Video:Tips for Making Last Minute Kids' Costumes

Transcript:Tips for Making Last Minute Kids' Costumes

Hi, I'm Rebecca Culhane for About.com. Today I'm going to go over some tips for making last minute kids costumes. These tips will help you to make costumes out of items that you probably already have in your home.

Search the House for Costume Inspiration

1. Check Your Kids Room  - Do they have a dress up box with crowns or jewelry? Do they have a football? These toys are good starting points for building costumes. A crown, dress and jewelry become a princess costume. Using a football, dirty t-shirt, and face paint your child becomes a football player.

2. Check Your Closets - A few adjustments to some clothing items you may already have can make some fun costumes as well. You can splatter a men's dress shirt with paint for a painter/artist costume. Kids pajamas, pillow, and a teddy bear can make for a cute sleep over costume.

Craft Costumes Out of Boxes and Accessories

3. Bust out the Boxes - With some cardboard boxes, paint, and a little imagination there are a lot of options. You can paint the box to look like a TV and cut holes for the child's arms, waist and neck. Getting your child involved in the creating process could be a fun project for everyone.

4. Dig Through the Craft Box - Construction paper, ribbon, glitter, paints, and felt can all be helpful tools in accessorizing and decorating a costume.

Everyday Items Could Become Costumes

5. Check your Cupboards - Trash bags, grocery bags, and aluminum foil can all aid in costume completion as well as become strong bases for costumes themselves. Cut holes in a black trash bag for your child's arms, legs and head, and your child becomes a raisin.

6. Think Outside the Box - With a little brain power, you can create a witty costume that will really impress. Attach random clothing items to your child and bat comb their hair for a static electricity costume.

7. Use Face Paint and Make up - Sometimes some basic clothes can be mixed with face paint or make up to create a cool costume. Dress your child in all pink, pull her hair into a pony tail, and add heavy make up and your child becomes a barbie doll. Dress your child in all black and use face paint to create a cat like face.

8. Revive the Classics - Covering your child in toilet paper for that mummy look or wrapping them in aluminum foil and sending them off as leftovers are always good options when you're really in a pinch. After all they aren't called classics for nothing.If you're in a pinch for a last minute costume, don't' worry about it. These ideas can get your creativity going and be a fun family project.Thanks for watching. For more tips and information visit About.com.