If you're a mom or a dad at your wit's end thinking about how hard it is to make your tween happy, remember what it was like to BE a tween. It really isn't the most fun. You're starting to come into your own and develop your more mature personality, but you're still young enough that much of your life and surroundings aren't in your control. Being patient, listening, and having a thick skin are some key pieces of advice for those who go shopping with their tween. And don't forget: for a pre-teenager, appearance is just as important on Halloween as any other day. You have to let them choose what they want the most, but they can't forget that it should be mostly ok with mom and dad. Still not sure how to go about this? Here's our guide for Halloween shopping for a tween.
Before we get into the fun costume ideas for tweens, let's talk about a few handy tips for Halloween costume shopping for tweens:
Tip #1: Know your pop culture. Phases come and go faster than ever these days. Remember when you were young? One day, you loved a certain teen heartthrob (*cough* Nick Carter *cough*), and then the next, you couldn't even BELIEVE your mom would ever suggest you liked him more than Justin Timberlake. Being on trend is one of THE most important things for a soon-to-be-teenager, so turn to your tween's favorite movie or TV show for costume ideas.
Tip #2: Consider their friends. Tween life is squad life. We have to say, life as a tween is MUCH easier with your friends there by your side. So, take that into consideration. When did you last see your middle school kid without one or two of their closest friends? Group costumes might be the way to go. PLUS—strength (and confidence) in numbers when they appear at their first Halloween party. And you know, a bestie costume is very Instagram-worthy.
Tip #3: Make it school-appropriate. What is and isn't acceptable wardrobe-wise has to be determined household-by-household, but chances are, if your tween is going to school on Halloween in costume, you must also follow the dress code. Sometimes, all you have to do to make a Halloween costume age-appropriate is add a pair of leggings underneath a skirt or a long-sleeved shirt under a sleeveless top.
Tip #4: Suggest some ideas from when you were younger. Great news, parents. The stuff you loved when you were younger is now considered nostalgia. Gross, huh? The 80s and 90s (and even the 00s) are HUGE now. 90s and 2000s costumes are coming into vogue. Tell your kid all about what watching Rugrats was like back in the day or what it was like to own a Care Bear. Enjoy this moment of coolness with your tween; it probably won't last.
Tip #5: Basics aren't basic. You can't go wrong with a classic. Just because a costume isn't tied to the current fad or a pop culture tidal wave doesn't mean it won't be a hit with your tween. These Halloween costumes are tried and true for a reason. There's scary; there's historical; there's storybook; there's animal, hippie, disco, mad scientist, you name it! There are plenty of classic costumes to choose from for your tween.
Tip #6: Costume sizing for tweens. You probably know by now that very few costumes come in tween or teen sizes, and that often goes for everyday clothing, too. You may have to compare your options between large kids' sizes and small adult sizes. However, some costumes will be only for kids or adults, so you might not have the option. Check the size chart, and make sure to measure appropriately! A little bagginess isn't bad if you want room to add warm clothes underneath for chilly Halloweens.
1. Tween Halloween Costume Ideas
| Lucas Tween Costume | Stranger Things Cheerleader | Teen Ghostface Costume | Teen Dorothy Costume |
| Teen Mummy Costume | Teen Killer Clown Costume | Tween Sally Costume | Teen Inflatable T-Rex |
One of the first things to check is if you can find costumes in teen or tween sizes. The selection will be smaller, but they might be the size you need for your child at this age! Still, that doesn't mean there aren't cool costumes for tweens. Halloween classics like mummies, scary clowns, and more are there, and don't forget favorites like the inflatable T-Rex costume! While these Halloween costumes for tween girls and boys are sized for their age, we still recommend checking the size chart for the perfect fit.
2. TV and Movie Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Coraline Costume | Child Coraline Costume | Adult Westley Costume | Kids' Westley Costume |
| Adult Ghostbusters Costume | Child Ghostbusters Costume | Adult Dottie Costume | Kids' Dottie Costume |
There are so many incredible movies and TV shows your child might want to wear costumes from. We suggest looking for costumes with adult and child options so you can compare size charts to see what fits your tween best. After all, the tween age range is from 9 to 12, and some kids have insane growth spurts while others continue to be child-sized a little longer. Just know there are still plenty of options if you know how and where to look, no matter the costume your tween chooses!
3. Star Wars Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Mandalorian Costume | Kids' Mandalorian Costume | Adult Ahsoka Costume | Child Ahsoka Costume |
| Adult Rey Costume | Child Rey Costume | Adult Darth Vader Costume | Kids' Darth Vader Costume |
Large franchises like Star Wars (or anything Disney) have tons of great Halloween costume ideas for tweens. As you can see here, favorite character costumes are frequently made for kids and adults. Have you been watching The Mandalorian together or introducing your tween to all of the previous Star Wars movies? There's a chance they might want to wear a Star Wars costume for Halloween! You can easily turn this into a group costume with their friends or a family costume if you're still cool enough to dress up with them.
4. Superhero Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Wonder Woman Costume | Kids' Wonder Woman Costume | Adult Batman Costume | Child Batman Costume |
| Adult Miles Morales Costume | Child Miles Morales Costume | Adult Black Widow Costume | Kids' Black Widow Costume |
Superhero costumes are incredibly popular Halloween costumes for kids and people of all ages. However, some women superheroes wear outfits that may not be appropriate for children. (Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn, for example.) You can often find modest costumes for the character, or you can wear matching clothing underneath so it meets the school dress code. Find ways to compromise so your tween can still wear what they want for Halloween!
5. Disney Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Perry the Platypus | Child Perry the Platypus | Adult Joy Costume | Kids' Joy Costume |
| Adult Tiana Costume | Kids' Tiana Costume | Adult Jack Sparrow Costume | Child Jack Sparrow Costume |
Anyone looking for cute Halloween costumes for tweens should consider Disney costumes! There are so many costumes, from classic Disney princesses and villains to Disney cartoons, Pixar, and live-action movies and shows. With great variety comes great costumability! Keep your eyes peeled for costumes in child and adult sizes so you can find the best fit for your tween's Halloween costume.
6. Animal Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Axolotl Costume | Child Axolotl Costume | Adult Shark Onesie | Kids' Shark Onesie |
| Adult Alligator Costume | Kids' Alligator Costume | Adult Sloth Costume | Child Sloth Costume |
Do you have a tween who still loves animal costumes? Or maybe they're gearing up for a 90s costume party and want to be a beanie baby! Any excuse to wear an animal costume is good because they're so cute and fun to wear. (And many of them are unisex as well!) We could honestly keep going on the merits of tween animal costumes, but take a look for yourself!
7. Video Game Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Sonic Costume | Child Sonic Costume | Adult Umbreon Kigurumi | Kids' Umbreon Costume |
| Adult Zelda Costume | Kids' Zelda Costume | Adult Viper Face Costume | Child Viper Face Costume |
Kids have a lot of free time, especially in the summer, so they might love playing video games. If playing video games is one of your tween's favorite pastimes, perhaps they'd love a video game character costume! It's easy to find costumes from Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Mario, but you can find costumes from newer games, such as this Dead by Daylight costume. These are excellent tween boy costume ideas, and we love that gamer girls have fantastic costumes, too.
8. Food Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Donut Costume | Kids' Donut Costume | Adult Waffle Costume | Child Waffle Costume |
| Adult Inflatable Broccoli Costume | Child Inflatable Broccoli Costume | Adult Salad Costume | Kids' Salad Costume |
Does your tween like unusual Halloween costumes or things that are a little silly? We love food costumes for these reasons, too! (And just like animal costumes, many of them are unisex, giving them great versatility.) From snack food to fruits and vegetables, there are plenty of food costumes to enjoy. Some costumes work exceptionally well for tweens between sizes, such as the donut and waffle costumes, because they are held on with straps and worn over regular clothing.
9. Historical Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Knight Costume | Kids' Knight Costume | Adult Pioneer Costume | Child Pioneer Costume |
| Adult Viking Costume | Girls' Viking Costume | Adult Pirate Costume | Kids' Pirate Costume |
Has your tween ever wanted their own time machine? While time machines don't exist, they can take a step back in time with one of these tween historical costumes! Choose from all of their favorite time periods, from pirates and Vikings to the Renaissance and American history. These educational costumes are also a great opportunity to foster a love of history.
10. Decade Costumes for Tweens
| Adult 80s Workout Costume | Child 80s Workout Costume | Adult Disco Costume | Kids' Disco Costume |
| Adult 20s Gangster Costume | Kids' 20s Gangster Costume | Adult Fringe Hippie Costume | Child Fringe Hippie Costume |
Some of the best tween Halloween costumes are the ones that your kid picks for themself! If they want to travel through time as a disco queen or an 80s workout video icon, let them. You don't always have to shoot for the stars with a coordinated family costume if your tween wants to be something completely different. If you want to be the parent of the year, you can show them some of the dance moves from their chosen decade so they can bust a few moves at the party in style!
11. Scary Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Reaper Costume | Kids' Reaper Costume | Adult Classic Witch Costume | Girls' Classic Witch Costume |
| Adult Vampire Costume | Girls' Vampire Costume | Adult Scary Scarecrow Costume | Child Scary Scarecrow Costume |
Is your tween a stickler for scary Halloween? While every other tween wears cute costumes or the latest pop culture icons, your child gravitates toward classic Halloween costumes like witches, vampires, ghosts, and more. Thankfully, there are tons of costumes for them to choose from, so you shouldn't worry about finding a tween Halloween costume that will work for them!
12. Uniform Costumes for Tweens
| Adult Astronaut Costume | Child Astronaut Costume | Adult Race Car Driver | Kids' Race Car Driver |
| Adult Fire Captain Costume | Child Fire Captain Costume | Adult Paleontologist Costume | Child Paleontologist Costume |
You're probably becoming increasingly aware that your tween only has a few years to go before high school, and soon, it will be college and their new career! While some of us may wish they'd stay little forever, your tween may already have aspirations about their life as an adult. Let them take the helm if they want to find fun uniform costumes! Wearing uniforms can be fun and make you feel very grown up.
Alright, parents. Good luck! Hopefully, these rules on shopping for a tween Halloween costume make the event go from manageable to fun for you and your kid. Let us know below if you have any other tips on picking out the perfect costume for your not-yet-a-teen but no-longer-a-child. Of course, we also have plenty of kids' and teen costumes!
