Halloween Paper Dolls (Free Printable Dress-Up Dolls)

Sharing is caring!

These free printable Halloween paper dolls give kids a set of characters and costumes to color, cut out, and dress up. Choose a skeleton, ghost, pumpkin, witch, or another outfit, then fold the costume tabs behind the doll for pretend play.

These Halloween paper dolls are a fantastic indoor activity for when the weather turns chilly. Print out these cute characters, and let the kids explore their creativity through coloring and dress-up play.

Make a little costume parade at home or set up a coloring table for a classroom party. You can find more activities in our Halloween printables collection.

Color the pieces while they’re still on the page, then cut them out and try on the outfits. The signup box near the end of this post will send the free printable to your inbox.

Why You’ll Love This Printable

• Encourages Imaginative Play: Children can pretend with these dolls, creating stories and dressing them up for different Halloween adventures.
• Fun and Educational: This activity helps improve fine motor skills through cutting, coloring, and assembling the paper dolls.
• Perfect for Halloween: The costumes, including skeletons, pumpkins, and witches, are great for getting kids into the spooky holiday spirit.
• Printable and Reusable: Print these paper dolls as many times as you like, offering hours of entertainment.

Materials

• Halloween Paper Doll Printable: You can grab our free printable at the end of this post.
• Paper: Use sturdy paper like cardstock to ensure the dolls and costumes are durable enough for play.
• Crayons or Markers: Kids can personalize their dolls by coloring them in any way they like.
• Scissors: Make sure to use child-safe scissors, and help younger children with any tricky cuts.
• Glue or Tape (Optional): The fold-over tabs hold the outfits on for dress-up play. Use glue only if you want to make a permanent dressed doll or collage.

The Printable

The black-and-white printable includes boy and girl paper dolls, costume outfits, headpieces, and accessories to color. Keep each outfit with its matching doll when choosing what to print.

The costumes include skeletons, ghosts, pumpkins, witches, and more!

Keep the small rectangular tabs attached when cutting. Place a costume over the front of the doll, line up the neck and shoulders, and fold the tabs around the edges toward the back. Unfold them gently when changing outfits.

Instructions

1. Print the Dolls and Costumes: Open the downloaded file and print matching dolls and outfits at the same scale. Check that the full outlines and tabs fit in the print preview. Use cardstock your printer supports for the dolls; lighter paper can make costume tabs easier to fold.
2. Color Before Cutting: Decorate the dolls, outfits, and accessories while the sheets are flat. Children can choose their own skin tones, hair colors, and costume colors. Let marker ink dry before handling.
3. Cut Out the Pieces: Follow the outside cutting guides, keeping the costume tabs attached. An adult can help with small accessories, narrow gaps, and detailed edges.
4. Dress Up the Dolls: Fold the tabs over the edges of the dolls to secure the Halloween costumes. Now the dolls are ready for spooky adventures!
5. Play and Enjoy: Encourage the kids to use their imagination, coming up with stories and scenarios for their Halloween-dressed dolls.

Top Tips

Use Cardstock: For extra durability, print the dolls on cardstock so they last longer during play.

Protect the dolls: If you want extra durability, laminate the colored base dolls before cutting them out. Leave costume pieces unlaminated so their tabs stay easy to fold. Thick laminated tabs may be difficult to bend and hold in place.

Mix and Match Costumes: Have fun mixing and matching different parts of the costumes to create new and unique Halloween outfits!

Store the pieces together: Keep each doll and its outfits in a labeled envelope or small zippered pouch. Flatten the tabs gently before storing so they don’t catch or tear.

Educational Uses

• Fine Motor Skills: Cutting out the dolls and costumes helps children practice their fine motor skills, improving hand-eye coordination.
• Creative Expression: Coloring the dolls and creating different costumes allows kids to express their creativity and individuality.
• Storytelling: Use the dolls to encourage children to come up with their own stories, helping to improve language skills and narrative thinking.
• Teamwork and Sharing: If working in groups, children can share dolls and costumes, encouraging social interaction and cooperation.

For a storytelling activity, let each child introduce their doll and describe its Halloween adventure. Our Halloween ad-libs offer another way to play with silly stories.

Set out a Halloween I Spy game for children who finish early, or try a Halloween word scramble with confident readers.

Grab the Free Printable

Grab the Halloween paper dolls printable here! Put your name and email in the pink box below, and we’ll send the printable straight to your inbox.

This is for personal or classroom use only please, not for commercial use. Thank you!

These Halloween paper doll dress-up printables are a fantastic way to keep kids entertained during the spooky season. With lots of fun costumes to choose from, this activity is sure to bring out their creativity and love for Halloween.