Are you looking for a simple, spooky Halloween decoration idea that will make a big impact at your party? Look no further than this flock of flying Halloween bats!
They’re simple to make, you can reuse them every year, and they look AWESOME in person and in photos!
What you’ll need:
- 1 poster-sized sheet of black cardstock
- 1 piece of copy paper
- A pen or pencil
- Scissors
- Tape (Painter’s tape works best here)
Step one: Make your bat template. I drew a bat on white copy paper, then cut it out and picked the half I liked best.
I traced the half-bat onto another piece of paper, then flipped it horizontally to trace the other half. That gave me a symmetrical bat!
But guess what! You don’t have to make your own template – I’ve provided a free printable bat template at the bottom of this post!
Step two: Trace the copy paper bat onto black cardstock with a regular ol’ ballpoint pen and cut the new bat out.
This first bat is your new tracing template. It works better for tracing than the copy paper because it’s sturdier.
Step three: Stick a piece of tape (painter’s tape works best) on the back of your template bat. This will prevent the shape from slipping while you trace.
Step four: Use your template to trace and cut out as many bats as you want. The more you have, the more dramatic the final product will be! One poster-sized piece of cardstock full of bats will probably give you the effect you want.
Folding in the left wing
Step five: Fold the bats’ wings. Once your bats are all cut out, it’s time for the best part! You’re going to fold their wings up so that they look like they are taking flight.
Fold in one wing, then the other.
Here’s what one wing looks like folded
Now fold in the right wing
Now your bat is 3D!
The finished stack of bats!
Step six: Arrange the bats in a flock formation on your wall. Above a doorway or window works great! I don’t have much space to work with, so I hung a few of them above a mirror in my bedroom.
Click on the image below to get to the full-sized flying bat template. It will open in a new tab – just right click, save to your computer, then open the file, print, and cut out!
Click here to download the free flying Halloween bat template!
Below is a pinnable image so that you can save this fun project for later!
If you make a flock of bats for Halloween, please share with us by tagging us in your photos on social media with #lizventuresbats! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Terri Beavers says
These are creepy cool and in time for Halloween too. I’d love to let the kids help me make some of these to add around my front door. I think it will be cute with the old wood.
Shannon Gurnee says
Those are super cute decorations! I love your nail polish color too!
Erin says
These are so awesome! I love easy and awesome decor like this!
Tracey says
These turned awesome! I love easy, DIY crafts for Halloween like this.
Shannon Gurnee says
I totally agree with you. They turned out really awesome!
Rosey says
Well that did turn out very cute!! I haven’t seen that anywhere either. My kids would love it, I already know. 🙂
Bismah says
Wonderful idea for a cheap, easy, and fun craft for kids. This would be great craft not only as a Halloween decoration but also when teaching kids about bats.
Lynndee says
How cute are those bats?! Never thought bats would look much cuter. My son would surely love them.
Anjanette @MommaYoung says
These bats are adorable! I love how they seem to fly off the wall. Thank you for sharing this bat tutorial with us. Happy Halloween.
Teresa Bowen says
These look great. As soon as I get home I’m making a few of these for tomorrow.
Bonnie @wemake7 says
That’s so cool! I can’t to print these out and make some bats. My hubby will love these.
jataya says
spectacularly spooky! this looks like a very fun and festive craft. I am going to try it with my little ones!
Corina Ramos says
Now this is a craft I can do. The bats look awesome on the wall. Thanks for the download!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
What a fun, low cost decoration for Halloween! I only hope I can cut straight enough lines to make these look as realistic as yours.
Nile says
Well know… I could’ve used this yesterday when I was cutting out bats for my nieces to decorate their home for Halloween. Very cool to share this with everyone. 🙂
Toughcookiemommy says
I think it is really cool too. It’s so easy to do and probably doesn’t cost much either.
Toughcookiemommy says
These bats look so real and are perfect for Halloween. I love how they get you into the spirit of the spooky holiday.
mya.k says
That looks so good, I’m going to have to try this sometime.
aaronica (the crunchy mommy) says
these are so cute!!!! i think i’ll make them tomorrow! we’re going for a bat theme for halloween!
Melissa says
I love the 3D effect!We made some bats and hung them too.
Shannon Peterson says
I LOVE how easy this looks! I’ve been a total slacker this year, but I might actually be able to do this!
Patty says
Now I can wear my batty on my walls! We had bats nesting in our eaves last summer.
Alyssa C says
This is definitely my kind of craft and perfect for Halloween. Thank you for sharing.
Maureen says
These are so cool. You did a great job on them and they look great on your wall!
Jennifer Mitchell says
These bats are so cute! They would go perfect in our entrance way. Thanks for this great tutorial!
dawn says
i love this post and i have to say. i love your nail polish…
Chanelle says
Ha! Thank you! I like fun colors for nails.
Melissa says
I love this fun craft idea for Halloween. It would be nice to decorate my front entrance with these !
Julie says
Very festive! Perfect for Halloween. Thanks for sharing tips.
Claudette says
That looks really cool. Makes me kinda wish I was a Halloween person. 🙂
tonygreene113 says
My little girl would love to make these.
Jasmine Watts says
Wow, these are perfect for Halloween party fun!!
Chubskulit Rose says
Those are cute. It turned out really nice on your wall!
Nikki says
OMG! I’m sure my son would love this for his wall in his room. This is really fun, I’m gonna try it.
Carlee C says
Very cool and simple. Pretty much if I am going to make a craft that is the way to go!
Alicia says
These are adorable! I have not done Halloween crafts with m kids yet but these look fun.
Lexie Lane says
Ohh! so cute! My sons gonna have fun this a lot for sure! thanks for this kiddos activity!
Crystal says
Mine are too. They’re excited about hanging them up. I get to do the cutting. 🙂
Chanelle says
Perfect for a Halloween party.
Heidi Gray says
These are adorable! They seem very easy to make and look great! I love that first picture where they jump in and out it’s very cute. I think these would be great for kids to help make as well! They would love cutting them out and hanging them up!
polenation says
my nephews and niece should try this!
Shaney Vijendranath says
Brilliant! This sounds like an activity that will keep the kids busy plus they will really enjoy it.
Rachel Mouton says
How adorable…and SIMPLE! I’m going to try this out today. I bet construction paper would work well too 🙂
The L's Mum says
What a simple but effective way to decorate. If we were having a party I would definitely be looking to use this tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
This seems like a simple craft but it can add a lot of Halloween feel to a room! This is a perfect one to do with kids!
victoria says
Wow this would be fun and easy decoration for Halloween. I do this for our Halloween party Decorations
rika says
I love this bat tutorial. So easy and fun! Perfect for Halloween!
Reichel says
Paper bats. Super easy, cheap and make a big impact. They’ve got to be one of my favorite Halloween decorations ever! 🙂
He says
Oh so fun and easy! Definitely a pleaser with kiddos!
Janice says
How adorable! I love this idea and the kiddos will, too! Thanks for sharing.
Janis @MommyBlogExpert says
That looks like a really fun and easy craft. Definitely would look great as decorations for a Halloween party this weekend.
Carol Bryant says
These are too cute – fun for a school, a daycare, or just a craft project in general. Love the motion look of them.
Mistee Dawn says
These are so cute and fun! I will definitely have to make some of these with my daughter!
Crystal says
Making fun & festive decorations doesn’t have to be expensive. These are so perfect!
Stacie says
This would be great craft for kids to do. They love everything Halloween. I love your bats.
Lee says
Oh that is so neat! 3 Dimensional decorations you made yourself are so fun. I’d decorate the whole house like this. Well, if you gave me some other options. You have a spider or a ghost hidden in that bag of tricks? Hah.
Lee
dana vento says
These are great, and easy and you are wonderfully talented .thank you for this
Ourfamilyworld says
Those are cute. This will be a fun project for me and the twins.
Jeni Hawkins says
Those are so cute! What a fun project for the kids this weekend! Thanks!
Chastity says
What a great craft! Pinning for later:)
Stacey- Travel Blogger says
This turned out so cute. I love how inexpensive it is as well. This is such a cute craft for Halloween.
Shauna says
Oh how adorable. We love Halloween and decorate as much as we can… so these are perfect. Plus the kids can help with them.
Jamie H says
These are so cute! Can you call a bat cute? I think I’ll have to quickly whip up a few to decorate my front porch. Thanks for the printable!!
Shann Eva says
Very cool. I will be attempting this with my boys on Friday. Thank you!
Elizabeth O. says
What can I say? It’s awesome because it’s really easy to do! I love that you can just put it anywhere you like nd it still looks perfect for Halloween.
April G says
Super cute and easy. I think my girls would love it. Thanks.
Norah Loves Makeup says
What a neat suggestion for a Halloween decoration! I like it a lot.
Jasmine says
LOVE it!! My boys would get a kick out of making this
Heather D. (@GirlGoneMom) says
These are too cool. I’ll have to make them for my house.
Wendy @ ABCs and Garden Peas says
What a cute idea! The kids would love it if we put some flying bats up on our walls!
Lisa says
OH my kids would love these! What a fun and easy festive touch for Halloween!
Valerie says
Those are so cute! What a creative idea and it looks great.
Onica{MommyFactor} says
Perfect decoration for the halloween. The bats looks real on the wall. I must try this.
Cindy (Prime Beauty) says
Such a cute idea and so easy! Great for kids too.
tara pittman says
I love these bats. They look so cool on the wall.
Marcie W. says
This is an awesome and totally inexpensive way to decorate. I love that the craft is easy enough for kids to create too.
Patrice says
So creative and awesome idea for halloween easy for kids to do all hands on.
Debbie Denny says
That is a simple and neat idea. The bats look so cute flying on the wall.
Aimee Smith says
Such a cute idea for halloween decor. Easy enough for my kids to help!
Sherri says
How fun! Thanks so much for the template. This is such a cute idea!
Chelley @ A is For Adelaide says
This is so easy and so fun! I know what we’re doing on our rainy afternoon tomorrow!!! (Look for photos!!!!)
Courtney says
Very cute and simple. Sounds like a fun craft! I think it makes for cute decor-I love how its three dimensional.
Theresa says
So simple to make, this would be a great idea for my girls to busy themselves with! I love how they turned out!
Amber Nelson says
Those are super cute bats. I bet my daughter would love to make these!
Sara P. (@SensiblySara) says
My kids have been BEGGING to decorate for Halloween but I’m mean (because the decorations are only up for a week). They would be SO STOKED if I put these up while they are at school tomorrow.
Chanelle says
*chanting* Doooo it, dooo it!
Maureen@ADebtFreeStressFreeLife says
Boy those are super cute. I love how they came out.
lisa says
What an awesome craft idea! If I had more time before my party, I would add these to my walls! Next year I will do this!
Jeanette says
I like this idea! My son wants to decorate the house for halloween and I don’t want to spend major bucks, so this is what we are going to do for halloween, thanks for the idea!
Chanelle says
Yay! It will be fun to do together.
Brenda Brown says
This is such a cute idea! They would be all over my entire house! My 9 year old would have a blast making these with me too.
Scott says
Such perfect timing – we’re going to make some tomorrow and decorate the outside of our front door for Halloween! Just waiting for the rain to stop!
Star Traci says
I love this! I am a walking pinterest fail but this looks like its at my DIY/craft level. It also looks like one I could do with the kids.
🙂
Traci
Chasing Joy says
It would be cute to decorate wiht these in unsuspecting places in your house during a halloween party. Like above the tub in your bathroom.
Kelly Hutchinson says
OK, those are super cute an I need to make them. I have all the materials I need. I just need to get the kids to help me do some scissor work!
Aeryn Lynne says
That’s really cute! Thanks for the template; the nephew would have a blast sticking these to the wall for sure! 😀
Felicia says
I need you to help me decorate Saturday. So cute! Maybe I can get my daughter on board. LOL
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I think this is a super cute project. This is one of those things you can do with the kids that makes Halloween so much more fun.
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
Oh, these are great! I love how they end up looking 3-D!
Paula Schuck says
This is such a cute idea! I think this is a great way to make Halloween decorating more fun and less expensive.
brianna says
Batman. Nananananana Batman!
Cute!
Pam says
These are so cute! I haven’t decorated for Halloween as much as usual this year, but these are so adorable I might have to make them and stick them up.
Karen says
So fun! Thanks for the printable, my kids will have a blast cutting these out and hanging them up 🙂
Catherine S says
What a cute and creative idea. I need to make some to finish off our decorations.
Kristi says
What a fun idea. We were just at house yesterday and they made a bunch of these and put them in the windows.
{Erica}EverythingMomandBaby says
I love these! They turned out so nice. Thanks for the template too. That helps!
Lois Alter Mark says
Okay, those are awesome! Thank you for the printable because I could never make a template for them myself!
Bri says
What a great and simple DIY decoration. My little cousins will really enjoy making bats.
Amanda || Growing Up Madison says
That is too cute and just perfect for Halloween. I might just make a stack with my pre-schooler who has been asking to do crafts a lot lately.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
We’ve been on a crafting binge lately, too! These are perfect 🙂
Ourfamilyworld says
What a cute idea. I love that this is so easy to make.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
That is such a cute idea. I should make a bunch and surprise the boys with them.