Ready to make something silly, spooky, and just a little bit messy? This toothbrush painted monster craft is one of my favorite Halloween activities for little hands. The best part is the painting trick: grab an inexpensive toothbrush from Dollar Tree and drag it across the paper to create wild, textured monster hair. Kids love it, the results look amazing, and cleanup is quick.
This project is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary kiddos. It’s a wonderful classroom activity or a rainy-day project at home. So roll up those sleeves and let’s make a friendly little monster together!
Craft Supplies:
- Extra large construction paper
- 1 white paper plate {for the monster}
- Green tissue paper, cut into small squares
- Craft paint {we used purple and gray}
- Small paper plate {to hold your paint}
- 1 clean, unused toothbrush
- 2 googly eyes (mismatched sizes are extra fun)
- White paper for the zig-zag mouth
- Embellishments {we used bat stickers}
- School glue
Directions:
- First things first – squeeze small dollops of craft paint onto a plate or paint tray. Dip your old toothbrush into one color, then drag it upward across the top half of the construction paper. Keep the strokes vertical so the paint looks like tall, wild hair.
- Switch between colors and let them overlap. The stiff toothbrush bristles leave behind a fun, ribbed texture that’s hard to get with a regular brush. Don’t worry about being neat here. Messy and mixed-up is exactly what we want! Set the paper aside to dry.
- While the hair dries, grab your white paper plate and cut it in half. This half-circle will become your monster’s face and body. Cover the curved surface with small squares of green tissue paper, gluing them down so they overlap. Layering different shades of green gives your monster a bumpy, textured look.
- Once your painted cardstock is dry, glue the tissue-covered paper plate along the bottom edge of the paper. Line up the flat side of the half-circle with the bottom of the page so the painted hair looks like it’s growing right out of your monster’s head.
- Now for the fun face! Glue two googly eyes near the center of the paper plate. Using two different sizes makes your monster look extra goofy. Then cut a jagged, zig-zag strip from white paper for a toothy grin. Glue it just below the eyes.
- Finish things off by gluing on some embellishments {we did bats} across the painted hair and around your monster. Space them out so they look like they’re fluttering through a spooky night sky. And just like that, your monster is complete!
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There you have it – one wildly wonderful, one-of-a-kind monster, made with nothing more than a toothbrush, a paper plate, and a whole lot of Halloween spirit!
Whether you make one together at the kitchen table or set up a whole classroom of little monster makers, this craft is sure to bring out the giggles. We’d love to see your creations – snap a photo and tag @GLUEDTOMYCRAFTS on social media. Now go get those toothbrushes ready, and happy haunting! 🎃👾
