Cool Halloween Costumes
for Your Tweens and Teens

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Finding Cool Halloween Costumes for your tweens and teens can be a little tricky when you're talking about your definition of "cool" versus your teens definition of "cool".

Choosing teen Halloween costumes can be a battle of wills between you and your teens but it doesn't have to be. This is our first Halloween with a teen in the house and it's not cutesy costume time anymore. --Yeesh.

My "just turned" teen daughter is going to a Halloween party this year that will be attended by her friends and classmates, and she wants a "cool" costume. Well of course, what she thinks is cool and what I think is acceptable can sometimes be two different things. Costumes that seem too provocative, or cost a fortune to purchase or put together just aren't going to fly with me.

Luckily for me, my kid is pretty reasonable -- for the most part :-). But for some, this could be a major power struggle if you aren't ready. At this stage your tweens and teens are going to want some independence. They want to make this costume decision on their own and have some fun with their creativity at the same time.

Here you'll find some tips and cool Halloween costume ideas, that with some tweaking and compromise, you can both be happy with.

Teen Halloween Costume Ideas

A lot of these cool Halloween costumes can be put together with things you have right in your home. You can also take your teen to thrift shops, Goodwill or yard sales. You can look for used prom or even wedding gowns that will cost just a few dollars that can be turned into a Zombie Bride, Scary Princess, or Pageant Winner. A cocktail dress, some glued on fringe, a headband and lots of long beads makes for a great Flapper.

Or add a second hand hat, cap or even faux tiara to make a costume complete.

Some yellow rain gear, rain boots, a garden hose and plastic fire helmet from the dollar store gets you an instant fire fighter costume. A few bandannas, lots of fake gold, a homemade felt eye patch, and plastic or cardboard sword gets you an instant scary pirate for a child of any age.

• Don't forget makeup! A simple costume can really come to life with a good makeup job. If you have time and want to make a small investment in learning how to face paint I highly recommend the KLUTZ FACE PAINTING BOOK. You get easy instructions and plenty of face paint.

-- Or just give it to your teen and let them face paint themselves and their siblings.

Masks, plastic limbs and fake blood are also cool Halloween costume staples for the teen crowd. Just make sure that if they're wearing a mask it's something the can see out of safely.

Be clear on what is and isn't acceptable for your family, then run some of these ideas past your teens and let their creativity take over.

More Ideas for Easy Costumes
and Other Halloween Stuff

1. Looking for a last minute costume? Check out the ideas on our "no shopping necessary" easy to make Halloween costumes page.
2. Want to save big on your little kids costumes but you still want them to look cute, cute, cute? And scary too. You can find some really easy homemade Halloween costumes here.
3. Throwing a party? Get your Halloween party games for kids right here. Or just check out ALL of our fun party games to find the ones that work best for your crowd. Just change the color scheme or props to go with your Halloween theme.
4. Don't forget to plan the Halloween menu. We've got plenty of gross recipes for Halloween right here.