Make spooky ghost art using potato stamps and white paint! A simple Halloween activity kids love, create tall, short, or swooping ghosts or a whole ghost family!
Halloween crafts are extra special when they surprise you a little — and this potato ghost painting definitely delivers. With just a few potatoes cut in half and some white paint, kids can stamp their way to a whole haunted scene that looks seriously cool. Whether you’re planning a Halloween activity for preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, homeschool, or the classroom, this one is easy to set up and genuinely fun to make.
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Kids get to choose whether their ghosts are tall and looming, short and squatty, or somewhere in between — and because every potato stamp is a little different, every ghost ends up with its own personality. Then comes the really fun part: adding googly eyes and silly mouths in black paint, tossing in some tiny stars, and deciding whether to go wild with chalk, glitter, or stickers. There isn’t a wrong way to make it, and that’s what makes it so great.
We made a whole ghost family together, and honestly I think I had just as much fun as my kids did watching our little potato stamps transform into something so festive. My kids kept laughing at how each ghost came out looking a little different — which made every single one feel like their own.
Learning Benefits
- Fine motor skills — gripping and pressing the potato stamp builds hand strength and control that supports early writing
- Color mixing and recognition — choosing between white paint and dark backgrounds introduces color contrast and how colors interact
- Creativity and self-expression — deciding how to arrange ghosts, add faces, and personalize with stars or glitter encourages imaginative thinking
- Counting and size sorting — making a ghost family of tall, short, and in-between ghosts naturally weaves in early math concepts
- Sensory exploration — feeling the texture of the cut potato and the wet paint offers rich tactile learning
Make It a Halloween Learning Unit!
This potato painted ghost craft is so much fun on its own, but it’s also the perfect jumping-off point for a whole Halloween learning unit! After your little ones finish painting their ghost family, keep the spooky fun going with the “Make a Ghost Fly! Fun Balloon Static Electricity Halloween Activity” — it’s such a cool way to bring your painted ghosts to life and sneak in a little science at the same time. You can also round out the unit with the “Halloween Science Experiments” for more hands-on discovery, and the “Halloween Printable Activities: FREE Busy Book and Worksheets” to keep kids engaged with learning pages they’ll actually want to sit down with. Whether you’re doing this at home, in the classroom, or as part of your homeschool Halloween week, there’s no shortage of ways to extend the fun!
A Book to Read Together
Make craft time even more fun by reading The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason. This sweet and charming picture book about a little ghost who stands out from the crowd is a perfect companion for your potato-painted ghost craft! Kids will love seeing all the different, wonderfully unique ghosts — just like the one-of-a-kind ghost families they create with their potato stamps. Click here to learn more about this book
How to Make Potato Painted Ghosts
At a Glance
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Best for ages: Ages 3+
- Difficulty: Easy
- Skills practiced: stamping, fine motor, color mixing, creativity
Supplies
- Potatoes (small yellow or any variety work great)
- Knife (for adult use to halve the potatoes)
- White acrylic paint (recommended for brighter color) or white tempera paint
- Black paint (for adding ghost faces) or marker
- Blue or black cardstock or construction paper
- Paper plate (for holding paint)
- Paintbrush (for adding facial details)
- Optional: chalk, stickers, or glitter for decorating
Potato Painted Ghosts Video Tutorial
Prefer to watch? Here’s the whole craft from start to finish:
Step 1: Prep Your Potato Stamps
Start by cutting a few small potatoes in half so you have flat surfaces to stamp with. The cut side is what you will dip into the paint, so the flatter the better!
Step 2: Set Up Your Paint
Pour some white acrylic paint onto a paper plate and spread it out a little. White acrylic paint gives the ghosts a nice bright look, but tempera paint works great too!
Step 3: Pick Your Background Paper
Choose a piece of blue or black paper for your background. We love using light blue, but dark blue or black makes the white ghosts really pop!
Step 4: Stamp Your Ghosts
Dip the flat side of a potato half into the white paint and press it down onto your paper. Then drag it down just a little as you lift to give your ghost that flowing, spooky shape. Kids can make their ghosts tall, short, or even look like they are floating and moving. We love making a whole ghost family!
Step 5: Add Faces
Once the white paint is dry, dip a finger or the tip of a paintbrush into black paint and add two little eyes and a mouth to each ghost. Every face turns out a little different, which makes each ghost so fun and full of personality!
Step 6: Decorate and Personalize
Now for the really fun part! Add small white stars around your ghosts using a paintbrush or the tip of a finger. Kids can also use chalk, stickers, or glitter to decorate their paper and make it their own.
Try These Fun Variations
- Try it on black paper instead of blue for an extra spooky look! White paint really pops on a dark background, and kids can add white or yellow chalk stars for a night sky feel.
- Make a ghost family! Kids can use different sizes of potatoes to stamp a tall parent ghost, a medium sibling ghost, and a tiny baby ghost. It’s such a sweet way to make the craft personal.
- Let kids decorate their ghosts with glitter glue, googly eye stickers, or foam stickers once the paint dries. Every ghost ends up with its own personality!
- Swap the white paint for light blue, lavender, or pale yellow to make colorful ghosts. We loved how the soft colors looked against a dark background, but kids can use any color they like.
- Instead of just ghost faces, try stamping a whole haunted scene! Kids can add a moon, bats, or a spooky house using other shapes cut from extra potato pieces.
More Halloween and Fall Crafts for Kids
Keep the spooky season fun going with these festive favorites!
- Boo Ghost Footprint Craft
- Lil’ Pumpkin Handprint Craft
- Halloween Science Experiments
- Witches Cauldron Color Science Experiment
- Hocus Pocus Craft Idea: Sanderson Sisters With FREE Template
- 25+ The BEST Pumpkin Crafts for Kids for Fall and Halloween
- Melting Ghost Shaving Cream Halloween Activity
- Skeleton Bones Ripped Paper Craft for Kids of all Ages
- Potato Stamping Easter Eggs Kids Craft
Frequently Asked Questions
This potato ghost craft is great for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age kids! Even little ones can grip a potato half and stamp away, and older kids will love adding the faces and star details. It works beautifully for homeschool, classroom Halloween parties, or a fun afternoon activity at home.
From start to finish, plan for about 15-20 minutes. Most of that time is the stamping and painting, and then you will want to give the paint a little time to dry before kids add the faces and any extra details like glitter or stickers.
Potato stamping is surprisingly manageable! We like to set out a paper plate for the paint and lay down some newspaper or a plastic tablecloth underneath. Old clothes or a smock are always a good call with acrylic paint, but the process itself is pretty contained and easy to clean up.
Print the Directions
Potato Print Ghost Family Art: Simple Halloween Activity for Kids
Materials
- Potatoes (small yellow or any variety work great)
- Knife (for adult use to halve the potatoes)
- White acrylic paint (recommended for brighter color) or white tempera paint
- Black paint (for adding ghost faces) or marker
- Blue or black cardstock or construction paper
- Paintbrush (for adding facial details)
- Optional: chalk, stickers, googly eyes, or glitter for decorating
Instructions
- Step 1: Prep Your Potato Stamps: Start by cutting a few small potatoes in half so you have flat surfaces to stamp with. The cut side is what you will dip into the paint, so the flatter the better!Step 2: Set Up Your Paint: Pour some white acrylic paint onto a paper plate and spread it out a little. White acrylic paint gives the ghosts a nice bright look, but tempera paint works great too!Step 3: Pick Your Background Paper: Choose a piece of blue or black paper for your background. We love using light blue, but dark blue or black makes the white ghosts really pop!Step 4: Stamp Your Ghosts: Dip the flat side of a potato half into the white paint and press it down onto your paper. Then drag it down just a little as you lift to give your ghost that flowing, spooky shape. Kids can make their ghosts tall, short, or even look like they are floating and moving. We love making a whole ghost family!Step 5: Add Faces: Once the white paint is dry, dip a finger or the tip of a paintbrush into black paint and add two little eyes and a mouth to each ghost. Every face turns out a little different, which makes each ghost so fun and full of personality!Step 6: Decorate and Personalize: Now for the really fun part! Add small white stars around your ghosts using a paintbrush or the tip of a finger. Kids can also use chalk, stickers, or glitter to decorate their paper and make it their own.
Notes
Try These Fun Variations
- Try it on black paper instead of blue for an extra spooky look! White paint really pops on a dark background, and kids can add white or yellow chalk stars for a night sky feel.
- Make a ghost family! Kids can use different sizes of potatoes to stamp a tall parent ghost, a medium sibling ghost, and a tiny baby ghost. It’s such a sweet way to make the craft personal.
- Let kids decorate their ghosts with glitter glue, googly eye stickers, or foam stickers once the paint dries. Every ghost ends up with its own personality!
- Swap the white paint for light blue, lavender, or pale yellow to make colorful ghosts. We loved how the soft colors looked against a dark background, but kids can use any color they like.
- Instead of just ghost faces, try stamping a whole haunted scene! Kids can add a moon, bats, or a spooky house using other shapes cut from extra potato pieces.