easy Halloween Bat Crafts. Whether you make a simple bookmark or a fuzzy pinecone friend, you are sparking creativity and fun.
