Halloween is just around the corner, but if you are in the middle of a move, buying a costume may not top the list of your priorities. However, if you have kids that typically participate in this October tradition, you can bet all the pumpkins in the patch that it IS at the top of their priority list! So what is a parent to do when there is still a ton of moving boxes around the house needing to be unpacked and no time to go Halloween costume shopping? RNR Moving of Atlanta has an idea; use those leftover moving boxes for a DIY cardboard costume!   

Reusing Cardboard Boxes

After a move most families tend to have an enormous amount of cardboard boxes, that in most cases can be reused. Take a moment to talk with your kids about making do it yourself cardboard costumes and decide what they want to create. While young children will need help making a costume, this is a great project to give older kids to work on independently (allowing more unpacking time for you).

Need some costume ideas?

The sky’s the limit with cardboard costumes, but some ideas are obviously more complex than others, and may require paint or other accessories. Below are some examples of cardboard costume ideas categorized by level of difficulty (which includes time and materials):

DIY Difficulty – Easy

• iPod – One rectangular box needed – must be big enough to cover child from shoulders to knees; cut out arm holes, hole for the head and open up bottom for legs; paint box any color (spray paint works fast); use acrylic paint or markers to make screen and dial on front; add headphones or earbuds. Cardboard costume complete and cheap!   

DIY Difficulty – Medium

• Mario Kart – Need one box per person; paint box bright color with number on sides and wheels; add straps to hold box up to waist height (kid stands inside); add character hat; add helium filled balloons to back of ‘kart.’

DIY Difficulty – High

• Any intricate or realistic costumes can be difficult, like Iron Man, Optimus Prime, a full body raptor dinosaur, etc. Plenty of these may not be so much hard, as time consuming and requiring a variety of extra supplies to create.

More ideas:

Flat/single cardboard pieces:

• Phone apps
• Instagram filters
• Cards (playing cards, sports cards, kid’s collector cards- Pokemon, My Little Pony; vintage cards- 1980’s Garbage Pail Kids cards)
• Any poster or piece of artwork
• Wings (fairy, bird, etc.)

3D cardboard boxes:

• Robot
• Monsters or any animals
• Popular games (old video game cartridge, tetris pieces, etc.)
• Any food or candy
• Vehicles from popular TV shows or Films
• Characters from TV or Films (Lego people or characters is a perfect choice for boxes!)

Also check out: Pinterest, PopSugar, Buzzfeed or a simple Google search!

RNR Moving hopes that some of these fun tips will help your family find a fun way to unpack and get ready for Halloween by using what you have at home! If you are just planning your move, please consider allowing our RNR Moving experts to handle the job for you! We are Atlanta’s most reliable relocators, so please call us for a FREE price quote today at 678-838-9775. We look forward to answering any questions you may have and we wish you a Happy Halloween!