Two young children wearing homemade robot costumes made from cardboard boxes stand smiling in a decorated room with balloons and a red "XOXO" balloon display in the background.

Costumes & Dress Ups | Halloween | Holidays & Celebrations

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means that when you click on links to products mentioned in our blog and make a purchase, DIY Family Time may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue to create quality content and share more great resources with you. Thank you for your support!

Halloween is just around the corner! It’s that time of the year when we all get excited about dressing up in costumes that allow our creativity to soar. We love that Halloween gives us another outlet to be creative as we plan, design, and create our families’ costumes each year.

For families, costumes create lasting memories. If you’re still on the hunt for the perfect family costume idea, look no further! We’ve got you covered with a blast from the past that is sure to spark your imagination.

FAMILY OF 3

A child dressed in a Edwards Scissorhands costume, with messy dark hair, face painted pale with dark eye makeup and lipstick, wearing a black leather jacket and sporting long metallic claw-like fingers made from foil.

Two people are dressed in costumes in an autumn forest. On the left, a person in a pink dress and glasses poses playfully. On the right, a person dressed as Edward Scissorhands in dark clothing with scissor gloves on both hands kneels beside them among tall grass.

A family of three stands in a wooded area with autumn foliage. The adults are dressed in semi-formal attire; the man in a suit and tie, and the woman in a pink outfit and headband. Their child is dressed in a Halloween Edward Scissorhands costume resembling a fictional character with scissors for hands.

A person kneels in a wooded area beside a child dressed in a detailed costume resembling Edward Scissorhands. The child wears black clothing, a wig, pale makeup, and artificial scissor blades on their hands. Both are surrounded by autumnal trees and tall grass.

A child with dark hair, dressed in black pants and a black leather jacket with silver buckles, walks through a forest of trees with autumn foliage. The child is holding a small bunch of wildflowers and is seen from behind. The ground is covered in tall grass.

A group of three people stands on a wooded path covered with fallen leaves. An adult in a suit and another in a bright pink outfit flank a child dressed as Edward Scissorhands, complete with scissor blades for fingers. The background is filled with bare trees.

Edward Scissorhands

This costume was such a fun one! We loved it! To create these costumes we hit up some thrift stores and out of it came a creation good enough to belong in the movie.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS COSTUMES

The Three Bears

Who doesn’t love classic fairy tales? The Three Bears is an easy family costume to put together, especially at short notice. Also, babies always make the cutest baby bears!

How to Train Your Dragon

This is a family costume that has many characters that can be added on. No matter the age, Toothless will always be a hit.

A family wearing costumes poses in front of a wall covered with newspaper. An adult in a white fur coat holds a child dressed as a dalmatian puppy, while another adult, in a brown jacket and cap, holds a large fishing net.

101 Dalmatians

We loved this family costume. Cruella’s eccentric fashion, our cute puppies, and our dognapper costume were so fun to create with our family.

Farmers

Simple. Fun. Cute. Any excuse to dress your kids up like baby animals is a good one.

A man in a purple blazer poses as a magician with a wand and hat, while a woman in a black costume holds a baby dressed as a white rabbit.

Magicians

If you are looking for a fun costume that is fun for everyone. Magicians should be your pick! The cute baby bunny, the magician, and his assistant is a costume everyone will love.

An adult and two children in whimsical, mushroom-themed costumes sit together on the grass, smiling at the camera.

Gnomes

These costumes turned out to be the cutest! They were mostly a collection of store-bought items, with a few DIY additions. Check out our cute little guy with his beard! Who doesn’t love gnomes?

Three people stand on grass in costume: an adult in a cloud wig and raincoat, a child as a rainbow, and another adult in a black jacket with a yellow lightning bolt. Mountains in background.

Weather

For a creative costume, you could dress up like weather. We did a rainbow, a rain cloud (check the cute cloud hat), and lightning. They were super simple, but everyone loved them. You will for sure have a unique costume at all of the Halloween parties!

Star Wars

There are so many Star Wars characters you can dress us as. Surprisingly, most of them are super easy to put together. Why wouldn’t you make your dog Chewy when he looks like that?

A man and a woman dressed as park rangers stand in a hallway with a child between them. The man wears a safari hat and uniform, while the woman wears a ranger hat, brown sweater, jeans, and boots. The child is dressed in a red and orange tutu, wings, and black top.

Camp Fire, Smokey Bear, & Forest Ranger

“Only you can prevent wildfires!” - Smokey the Bear
Naturally, the first idea that came to us with Smokey was a fire. Our little one made the cutest fire and we gave her a roasting marshmallow for good measure. The ranger was the perfect addition to our group.

Curious George

If your child loves Curious George, this is the perfect costume for your family. Grab yourself some yellow clothes and a yellow hat! Taa-daa! You can easily be the Man in the Yellow Hat. The banana is just a bonus for our favorite monkey, George!

FAMILY OF 4

Wizard of Oz

This was a simple costume for the family. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion, and the Tin Woodman! We made most of these costumes, but they could easily be bought.

A family of four stands outdoors in costume: an adult man, an adult woman with green face paint, a child dressed as a raccoon, and a baby dressed as a tree creature.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Guardians are such a fun costume for us. We loved creating the looks for Rocket and especially, Baby Groot. If you have a baby and like The Guardians of the Galaxy, you should definitely consider this family costume!

Two adults and two children pose in costumes on a porch. The adults wear a pink suit and a black robe, while the children are dressed as a sorting hat and a character with a pink scarf.

Harry Potter

We love Harry Potter, but wanted a different take. These came together perfectly. How cute is that sorting hat?

Batman

Maybe one of the most well-known comic book characters. We thought we would recreate it with our family. How fun it was to find our little villains outfits.

Peter Pan

Another classic coming your way! Peter Pan is a timeless classic. There are many ways you can make your family into characters from Peter Pan. We went with the most iconic options.

Farmers

Simple. Fun. Cute. Any excuse to dress your kids up like baby animals is a good one.

Strawberry Shortcake

This was the perfect costume for our girls! Our little Strawberry Shortcake and Apple Dumpling were the stars of the show at every Halloween party! Our adult costumes were also fun.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE COSTUMES

Spidey and His Amazing Friends

Spidey is a favorite at our house. We also have a little villain lover. So, in Halloween spirit, we dressed as the villains with Spidey.

Winnie the Pooh

These costumes were fun to create! Our girls loved their costumes too. These costumes were cute, but also really warm for that cold trick-or-treating!

Toy Story

Most kids LOVE Buzz and Woody. Why not embrace it and dress your family up as the best animated friends.

FAMILY OF 5

Nightmare Before Christmas

We decided to do a different take on our Nightmare Before Christmas costumes. We went with Oogie Boogie, the kids, and Sandy Claws. These were fun to create and wear. Everyone loved them and they perfectly captured the Halloween spirit.

Two children dressed in Mario costumes and a person dressed as Luigi from the Mario franchise, sitting on a playground. One child is standing, extending an arm, and the other is sitting on an adult’s lap as they look at them. There are some soft, white balls around them.

A family dressed as Mario franchise characters at a playground: an adult in silver with an M hat stands behind; another adult in Mario attire sits with three children, two dressed as Mario, one in a light blue onesie and red hat, all with fake mustaches.

A person dressed as a silver statue stands in front of playground equipment. They are wearing silver face paint, a cap, overalls, and gloves, blending into a whimsical scene with various climbing structures and ropes in the background.

A young child dressed in a costume with a blue hat featuring an "M," a blue shirt, red overalls, and a fake mustache sits inside a circular play structure. The play structure is green and located on a blue play surface. The child smiles while holding onto the sides of the opening.

Three young children are dressed in Mario-themed costumes and sitting on the ground at a playground. Two older children in red and blue overalls with mustache props flank the youngest, who is wearing a blue onesie with a red hat. Colorful playground equipment is in the background.

A young child is dressed in a white long-sleeve shirt and red overalls with an "M" on the cap, mimicking a popular video game character. The child wears a black fake mustache and stands outdoors at a playground, smiling.

DIY Mario costumes are a blast for families because each person can choose their favorite Mario character, like Ice Mario, Star Mario, Fire Mario, Baby Mario, or Metal Mario.

MARIO COSTUMES

Five people in animal costumes, including a zebra, giraffe, lion, elephant, and penguin, pose together in a wooded area with tall grass. The scene is brightly lit with sunlight filtering through the trees.

Zoo Animals

Who doesn’t love dressing up as their favorite animal? We bought some animal suits for each of us and they were adorable. We loved being in the zoo with our family!

Tangled

A costume so cute, two of us have done it! We love how many ways you can take your family with these costumes. We made it work for a family of 3 and a family of 5.

Alice in Wonderland

A classic costume that everyone loves. We have also done this costume a few times. These are costumes with so many options, we love how many different ways you can take it!

A family dressed in medieval-themed costumes stands on a lawn with autumn leaves. The parents are in long robes, one child is dressed in red with a black wig, another in purple with a crown, and a third in green on the father's shoulders. Trees with colorful foliage are in the background.

Emperors New Groove

These costumes are straight out of one of our favorite movies! We loved how bright and fun they were!

Alice in Wonderland

A classic costume that everyone loves. We have also done this costume a few times. These are costumes with so many options, we love how many different ways you can take it!

A family poses outdoors; two adults wear "OH MY!" shirts, an infant is dressed as a lion, a child as a bear, and another child as a tiger.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears, OH MY!

An adorable costume for kids and a simple costume for parents to match. Our kids loved dressing up as animals and getting their faces painted! Husbands love that their costume is just a t-shirt!

Legos

This was one of our favorite costumes we ever made. It was so fun to let our kids help and choose what Lego they wanted to be. And don't forget our cute unikitty!

OTHER COSTUME IDEAS

Willy Wonka

A great costume that is full of options! We let our kids choose who they wanted to be. This would make a great big group costume too!

Scary Bad Guys

One year, we asked our sweet little girl what she wanted to be for Halloween. Her response was, “Scary bad guys.” So, we dressed up as scary clowns. Quick and easy costume, as well as scary.

Carmen San Diego and Claw Machine

Carmen San Diego is a classic blast from the past. Do you know what else is? Claw Machines. These costumes were totally unique. The claw machine made everyone giggle.

Pirates

These costumes are thrifted and simple to put together. A classic costume that is simple to throw together.

A couple dressed in Halloween costumes stands together. One person wears a plaid shirt, khaki shorts, and a wolf mask with gloves. The other person wears a red hooded cloak and dress. They are surrounded by pumpkins and Halloween decorations.

Red Riding Hood

Classic Fairytale. Taken two ways. Red Riding Hood and the Huntsman or Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. Both great costumes, but completely different looks.

Operation Game, Carl Fredricksen from Up, and Nurse

Sometimes, you get an idea you just have to do! Look at cute little Carl Fredrickson. How can you outdo this costume for a toddler? For this, we did a kid costume and adult costume (Operation Game) and we still looked great!

Candy

Trick or Treat? We choose treats! Candy is a sweet way to show off your creativity. We went with a cute little Tootsie Roll.

Despicable Me

One year, we all dressed up using one theme. We were all characters from Despicable Me. Our costumes were awesome and so fun! There are so many other costumes we could add into here.

Two adults are dressed up in costumes as storybook characters. The woman wears a white shirt, blue skirt with an apron, and holds a bucket labeled "Jill". The man wears plaid shirt, suspenders, and shorts, holding a bucket labeled "Jack". They stand on a gym floor.

Jack and Jill

These costumes were a fun touch from our classic fairy tale (or nursery rhyme) group. Jack and Jill with their pails of water were easy to put together and fun to be.

Trunchbull and Brucey

This iconic duo is not a costume one would instantly think of. But it came together nicely and was so much fun. We loved how people reacted when they recognized who we were.

Queen of Hearts

This costume can go so many ways. Finding all of the pieces for the Queen of Heart was a fun, creative challenge. We think we perfected it! It was also a great way for Lindzi to display some of her great artwork!

We hope our past costumes have sparked some inspiration for your family’s Halloween costumes this year or in the future. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process of creating memories that will last a lifetime. Happy Halloween!

Disclosure

DIY Family Time may use affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Read more...