Short answer
Fold a sheet of black paper in half, draw half a bat against the fold and cut it out – then both wings come out the same. Fold the wings up a little so the bat gets its shape, stick on eyes and tape the bats to a string with a hand's width between them. Hang the garland in the window or across a doorway. It takes half an hour and works from age three.
What you need
- Black paper, about 120–160 g, or thin black card
- White paper or a white gel pen for the eyes
- Pencil or white crayon
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- String, yarn or thin thread, 1–2 metres
- Tape or a stapler
- Sticky tack or masking tape for hanging
Step by step
-
1. Fold a sheet of black paper in half. Draw half a bat with its body against the fold – half a head with one ear and a wing with three points.
-
2. Cut out the bat without cutting the fold, then open the paper. Both wings come out the same. Make more using the first one as a template.
-
3. Fold the wings slightly upwards along two lines close to the body, so the bat looks as if it is flying.
-
4. Stick on two eyes made of white paper, or draw them with a white gel pen.
-
5. Lay the bats in a row with a hand's width between them and tape or staple them to the string, in the middle of the back.
-
6. Hang the garland in the window or above a doorway with sticky tack or masking tape.
A bat garland is Halloween's quickest craft – black paper, scissors and a string, and after half an hour a whole colony is flying in the window. It shows up clearly from the street when the light is on inside, and it works just as well over a doorway as along the bookshelf.
The trick that helps even small children succeed is to fold the paper before cutting. That way you only draw half a bat, and both wings automatically match when the paper is opened out. The garland goes nicely with ghost lanterns made from glass jars on the windowsill – bats in the window and glowing ghosts below.
Who does what – children and adults
- Ages 3–5: stick on eyes, choose where the bats go on the string and help hang it up. An adult does the cutting, because the pointed wings are tricky.
- Ages 6–9: draw and cut out the bats themselves with the template. Many at this age want to make a whole family of bats in different sizes.
- Age 10 and up: can try the concertina chain below, which takes a little more precision.
Make a template
Once you have made a bat that turned out well, trace it onto a piece of card and cut it out. With a template it is quick to make ten or fifteen bats, and the children can draw around it themselves. Make two sizes – one large and one small – and the garland looks like a real colony.
Concertina chain – bats that hold together
A concertina chain gives a long row of bats joined wingtip to wingtip, with no string.
- Cut a long strip of black paper, about 12 centimetres high.
- Fold the strip back and forth like a concertina, so that each fold is about 10 centimetres wide.
- Draw a bat on the top layer so that the wingtips reach all the way to the folds on both sides.
- Cut out the bat through all the layers – but do not cut where the wingtips meet the folds.
- Unfold the strip. Now you have a chain of bats holding hands with their wings.
Start with thin paper and four or five layers. Thick card in many layers is impossible to cut through.
Eyes that are safe for the youngest
Googly plastic eyes are fun, but they can come off and are small enough to choke on for children under three. For the youngest it is better to use eyes made of white paper – punch out dots with a hole punch – or to draw the eyes with a white gel pen or crayon. A small red dot turns it into a slightly spookier vampire bat.
More bats to make
- Toilet roll bat: paint a toilet roll black, fold in the top to make two ears and glue black paper wings to the back.
- Pine cone bats: glue the wings onto a dark pine cone – more ideas with pine cones in pine cone ghosts.
- Bat mobile: tie the bats with black thread at different lengths under a stick from the forest. It moves when someone walks past.
- Bats on the window: cut the bats out of black paper and stick them straight onto the glass with a dab of water and washing-up liquid – they stay until you take them off.
- Bats around a lantern: glue small bats around a ghost lantern made with orange tissue paper.
Real bats in Sweden
The craft is a great way into real bats. Sweden has 19 species of bats, and all of them are protected – they must not be disturbed or caught. Most species live in southern Sweden, and in the far north there is only one: the northern bat, which is one of our most common species. It likes to live under roof tiles and in attics.
Bats eat insects and hunt at dusk, often along forest edges, lakes and street lights. On a mild evening in September or early October you can see them flitting past on an evening walk – look up at the sky just after sunset. When it gets cold, the bats hibernate in caves, cellars and attics until spring.
If you find a bat indoors or on the ground, do not touch it with bare hands. Open a window and let it fly out by itself, or contact the municipality or a bat expert if it seems injured. If you want to head out into the dark and listen for the animals of the night, read about our night hiking in Funäsdalen or find more ideas among child-friendly activities in nature.
Hang it up – and save it for next year
The garland looks best in a window that is lit from inside in the evening, or in a doorway where it moves when someone walks past. Hang it with sticky tack or masking tape, and it leaves no marks on the frame.
When Halloween is over, the garland can be laid flat between two pieces of card in a box. Black paper fades a little in sunlight, but the bats will last for several years in storage. We collect more ideas for the spooky night – from carved pumpkins to Halloween food for kids – in Halloween with kids.
Frequently asked questions
What paper is best for a bat garland?
Black paper of about 120–160 grams, or thin card. It holds its shape when the wings are folded up but is still easy for children to cut. Ordinary printer paper is too floppy.
How do you get the wings the same on both sides?
Fold the paper in half and draw only half a bat, with the body against the fold. When you cut it out and open the paper, the wings automatically mirror each other and are the same size.
Can small children have googly eyes on the bats?
Not the youngest. Googly plastic eyes can come off and become a choking hazard for children under three. Cut eyes from white paper instead, use a white gel pen or punch out dots with a hole punch.
How do you hang the garland without leaving marks?
Use sticky tack or masking tape on the window frame. A suction cup with a hook on the glass also works well. Avoid ordinary tape on painted walls.
Are there bats in Sweden in autumn?
Yes. Sweden has 19 species and all of them are protected. In autumn they still hunt insects on the warmest evenings, but when it gets colder they hibernate in caves, cellars and attics until spring.
