Last year, I shared my favoriteteacher Halloween costumes based on book characters. This year,the costume ideas you’ll findaren’tlimited to book characters. I picked out the costumes that seemedeasiest to put together because who has time toget their hands dirty (or glittered?) whileconstructing something elaborate. Fortunately,low-costand simple does not mean boring! Check it out:
Minions
Dressing up as a minion is so easy it feels a little like cheating, and the best part is that both male and female teachers can pull it off equally well. The key pieces of this costume are a bright yellow shirt, denim overalls, a yellow beanie or hardhat, and goggles. If you have a bit more time in your hands, you can create this hat and gogglesorthis headpiece for a more genuine look thatyour students will love!
Gru
Thisone is easier than the Minion costume: wear a black jacket (with a silver zipper in front if you can find it) or a sweater and black pants. Seal the deal with a striped gray and black scarf. Prosthetic nose optional.
Mario or Luigi
Kids still love theseclassic characters, and you can re-use the costume for years to come. Wear a red or green shirt with overallspasted with yellow buttons made with cardboard. You can also make this Mario/Luigi hat, or if you don’t have the time, use a basic red or green cap. Don some white gloves, and whatever you do, don’t forget your fake mustache.
Jellyfish
Most of the effort for this adorable costume goes into making a head piece. Here’s the tutorial on making an elaborate piece but you can also opt for using an umbrella for the jellyfish head and tentacles.I like this costume because you can simply take the hat off (or put the umbrella down) while teaching and have a comfortable, non-distracting outfit on.
Pineapple
Be an adorable pineapple by wearing a yellow dress (obviouslyone a biiiiiit longer than the one shown, or with leggings underneath) and this headpiece you can make with common household items.
Strawberry
This one’s assimple as the pineapple costume above. All you need is a red dress which you can decorate with white or black seeds made with paper, plus the all-important head piece that will complete your transformation. See the tutorial here.
Pinata
This is probably the most time-intensive costume here, but it’s still simple–and not to mention classic, fun, and a sure hit with your students. Don’t worry, there’s no need to sew all those layers of paper to your dress —just use fabric glue like they did here.
Sadness from “Inside Out”
Get your hands on a blue wig, a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a gray sweatshirt, and blue leggings. Face paint is optional, but you can go all out if you want! Here’s a cheat sheet.
Joy
The Joy character from “Inside Out” is also easy to pull off if have a yellow dress at home and you can get a short blue wig (lighter than Sadness’).
Crayon
Be a Crayola for a day (and be your favorite color too!)In this tutorial, the teachers used felt cut outs to create the characteristic markings found on crayons’ wrappers and wore pointy party hats that match the color of their shirts. Clever!
Frida Kahlo
You will need a bit of makeup skill to transform into this famous Mexican painter, but apart from that, it’s a low-cost and easy costumeto put together. All you need is a floral dress, a shawl, and ahair accessory. (The post also has some other creative last-minute Halloween costume ideas that would be school-appropriate.)
Marty McFly
Feel a real blast from the past and be Marty for Halloween. Check out the key pieces here(and also find a terrific round up of other Halloween costumes you can pull together quickly.)
Wednesday Addams
Wednesday Addams is a classic. Best of all, you can perfect the look even when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. Here’s a guide.
Velma (and the rest of the Scooby Doo gang)
The fantastic thing about dressing up as Velma (or Daphne, Fred, or Shaggy) is that you just need to find the right clothes, which are not so difficult to find to begin with. To dress up as Velma, you’ll need an orange turtleneck, a darker orange skirt, knee-high socks, and loafers. And of course, don’t forget the glasses.
Olive Oyl
Be the apple of Popeye’s eyes by putting up your hair in a high bun, wearing a bright red turtleneck, a black skirt, and whitesocks.
Want more ideas?Here are my favorite book character costumes for teachers!
What’s the easiest costume you’ve pulled off on Halloween? Tell us in the comments!
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Easiest Halloween Costumes for Teachers
If you're a teacher looking for easy and low-cost Halloween costume ideas, you're in luck! There are plenty of options that are simple to put together and won't require too much time or effort. Let's explore some of the costume ideas mentioned in the article and provide information on each concept.
Minions Costume
Dressing up as a minion is a popular and easy choice for Halloween. To create a minion costume, you'll need a bright yellow shirt, denim overalls, a yellow beanie or hardhat, and goggles. If you have more time, you can create a hat and goggles for a more authentic look. Both male and female teachers can pull off this costume [[1]].
Gru Costume
Another option is to dress up as Gru, the character from the movie "Despicable Me." To create a Gru costume, you'll need to wear a black jacket or sweater, black pants, and a striped gray and black scarf. Adding a prosthetic nose is optional [[1]].
Mario or Luigi Costume
Kids still love the classic characters Mario and Luigi. To dress up as either of them, you'll need a red or green shirt, overalls with yellow buttons made of cardboard, a Mario/Luigi hat (which you can make or use a basic red or green cap), white gloves, and a fake mustache [[1]].
Jellyfish Costume
For a unique and adorable costume, you can dress up as a jellyfish. The main effort for this costume goes into making a headpiece. You can follow a tutorial to create an elaborate headpiece or simply use an umbrella as the jellyfish head and tentacles. This costume allows you to easily remove the hat or put the umbrella down while teaching [[1]].
Pineapple Costume
To be an adorable pineapple, you'll need to wear a yellow dress and create a headpiece using common household items. The headpiece can be made to resemble the top of a pineapple. This costume is simple and cute [[1]].
Strawberry Costume
Similar to the pineapple costume, the strawberry costume is also simple to put together. You'll need a red dress that you can decorate with white or black paper seeds. Completing the costume with a headpiece will transform you into a strawberry [[1]].
Pinata Costume
The pinata costume is a classic and fun choice. While it may require more time to create, it's still relatively simple. You can use fabric glue to attach layers of paper to your dress, creating the appearance of a pinata. This costume is sure to be a hit with your students [[1]].
Sadness from "Inside Out" Costume
To dress up as Sadness from the movie "Inside Out," you'll need a blue wig, a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a gray sweatshirt, blue leggings, and optional face paint. This costume allows for some creativity and can be easily put together [[1]].
Joy from "Inside Out" Costume
If you have a yellow dress at home, you can easily dress up as Joy from "Inside Out." Pair the dress with a short blue wig (lighter than Sadness') to complete the look [[1]].
Crayon Costume
Be a Crayola crayon for a day by wearing a shirt in your favorite color and creating characteristic markings using felt cutouts. You can also wear a pointy party hat that matches the color of your shirt [[1]].
Frida Kahlo Costume
To transform into the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, you'll need a floral dress, a shawl, a hair accessory, and some makeup skills. This costume is low-cost and easy to put together [[1]].
Marty McFly Costume
Feel a blast from the past by dressing up as Marty McFly. You can find the key pieces for this costume in the provided link [[1]].
Wednesday Addams Costume
Wednesday Addams is a classic character that can be easily recreated. The guide provided in the link will help you perfect the look, even with limited time [[1]].
Velma (and the rest of the Scooby Doo gang) Costume
Dressing up as Velma (or any other member of the Scooby Doo gang) is simple. For Velma, you'll need an orange turtleneck, a darker orange skirt, knee-high socks, loafers, and glasses [[1]].
Olive Oyl Costume
To be Olive Oyl, Popeye's love interest, you'll need to put your hair in a high bun, wear a bright red turtleneck, a black skirt, and white socks [[1]].
These are just a few of the easiest Halloween costume ideas for teachers. Hopefully, you'll find something that suits your style and makes for a fun and memorable Halloween celebration with your students!
