Updated August 20, 2026
These DIY felt ghost bean bags turn a few basic craft supplies into a friendly Halloween tossing game. The soft ghosts are quick to hand-sew, easy to customize and useful for classroom stations, family game night or a trunk-or-treat activity. This is a parent-led craft because cutting, sewing and the small dry filling all require adult handling.
DIY Felt Ghost Bean Bags at a Glance
- Project time: about 45 to 60 minutes for four ghosts.
- Skill level: beginner hand sewing with adult supervision.
- Best for: supervised Halloween games for children age three and older.
- Key safety choice: draw the faces or stitch flat felt pieces securely instead of using buttons, beads or plastic googly eyes.
What You Need
- Two sheets of white craft felt
- A small scrap of black felt or a nontoxic black fabric marker
- Paper, pencil and a piece of cardboard for the template
- Fabric scissors
- Straight pins or sewing clips
- White embroidery floss or strong sewing thread
- A hand-sewing needle
- A small funnel or a rolled paper funnel
- Dry rice or small dried beans
- Optional: fabric glue for positioning face pieces before they are stitched
A five- to six-inch-tall ghost makes a practical bean bag: it is large enough to grip but small enough to toss into a bucket. Plan on roughly one-third to one-half cup of filling per ghost. The finished bag should bend in your hand rather than feel tightly packed.
How to Make a Simple Ghost Template
Draw a rounded head at the top of a five- to six-inch-tall shape. Widen the body slightly, add one small arm on each side and finish the bottom with two or three gentle waves. Keep the curves broad; narrow points are harder to turn and seal. Cut out the paper shape, trace it onto cardboard and use the cardboard as your reusable template.
How to Sew DIY Felt Ghost Bean Bags
1. Cut two matching felt pieces
Trace the template twice for each bean bag. Cut directly on the traced line, then place the two matching pieces together. If the edges do not align perfectly, trim them as a pair so the finished ghost has a clean outline.
2. Add the face before joining the layers
Use a fabric marker to draw two oval eyes and a small mouth on the front piece. For a dimensional face, cut flat shapes from black felt, position them with a dot of fabric glue and stitch around each one. Avoid buttons, beads and plastic eyes that could detach.
3. Clip the layers together
Place the front and back pieces with their edges aligned. Use sewing clips or a few pins to hold them in place. Keep the needle and unused pins under adult control and return them to a pin cushion as soon as each section is secured.
4. Stitch around the outside
Starting near one bottom corner, sew around the ghost with a small running stitch or blanket stitch about one-quarter inch from the edge. Keep the stitches close together so the filling cannot work through the seam. Leave a one- to two-inch opening along the bottom.
5. Fill the ghost loosely
Place a funnel in the opening and add dry rice or beans a little at a time. Stop when the ghost feels weighted but flexible. Overfilling puts unnecessary pressure on the seams and makes the bean bag bounce instead of landing softly.
6. Close and inspect the seam
Tuck the filling away from the opening and stitch it closed twice. Knot the thread securely, trim the end and run your fingers around the entire perimeter. If you can see a gap or pull the layers apart, add more stitches before the ghost goes into play.
Important Safety Notes
Dry rice, beans and detached decorations can be choking or ingestion hazards. Health Canada advises that toys likely to be used by children under three should not have small, detachable parts. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also identifies small parts as a choking, aspiration and ingestion risk for children under three.
- Keep this homemade craft away from children under three.
- Use only with adult supervision and never allow chewing or rough pulling.
- Inspect every seam before each play session and retire a bag immediately if it leaks.
- Store the bags where younger siblings and pets cannot reach them.
- Do not heat or microwave a rice- or bean-filled ghost.
Five Ways to Play
Ghost bucket toss
Put a laundry basket or plastic bucket a few feet away and give each player four tosses. Move the line back after each successful round. For a larger event, add this low-mess station to your trunk-or-treat plan.
Number targets
Write point values on paper plates and place them on the floor. Players add their scores after each round, turning the game into quick seasonal math practice.
Friendly ghost bowling
Arrange empty paper cups in a triangle and slide the felt ghosts across a smooth floor to knock them down. Keep the game away from stairs, breakables and busy walkways.
Story prompt toss
Assign a character, setting or silly action to each target. Wherever the ghost lands becomes the next part of a collaborative Halloween story. It is an easy way to mix movement with imagination.
Family challenge round
Create teams, alternate throwers and celebrate accurate tosses instead of keeping a high-pressure score. If your family enjoys simple shared activities, these ghosts fit naturally into a family game night or a list of fall activities.
How to Store and Reuse Them
Keep the ghosts in a dry, lidded container between play sessions. Natural fillers can absorb moisture, so do not store them in a damp basement or outdoor bin. Inspect the felt for stains, moisture, pests and loose stitching before bringing the game out again. With careful storage, the same set can return for several Halloween seasons.
DIY Felt Ghost Bean Bag FAQ
Can I make these without sewing?
Fabric glue can close felt, but a stitched seam is easier to inspect and generally better suited to repeated tossing. If you use a no-sew method, follow the adhesive manufacturer’s curing time exactly and test every edge before supervised play.
What can I use instead of rice or beans?
Commercial plastic craft pellets are an option, but they are still small pieces and require the same age restrictions, strong seams and supervision. Polyester stuffing creates a soft ghost, not a weighted tossing bag.
How many bean bags should I make?
Four is enough for a simple bucket toss. Make eight in two slightly different face styles if you want teams. Keep every ghost close to the same size and weight so the game feels fair.
Can children help?
Older children can trace templates, cut felt with appropriate scissors and choose the expressions while an adult judges their sewing readiness. Adults should handle the filling, needles and final seam inspection. The finished craft is a game piece, not a sleep toy.
Once the last seam passes inspection, set up a target and let the friendly ghosts fly. The project is inexpensive, adaptable and easy to bring back whenever your Halloween plans need one more hands-on activity.
