Choosing a Halloween costume as a kid is serious business.
Some want the scariest thing they can possibly find. Others would much rather become their favourite movie, game or TV character. And some just want a costume that's fun, comfortable and easy to run around in once the sweets start appearing.
To make things easier, we've picked ten of our favourite kids Halloween costume ideas for 2026, mixing classic monsters with horror favourites, superheroes and some of the year's biggest characters.
Whether you're looking for something terrifying, funny or not particularly scary at all, there's plenty to choose from in our full kids Halloween costume collection.
1. Go Classic with a Vampire
Some Halloween costumes never really need reinventing.
Vampires have been turning up at Halloween parties for generations, and for good reason. The look is instantly recognisable, easy to accessorise and can be made as spooky or theatrical as you like.
A cape, smart dark clothing and a pair of fangs are often all it takes. Add some pale face paint or a little fake blood and the transformation is complete.
Our Transylvanian Vampire costume for boys is a brilliant starting point for a traditional Halloween look.
2. Become a Werewolf
If vampires are the elegant side of Halloween, werewolves are what happens when things get considerably hairier.
A werewolf costume is a great choice for children who want something properly spooky without needing to wear a full-face mask all evening. Fur, claws and torn clothing create the character immediately, while face paint can take the transformation even further.
Our kids werewolf costume is a classic monster look that's perfect for trick-or-treating and Halloween parties.
3. Ghost Face – Scream
For older kids who want something instantly recognisable, Ghost Face has become one of Halloween's defining characters.
The white mask, black hood and flowing robe create a simple silhouette that horror fans recognise straight away. It's also one of those costumes that does most of the work for you — no complicated makeup required.
Our Ghost Face Scream VI Aged costume for children puts a weathered spin on the familiar look.
If you're shopping for adults as well, our wider guide to horror movie costumes explores more famous characters from scary cinema.
4. Five Nights at Freddy's
Video games have become just as important to Halloween fancy dress as films, and Five Nights at Freddy's is a perfect example.
Freddy Fazbear and the rest of the animatronic characters sit in that strange sweet spot between colourful mascot and nightmare fuel, which makes them particularly good Halloween material.
For fans of the games and films, our Freddy costume for children recreates the familiar animatronic bear look.
You can also explore our complete Five Nights at Freddy's costume collection for more characters from the franchise.
5. K-Pop Demon Hunters
One of the biggest character costume themes heading into Halloween 2026 comes from K-Pop Demon Hunters.
The combination of pop-star styling, bold colours and supernatural action makes the characters feel almost designed for fancy dress. It's also a great option for children who want something current without necessarily dressing as a traditional Halloween monster.
Our Rumi Golden Deluxe K-Pop Demon Hunters costume recreates one of the film's standout looks.
For Rumi, Mira, Zoey and more, browse our full range of officially licensed K-Pop Demon Hunters costumes.
6. Wednesday Addams
For a costume that's spooky without being particularly frightening, Wednesday Addams is difficult to beat.
Her dark clothes, deadpan personality and gothic style have made Wednesday a Halloween favourite across several generations of The Addams Family.
The Nevermore Academy look from the Wednesday series gives the character a modern update while still being unmistakably Wednesday.
Our Wednesday Addams school uniform costume is a great choice for fans of the series, with more characters available in our Addams Family fancy dress collection.
7. Try a Creepy Carnival Clown
Clowns can go in two very different directions at Halloween.
There's the cheerful birthday-party version, and then there's the one standing slightly too still at the end of a dark corridor.
A creepy clown costume is brilliant for children who want a traditional scary Halloween outfit without dressing as a particular film or TV character. The contrast between bright carnival colours and horror makeup gives you plenty of room to personalise the look.
Our Carnevil Clown costume for girls brings that spooky circus idea to life.
8. Suit Up as a Superhero
Halloween doesn't have to mean monsters.
For children who would rather save the world than haunt it, superheroes make an easy alternative to traditional scary costumes. They're colourful, instantly recognisable and just as at home at a Halloween party as they are at a birthday or comic-themed event.
Our Captain America Avengers: Endgame costume is one option for young Marvel fans.
There are plenty more characters to choose from in our wider superhero costume collection.
9. Turn Halloween Prehistoric with Jurassic World
Sometimes the best costume idea is simply becoming a dinosaur.
Jurassic World costumes offer something completely different from the usual witches, ghosts and vampires, while still giving kids the chance to become something capable of causing a little chaos.
Our T-Rex dinosaur costume for children is a fun choice for young dinosaur fans, while our officially licensed Jurassic World costumes include more prehistoric character ideas.
10. Join the Dark Side with Darth Vader
If you're looking for a character who already comes dressed almost entirely in black, Darth Vader doesn't require much adapting for Halloween.
The helmet, cape and armour have made him one of cinema's most recognisable villains, and the costume works for everything from Halloween parties to movie-themed events.
Our Darth Vader Star Wars costume for boys brings the classic look together, while our wider Star Wars fancy dress collection lets siblings or friends build an entire galaxy of characters.
Scary or Not-So-Scary?
Not every child wants to look terrifying at Halloween, and that's absolutely fine.
The easiest way to choose a costume is to start with how spooky they actually want to be.
- For classic Halloween: vampires and werewolves are hard to beat.
- For something properly scary: Ghost Face or Five Nights at Freddy's bring more of a horror feel.
- For spooky without the scares: Wednesday Addams is an easy middle ground.
- For current characters: K-Pop Demon Hunters brings a very 2026 option to Halloween.
- For no scares at all: superheroes, Star Wars and Jurassic World still work brilliantly at a Halloween party.
Choosing a Kids Halloween Costume by Age
The right costume often has less to do with age on the label and more to do with what your child is comfortable wearing.
Younger children may prefer colourful character costumes or familiar monsters without elaborate masks, while older kids are often more interested in horror characters, gaming franchises and whatever their friends are talking about that year.
If the costume is for trick-or-treating, think about practicality too. They'll probably be walking, climbing steps and carrying a steadily growing bag of sweets, so comfortable footwear and easy movement matter more than they might in a photograph.
It's also worth checking whether a mask restricts visibility and making sure longer robes, capes or inflatable costumes are comfortable enough for the plans you have.
Halloween Costume Ideas for Siblings & Groups
Getting siblings or friends into the same theme can make Halloween even more fun without requiring everyone to wear identical costumes.
Choose a franchise with several recognisable characters and let everyone pick their favourite. Five Nights at Freddy's, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Star Wars and superhero teams all work particularly well.
You can also mix traditional Halloween characters together. A vampire, werewolf and creepy clown don't come from the same story, but they certainly look like they belong at the same Halloween party.
Choose a Costume They'll Actually Want to Wear
The best kids Halloween costume isn't necessarily the most elaborate one. It's the one that survives longer than ten minutes after leaving the house.
Think about where it's being worn, how long they'll have it on and whether they'll need a coat underneath it. Masks can look fantastic but may become annoying after an hour, while complicated accessories have a mysterious habit of ending up in a parent's hands halfway through the evening.
If your child already has a favourite character, that's usually a better starting point than trying to convince them into whatever happens to look most Halloween-like.
More Halloween Costume Inspiration
Still deciding? Browse our complete kids Halloween costume collection for scary characters, movie favourites, gaming costumes and classic Halloween monsters.
If movies are the main attraction, our guide to iconic movie Halloween costumes explores more famous characters from the big screen.
For traditional inspiration, take a look at our classic Halloween costume ideas, or see what's shaping this year's parties in our 2026 Halloween costume trends.
You can also explore our full range of Halloween costumes and accessories for adults and children.