How to Make Ant Costumes for Kids

Ants can be annoying when they get into your house, but as a Halloween costume, they can be pretty darn cute on kids. You can do an ant costume DIY by making black or red ant costumes for your kids, or you can try something totally different by making an Ant-Man or Adam Ant costume. Do a little research and see what appeals to you and your little ones. They might like the idea of regular ants or might prefer a different approach.

To make a regular black ant costume, start with a kid-size black hoodie and sweatpants. To get started, cut two large ovals out of black felt and use a hot glue gun to close the bottom of them together. Fill the bulb with tissues or newspaper, glue it shut and attach it to the back of the child's pants or top with safety pins.

You can make extra legs in a similar fashion with long strips of black felt. These can be pinned to the sides of the hoodie on either side of the waist. Make a few more legs to attach to the hoodie's arms. For antennas, attach two black pipe cleaners to a black headband and curl them a bit. Have your child put on the hood and put the headband on top of it. He should also wear black gloves and shoes.

You can also glue on large plastic ants to make the costume more interesting. If you are able to get a group together for a colony, try alternating black and red ants for more visual interest. Look online to see the right shade of red. This is also a good idea for teen and adult Halloween costumes.

The original 2015 Ant-Man movie starred Paul Rudd, and this hero is able to shrink down to the size of an ant and perform amazing feats. Although he can also control ants, Ant-Man does not actually look like one. Instead, he wears a black, red and gray muscle jacket and a helmet. You can look for a child's faux black motorcycle jacket that is red in the middle or get a black jacket and paint the middle section with fabric paint. The child can also wear a puffer vest underneath to create the illusion of muscles.

For adults, black motorcycle pants or athletic pants will also create "muscles," and knee pads underneath can make your legs look bigger. Also, get a pair of heavy black gloves. Ant-Man wears a wide silver belt. You can find silver Ant-Man helmets online, or if you have an old motorcycle helmet, you can make the Ant-Man version.

If you want to make an '80s pop singer Adam Ant costume, you need a different approach. Start by looking at a picture of the star online to use as a guide.

You'll need a small black suit jacket, and you can then glue gold accents on the chest and cuffs. This can be worn with a puffy white poet shirt, tight black pants and a matching gold belt. Paint a horizontal white stripe from ear to ear across the bridge of your child's nose and make a few tiny braids in his hair and tie the ends with ribbons.