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Halloween costumes for tweens – they will love these unique ideas

Tween costume ideas that parents won't hate

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Two tweens dressed as mummies and holding pumpkin baskets
Daisy Anderson / Pexels

Pretty much everyone loves Halloween. Nowadays, even adults really get into dressing up for Halloween to go trick-or-treating with the kids or to a costume party with friends. So, just because your kiddos have crossed into the eye-rolling tween years, it doesn’t mean they still don’t want to don a costume for trick-or-treating with friends or to go to the school Halloween dance.

The problem comes with finding appropriate costumes for them. Most schools don’t want anything that screams violence or incorporates any inappropriate props. Then, there are the girls. Once girls age out of the little kid costume sizes, get used to seeing the word sexy attached to everything your daughter wants to be for Halloween. Also, costume prices go up and the amount of material used to fashion the outfit shrinks considerably.

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So, what are parents to do when it comes time to find a tween costume for Halloween? Well, thankfully, there are ideas for trendy Halloween costumes for tweens that don’t involve a bloodstained hockey mask with an axe or a skirt too short and tight that won’t allow your daughter to sit down.

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Tween costume ideas for Halloween

Tween girl in a Harry Potter costume
RDNE Stock project / Pexels

Sadly, when the tween years roll around, your kiddo most likely doesn’t want to go trick-or-treating with you. Instead, they want to go with their friends. It’s part of that rite of passage you’ve been dreading. If your tween is headed to a Halloween dance or wants to trick-or-treat with friends this October 31, let them do it in style with these cool costume ideas.

Harry Potter

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter book series remains a huge hit for tweens. Choosing to dress as Harry, Hermoine, a wizard, or one of the other characters from the widely popular series is always a perfect pick for a Halloween costume for tweens.

Mean Girls

This movie is a cult classic and reached a whole new audience last year with the Mean Girls Movie Musical. There’s plenty of inspiration here for tweens who might want to dress like Cady, Janis, Damien, Regina George, or even Ms. Norbury.

Cher from Clueless

Clueless is another one of those timeless 90s hits lots of tweens are watching courtesy of streaming services. Cher’s signature outfit makes for a stylish Halloween costume.

Athlete

If your tween is into sports, then finding a Halloween costume is definitely low stress. Just dip into their team travel or school uniform stash and you have a costume. Tweens may also want to dress as their favorite pros by wearing their sports jerseys, which are probably already in the closet.

TikTok influencers

Since tweens spend a large portion of their day with their smartphones attached to their hands, they might just find some costume inspiration at their fingertips, literally. TikTok influencers like Bella Poarch, Addison Rae, or Charli D’Amelio might make for a trendy tween costume. Check out some videos and head to the closet for a DIY costume.

Taylor

The Eras Tour started in March 2023, but Taylor Swift continues to dominate in 2024. If your tween is a Swiftie, then dressing from one of tour’s eras might be in order. Another fun costume idea is dressing like a Swiftie, complete with a row of friendship bracelets.

Group costumes

Some tweens prefer coming up with a costume theme for their friend group. This can make your Halloween costume shopping simple providing they give you ample time to order the costume. Always in style group costume themes include:

  • M&Ms
  • Collection of different candy bars
  • Minions
  • Crayons
  • Smurfs
  • Ninja Turtles
  • Superheroes
  • Super Mario Brothers
  • Deck of Cards
  • Barbies

Sometimes group costumes can be as simple as wearing a T-shirt.

Halloween has certainly become ageless. It isn’t a holiday just for the kiddos to replenish their candy stash. All ages enjoy a Halloween party or a parade, and just because your kids have reached the tween years doesn’t mean they won’t want to trick or treat. The only difference now is that tweens want parents to stay home so they can go trick-or-treating with friends. Unfortunately, tween costume options do tend to dry up. Costume ideas skip from little kids to adults, which means it may be tough to find an appropriate costume for tweens to wear to a school Halloween dance or trick-or-treating. If you’re searching for tween costume inspiration, we’ve got you.

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Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller
Contributor
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
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