Pre-Teen Halloween Costume Ideas

Masks and makeup are popular with pre-teens during Halloween.

Pre-teen children can dress up for Halloween in more mature costumes, but they can still have fun and be kids. Finding appropriate costumes for pre-teens is usually easy because pre-teens often have no problem expressing exactly what they want. Ask your children a month or so before Halloween whether they have any ideas. If not, offer a few ideas yourself to get them thinking.

Wizard of Oz: Dorothy

Dorothy is a pre-teen appropriate costume, and has been for decades. You will need a blue checkered dress, a white blouse, white tights and the sparkly red shoes, of course. You can probably find a lot of these items in a local thrift store, or even your own closet. Get two blue ribbons for the two braids to create the Dorothy hairstyle. Add a small picnic basket with a stuffed puppy to complete the look.

Pirate

Pirate costumes can be for pre-teen girls or boys. For a boy, draw your inspiration from the popular Pirates of the Caribbean character Jack Sparrow. This costume needs about seven separate pieces: a bandanna, a white pirate shirt, a blue vest, a waist sash, a belt, brown pants and boots. You may also add a wig with dreadlocks, braids and beads.

For a girl, create a pirate with some sass. This costume requires a big black pirate hat with a bandanna, a pirate shirt, and a skirt instead of pants for a more feminine look. Add some tights to help keep her warm and some brown boots. You can accessorize both the girl and boy costumes with a pirate sword or an eye patch.

Grease

Draw inspiration for your pre-teen's Halloween costume from this classic pop movie, but add a modern twist he or she can relate to. For a girl, get a 1950s-style skirt. Finish it up with a bright-colored jacket, striped undershirt and pulled-back ponytail with a ribbon. White tennis shoes complete the look. Make it modern with the accessories: current political pins or modern eyeglasses add a small detail reference today's trends.

For a boy, get a 1950s-style faux leather jacket and grab a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt from his closet. Finish it up with fancy black dress shoes, black sunglasses and greased-back hair. Again, add modern accessories to give it a current twist, such as his favorite band's logo or MP3 player earphones.

References

• World Village: Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas for Teenagers
• All Family Resources: Halloween Costume Ideas