Halloween Mobile
String together some paper Jack-o'-Lanterns, bats, ghosts, witches, black cats, spiders, and other Halloween characters into a fun and easy-to-make Halloween mobile.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- A4 or Letter size cardstock
- Glue
- Thin string
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Beads (optional)
- Contact paper or hot laminate film (optional)
STEPS
1Create Halloween characters.
The mobile for this tutorial will have a total of 9 Halloween characters (3 strands with 3 characters per strand) but you can always add more. Draw the characters in mirror image pairs or print out any of our Halloween templates on A4 or Letter size cardstock:
2Color the characters.
Color each character using crayons, markers, colored pencils or poster paint.
3Cut them out.
Cut out the characters.
4Glue together by pairs.
Glue each pair of mirror image characters back-to-back.
5Laminate the paper characters.
As an optional step, you can laminate the paper characters in between two sheets of contact paper or hot laminate film. This will ensure that your mobile will last longer. Trim the excess plastic film around each laminated piece.
6Punch top and bottom holes.
Punch a pair of holes on the characters—one on top and one at the bottom. Make an exception for the bottom character on each strand, which should only have a hole on top.
If you prefer smaller holes, use the tip of a pen or pencil instead of a hole punch to make the holes.
7Tie a string on the top character.
Before stringing the characters together, first tie a string around the top hole on each strand's topmost character. This will allow you to connect each strand onto the mobile's top frame.
8Connect the top & middle characters.
Tie a string around the top character's bottom hole. Tie the other end of the string around the middle character's top hole. You can string some beads between the two characters. The beads add weight and also give your mobile an added charm.
9Connect the bottom character.
Similarly connect the middle and bottom characters using a string of the same length as that of the previous step.
Do Steps 7 to 9 for all of your mobile's strands.
10Create a top frame.
Create a top frame from which to hang the strands of your mobile. It can be a branch, a hanger, a long wooden dowel, or a piece of cardboard or poster board cut into a certain shape. I went with cardboard and painted it with a Halloween theme.
For a cardoard frame, punch holes—one on top for a string and three (or the number of strands in your mobile) evenly-spaced holes at the bottom.
11Attach the strands onto the frame.
Complete your mobile by connecting the strands onto the frame.
Cardboard frame - tie the top string of each strand around a hole at the bottom edge of the frame. Tie a string around the top hole to hang your mobile. Balance the mobile by adjusting the length of the top string on the first and third strands.
Dowel/branch/hanger - fasten the top string of all three strands onto the frame. Loop a string at the midpoint of your frame to be able to hang your mobile. Balance the mobile by adjusting the position of the strands along the frame and/or adjusting the length of the top string of each strand.
More Ideas
Create craft foam characters.
Another way to make a longer lasting mobile is to make the characters out of craft foam. You can use the Halloween templates as patterns for making the outlines of the characters on craft foam.
Create a cross-shaped top.
Try making a mobile with a cross-shaped top. Details are outlined in our Celestial Clay Mobile craft.
Make a whimsical top.
Create a whimsical top with wire. Children need an adult to help and supervise when crafting with wire. For this carousel or round-type mobile, I bent six pieces of florist wire into an identical wavy shape.
I then bunched them together on their uncurled end and arranged the wire pieces at evenly-spaced positions. I used another piece of wire to bind them together on the bunched end.
Explore other materials.
Explore other materials to make your Halloween characters. You can create some pumpkin suncatchers and string them together to make a mobile. The suncatchers make wonderful bright orange reflections when they catch the sun!
If you want to go three-dimensional, use self-hardening clay or salt dough to make Jack-o'-Lanterns, bats, and other Halloween characters.
