Boo! This friendly little ghost needs an artist to help finish the picture.
This complete-the-picture Halloween ghost activity for kids combines drawing, observation, and coloring in one simple spooky-season challenge. Children study the completed parts of the ghost, look carefully at the shapes and lines, and then draw what is missing until their cheerful Halloween character is complete.
Once the drawing is finished, kids can add color, create a spooky-cute nighttime background, give their ghost a name, or even invent an entire Halloween story.
It’s an easy choice for a quiet October afternoon, homeschool art time, classroom activity center, Halloween party, or something creative to do while waiting for trick-or-treating.
For even more seasonal activities, explore Halloween Activities for Kids: Crafts, Coloring Pages & Printables.
👻 Can You Complete the Halloween Ghost?
Our little ghost isn’t quite ready to start haunting yet.
Something is missing!
Your job is to study the parts of the picture that are already there and work out what should be added.
Look carefully at the ghost’s:
- Outline
- Head
- Face
- Eyes
- Mouth
- Curves
- Bottom edge
- Other small details
Then use a pencil to recreate the missing parts.
The goal isn’t to draw a perfectly identical copy. The existing picture is there to give children visual clues about the shapes and lines they need.
If your ghost ends up with a slightly different smile or a wobblier outline, that’s okay.
You may simply have created an entirely new ghost!
✏️ How to Complete the Ghost Picture
Grab a pencil and take a good look at the illustration before you begin.
Then work through the activity one section at a time.
- Find an unfinished part of the ghost.
- Look at the corresponding completed area.
- Notice the shape and direction of the lines.
- Decide where the missing line should begin.
- Draw lightly with a pencil.
- Compare your new line with the original picture.
- Erase and adjust anything you want to change.
- Continue until the entire ghost is complete.
- Trace the finished outline if you want darker lines.
- Bring out the crayons and decorate your ghost.
There’s no need to hurry.
Looking closely before drawing is part of the activity.
👀 Look for Shapes Before Drawing
One trick that can make copying a picture easier is to stop thinking about the entire ghost and look for small shapes and lines instead.
Ask:
Is this line straight or curved?
Does the curve go up or down?
Is this part wide or narrow?
Where does the line begin?
Where does it end?
A ghost might look like one complicated character at first, but it’s really made from a collection of much simpler shapes.
Copy those small pieces and the complete character gradually appears.
😊 Start With the Ghost’s Face
The face is one of the most important parts because it determines your ghost’s personality.
Look at the eyes and mouth carefully.
Are the eyes:
- Round?
- Oval?
- Wide open?
- Close together?
- Far apart?
What does the mouth look like?
Is your ghost:
- Smiling?
- Surprised?
- Laughing?
- Saying “Boo!”?
- Looking a little confused?
Try to recreate the original expression first.
Then, if you’d like, draw another version and completely change the face.
👻 Make Your Ghost Friendly, Funny or Spooky
The original activity uses a friendly Halloween ghost rather than a truly scary apparition, making it especially approachable for younger Halloween fans.
But once you’ve completed the picture, you can decide what personality your ghost should have.
Friendly Ghost
Give it:
- A big smile
- Rosy cheeks
- Bright eyes
- A bow tie
- A cute hat
Funny Ghost
Try:
- Googly eyes
- A giant tongue
- Funny glasses
- A crooked smile
- A silly Halloween costume
Spooky Ghost
Add:
- A darker expression
- Jagged mouth
- Moonlit background
- Haunted house
- Creepy trees
Kawaii Ghost
Give it:
- Big sparkling eyes
- Tiny mouth
- Pink cheeks
- Little stars
- A cute pumpkin friend
One unfinished picture can become several completely different Halloween characters.
🎨 Color Your Finished Ghost
Ghosts are traditionally white — but Halloween art doesn’t have to follow tradition.
Once the drawing is complete, experiment with color.
Your ghost could be:
- Pale blue
- Lavender
- Pink
- Mint green
- Gray
- Rainbow-colored
Then decorate the surrounding picture with classic Halloween colors:
- Orange
- Black
- Purple
- Green
- Yellow
You can even use a very light blue, lavender, or gray around the edges of a white ghost to make it stand out from the paper.
🌙 Add a Halloween Background
The ghost needs somewhere to haunt.
Once you’ve completed the character, turn the rest of the page into an entire Halloween scene.
Add:
- A glowing full moon
- Flying bats
- Pumpkins
- A haunted house
- Bare trees
- Stars
- Spiderwebs
- Black cats
- Gravestones
- Candy
- Autumn leaves
Maybe the ghost lives in an old castle.
Maybe it’s floating through a pumpkin patch.
Maybe it’s on its way to a Halloween party.
Or perhaps it’s simply trying to find its ghost friends.
The background can tell the rest of the story.
🎃 Give Your Ghost a Pumpkin Friend
Draw a jack-o’-lantern beside the ghost.
Then decide what expression the pumpkin should have.
Should it be:
- Happy
- Scared
- Silly
- Sleepy
- Angry
- Surprised
You could even make the ghost and pumpkin look like best friends.
Add a little scene of them heading out together on Halloween night.
🧙♀️ Add a Witch to the Picture
Maybe your friendly ghost has a witch friend.
After finishing this activity, try Complete the Picture of a Little Witch Girl.
Then imagine that the two characters belong in the same story.
Is the witch trying to catch the ghost?
Are they best friends?
Does the ghost live in the witch’s house?
Are they heading to a Halloween party together?
Combining two activities can turn simple drawing pages into a much bigger creative project.
🕷️ Don’t Forget the Funny Spider
A ghost, witch, and spider make quite a Halloween crew.
Add another drawing challenge with Complete the Picture of a Funny Spider.
Once all three characters are finished, children can create a giant Halloween scene featuring:
- The friendly ghost
- Little witch
- Funny spider
- Pumpkins
- Moon
- Haunted house
Display all three finished pictures together for a homemade Halloween art gallery.
🧠 What Kids Can Practice
A copy-the-picture drawing activity encourages children to combine careful looking with controlled drawing.
👀 Observation
Children need to study the original illustration and notice which lines, curves, and shapes belong in the missing area.
✏️ Fine-Motor Practice
Using a pencil, crayon, or marker requires coordinated movements of the hands and fingers. Head Start notes that as children’s hand-eye coordination and fine-motor control develop, they become increasingly able to perform tasks such as drawing fine details.
🔍 Visual Comparison
Children compare the unfinished portion of the picture with the visual information already available.
📐 Spatial Thinking
They consider where a line or shape sits in relation to the rest of the ghost.
🧩 Problem-Solving
Instead of being told precisely where every mark goes, children interpret the picture and decide how to recreate the missing portion.
Design-copying activities involve a combination of fine-motor coordination and visual-spatial skills rather than drawing skill alone.
🏠 Easy Halloween Activity for Home
This little ghost is an easy activity to keep on hand throughout October.
All you need is:
- The ghost activity
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Crayons
- Colored pencils or markers
Bring it out for:
- Rainy afternoons
- After-school quiet time
- Weekend activities
- Playdates
- Halloween movie night
- Family craft time
- The afternoon before trick-or-treating
You can also keep several Halloween activities in a folder and let children choose what they want to do.
Mix drawing pages with mazes, coloring activities, matching games, and observation puzzles for plenty of variety.
🏫 Halloween Classroom Activity
The ghost picture can also work as a simple October classroom activity where Halloween-themed materials are appropriate.
Teachers might use it for:
- Morning work
- Art centers
- Early-finisher folders
- Quiet work
- Indoor recess
- Halloween classroom parties
- Drawing practice
- Seasonal take-home activities
Children could complete the ghost first and then write one or two sentences describing their character.
Older students could create a complete Halloween story.
🧒 Make It Easier for Younger Children
If copying the picture is difficult, break the activity into smaller steps.
Use a Pencil
Start lightly so lines can easily be changed.
Complete One Part at a Time
Focus only on the ghost’s head.
Then the face.
Then the body.
Trace the Existing Lines With a Finger
Have the child move a finger along the visible outline before trying to draw the missing section.
Talk About the Shape
Try:
“This line curves down and then back up. Can you make a curve like that?”
Draw Together
An adult can complete one small section and then let the child try the next.
Don’t Expect Perfection
The finished ghost doesn’t need to look exactly like the original.
The goal is to observe, experiment, draw, and enjoy Halloween art.
🦇 Make the Drawing More Challenging
Older children can add extra challenges.
Draw the Ghost Again From Memory
Study the finished picture for a minute.
Turn it over and try drawing the character again without looking.
Create a Mirror Image
Draw another ghost facing the opposite direction.
Add More Detail
Give the ghost:
- Patterns
- Accessories
- A costume
- A detailed background
Make It Bigger
Recreate the ghost on a larger sheet of paper.
Make It Tiny
Try drawing a miniature version.
Create a Ghost Family
Draw several ghosts of different sizes and give every one a different expression.
👻 Create a Whole Ghost Family
One friendly ghost might get lonely.
Draw:
Mama Ghost
Papa Ghost
Baby Ghost
Grandma Ghost
Grandpa Ghost
The Mischievous Cousin Ghost
Give each character a unique face.
One might be smiling.
One might look surprised.
Another might be wearing giant glasses.
You could even create a family portrait outside their haunted house.
🎩 Give Your Ghost a Costume
Here’s a funny Halloween question:
What does a ghost dress up as for Halloween?
Let children decide.
Maybe the ghost wears:
- A witch hat
- Cat ears
- Vampire cape
- Pumpkin costume
- Pirate hat
- Crown
- Cowboy hat
- Superhero mask
A ghost wearing a ghost costume might be the silliest option of all.
🍬 Send the Ghost Trick-or-Treating
Draw a little Halloween candy bucket beside the finished character.
What kind of candy would a ghost collect?
Maybe:
- Ghost-shaped marshmallows
- Candy corn
- Chocolate bars
- Pumpkin candies
- Gummy bats
Now draw houses in the background and send the ghost trick-or-treating.
Does everyone realize there’s a real ghost at the door?
That could make a great Halloween story.
📖 Give Your Ghost a Name and Story
Every good Halloween character needs a name.
Try:
Boo
Bubbles
Gus
Gigi
Casperton
Moonbeam
Marshmallow
Spooks
Then begin a story:
“On Halloween night, a little ghost named Boo floated out of the attic and discovered…”
Maybe Boo:
- Finds a mysterious pumpkin
- Gets lost in a maze
- Meets a witch
- Makes friends with a black cat
- Visits a haunted castle
- Searches for missing Halloween candy
- Accidentally frightens itself
- Goes to a monster party
Young children can tell the story aloud.
Older children can write it underneath the picture or on another sheet.
🧩 Pair It With a Halloween Maze
Once the drawing is finished, send your ghost on another adventure.
Try the Ghost Maze for Kids or help a witch and black cat find a ghost in our Halloween Maze for Kids.
Combining drawing and maze activities gives kids two different types of Halloween challenge — one creative and one puzzle-based.
🔎 Add More Halloween Puzzles
Create a complete quiet-time activity session by pairing the ghost with:
- Halloween Find the Differences Game for Children
- Halloween Shadow Matching Activity for Children
- Halloween Maze for Kids
- Halloween Matching Game with Math
Halloween Haunt’s kids activity collection includes drawing, coloring, mazes, matching, counting, I Spy puzzles, and other seasonal activities suitable for quiet time, classroom stations, and family activities.
🎉 Halloween Party Art Table
A complete-the-picture challenge works well as a quieter option at a children’s Halloween party.
Create an art and puzzle table with:
- Ghost drawing activities
- Little witch drawings
- Funny spider drawings
- Crayons
- Colored pencils
- Washable markers
- Halloween stickers
- Mazes
- Coloring pages
Children can visit whenever they want a break from more energetic party games.
At the end, hang the finished ghosts together.
You may end up with an entire haunted house full of colorful characters.
✏️ Make Your Own Complete-the-Picture Activity
Once children understand the idea, challenge them to design a picture for someone else.
Draw a simple Halloween character such as:
- Ghost
- Pumpkin
- Bat
- Witch
- Black cat
- Spider
- Monster
Then erase or leave out several parts.
Give the unfinished drawing to a sibling, friend, parent, or classmate.
Can they work out what’s missing?
For an easier challenge, remove large obvious sections.
For a harder one, leave out tiny facial features or decorations.
🖼️ Turn the Finished Ghost Into Halloween Decor
Don’t put the artwork away when you’re finished.
Use it as part of your Halloween decorations.
Children can:
- Hang it on the refrigerator
- Tape it to a bedroom door
- Add it to a classroom bulletin board
- Turn it into a Halloween card
- Frame it
- Add it to a scrapbook
- Create a Halloween gallery
- Combine several pictures into a banner
Friendly ghosts are especially fun decorations for homes and classrooms where you want Halloween to feel festive without becoming too frightening.
🎃 Create a Complete-the-Picture Halloween Collection
Try completing all three of these Halloween characters:
- Complete the Picture of a Halloween Ghost
- Complete the Picture of a Little Witch Girl
- Complete the Picture of a Funny Spider
Then arrange the finished characters into one giant Halloween scene.
Maybe the witch is hosting a party.
The ghost is bringing candy.
And the spider is decorating everything with webs.
Suddenly three simple drawing activities have become an entire Halloween story.
💡 Art Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
A complete-the-picture activity provides a model to look at, but that doesn’t mean every child’s finished picture should be identical.
In fact, art becomes more interesting when children add something of their own.
Head Start encourages creative opportunities that allow children to use art materials, explore ideas, and describe what they’ve created rather than focusing only on a predetermined “perfect” result.
So if your ghost has bigger eyes…
A crooked smile…
A purple body…
Or a witch hat that wasn’t in the original picture…
That’s perfectly fine.
You’ve created your own Halloween character.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is this complete-the-picture activity?
It is a Halloween drawing activity featuring a friendly ghost. Children study the existing illustration and draw the missing parts to complete the character.
Who created the original ghost artwork?
The Halloween Haunt page credits the image to Leh.
What age is the activity for?
It can work for preschool and elementary-age children depending on their drawing experience. Younger children may need help identifying and recreating the missing shapes.
What supplies do children need?
A pencil and eraser are useful for completing the picture. Crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers can then be used to decorate it.
What can children practice?
The activity gives children opportunities to practice observation, visual comparison, hand-eye coordination, pencil control, spatial thinking, and problem-solving.
Does the ghost have to match the original exactly?
No. The original picture is simply a visual guide. Small differences — and deliberate creative changes — can make each finished ghost unique.
Can teachers use this activity?
Yes. It can work as an optional Halloween art activity, early-finisher challenge, morning activity, quiet-work page, classroom-party station, or take-home activity.
How can I make it easier?
Focus on one section at a time, trace visible lines with a finger first, and use a pencil so children feel comfortable changing their work.
How can I make it harder?
Have children redraw the ghost from memory, create a larger version, add a detailed background, design additional ghost characters, or make their own complete-the-picture puzzle.
What can kids do after completing the drawing?
Color the ghost, add a Halloween background, give it a name, write a story, create a ghost family, or display the picture as a Halloween decoration.
🔗 Related Articles
- Complete the Picture of a Little Witch Girl
- Complete the Picture of a Funny Spider
- Ghost Maze for Kids
- Halloween Maze for Kids
- Halloween Find the Differences Game for Children
- Halloween Shadow Matching Activity for Children
- Halloween Activities for Kids: Crafts, Coloring Pages & Printables
- Halloween Games: Fun, Spooky Games for Kids, Parties & Classrooms
🧡 Complete Your Friendly Halloween Ghost!
This little ghost may start out unfinished, but a few careful pencil lines are all it needs to become ready for Halloween night.
Look closely at the picture, recreate the missing curves and details, and don’t worry if your version comes out a little differently.
Then make the ghost truly yours.
Give it a colorful personality, draw a moonlit haunted house, surround it with pumpkins, introduce it to a witch and black cat, or invent an entire adventure about where it’s floating off to on Halloween night.
The original picture gives you a place to start.
Your imagination gets to decide what happens next.
Happy drawing — and BOO! 👻🎃✏️
