Get ready to unwrap some magical mummy crafts for kids this Halloween! Make mummies with paper, tape, yarn, jars, sticks and more!

Since this is Halloween season, you know well enough that we’re not talking about the maternal ‘mummy’ here; we’re talking about the scary kind!

Like witches, ghosts and skeletons, mummies are important symbols of Halloween, but they’re shrouded (pun intended) in a lot more mystery than the others. Let’s try to unwrap (again, pun intended) some of that!

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What is a mummy?

A mummy is a dead human being or animal that has been preserved in a way that prevents the body from decaying. The process of becoming a mummy is called mummification, and it can be deliberate or accidental.

Some bodies are deliberately mummified, using techniques like embalming, while others get mummified due to accidental exposure to certain chemicals or extreme weather conditions.

Accidental mummies have been found in frozen areas like the Andes mountains, while the other kind of mummies can be found in – you guessed it, Egypt!

Even though mummies are often associated with Egypt, they have been found all over the world. Let’s learn more about mummies as we make some interesting mummy crafts for kids!

15 Easy Mummy Crafts for Kids

1. Mummy-Themed Coloring Bookmark

We love puns, and anything related to mummies seems to have loads of them – including mummy crafts for kids, like this bookmark! It’s also going to be interesting to color in the entire bookmark, but leaving the mummy white.

2. Mummy Bookmark Papercraft

You can’t have a list of mummy crafts for kids without talking about how the word ‘mummy’ came about. ‘Mummy’, the English word, comes from the Latin word ‘mumia’, which in turn is derived from the Arabic word ‘mumiya’. Now mumiya refers to bitumen, a substance used to preserve the mummies, which the Egyptians collected from the Dead Sea. So now you know why we call a mummy ‘mummy’!

3. Mummy Line Study Art Project

Look at this fun mummy art project from Craft Play Learn – it’s hard to say where the mummy is from, isn’t it? The truth is that the first mummies aren’t even from Egypt – they’re from South America. Some South American tribes even carried their mummified loved ones to participate in events!

4. Paper Bag Mummy Craft For Kids

The most identifying feature of a mummy is the layers and layers of bandages it is wrapped in. That’s why it has to be mentioned in our list of mummy crafts for kids. In Egypt, mummies were wrapped in several hundred yards of linen strips, and many were also wrapped in their own bedding. Of course, you don’t need nearly as much material to make this cute paper bag mummy from Simple Everyday Mom!

5. Mason Jar Mummy Lantern Craft

Bodies weren’t mummified in their entirety – except for the heart, all other organs were removed and preserved in special jars called canopic jars. But don’t worry, these mason jars from Buggy and Buddy have nothing of the sort in them – only glowing lights!

6. Mummy Paper Puppet Printable

Red Ted Art has brought us a fun mummy paper puppet craft – perfect for a special Halloween show! This one is easy to make, but the original mummification process took quite long – 70 days! The process also required the expertise of several people, like embalmers and priests.

7. Easy Mummy Halloween Papercraft

Have you wondered why people chose mummification in the first place? Well, our list of mummy crafts for kids is the perfect place to explain this! Ancient Egyptians believed that by preserving a dead body, the person would be able to step into the afterlife with their soul intact. However, mummification was expensive and was often restricted to the pharaohs and other nobility. Yet, we have no such restrictions when it comes to this easy mummy craft from Whispered Inspirations!

8. Masking Tape Mummy Craft

Since the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, they also believed that the dead would need all their favorite things in the afterlife. That’s why the mummies were buried with their belongings, which were often quite valuable. King Tut, for example, was found with many amazing treasures when his mummy was discovered in 1922! Somewhat Simple tries to recreate some mummies like him, accompanied by their favorite stuff!

9. Yarn Wrapped Mummy Craft

Now that we know that mummies were buried with their treasures, it’s only natural to wonder if they were targeted by robbers. Well, the ancient Egyptians had a solution for that, too – they inscribed curses on the tombs! You’ve probably heard of the famous curse related to King Tut, when several people died mysteriously after his tomb was opened in 1922. This mummy from I Heart Crafty Things certainly looks a little worried about it!

10. Easy Mummy Shape Craft

We love this mummy craft from Simple Everyday Mom, because we think it looks a lot like a ninja! The printable provided helps little kids make this craft in a jiffy!

11. Paper Plate Mummy Halloween Craft

One of the creepiest things about mummies is the eyes peeping through the layers of bandages – and several horror movies have made good use of this aspect! Made with Happy tries to recreate this effect, and we have to admit it’s a little scary!

12. Cupcake Liner Mummy Craft

In ancient Egypt, during the mummification process, priests placed a mask of the person’s face among the head bandages. In Rome, they painted the faces of the dead person on a board and placed it on the mummy. Try creating your own mummy face with this project from Our Kid Things!

13. Cute Handprint Mummy Craft

Here’s another fun fact for you to think about while making these mummy crafts for kids – the ancient Egyptians also mummified animals! Some animals were mummified as offerings to gods, while others were mummified to accompany their dead owners. For now, we’ll keep the animals aside, and stick to mummifying handprints, as shown at Taming Little Monsters!

14. Popsicle Stick Mummy Craft

Kids Kubby brings us an interesting craft where the mummy is made from Popsicle sticks and wrapped with pipe cleaners. Of course, the jumbo googly eyes certainly add to the creep factor!

15. Toilet Paper Roll Mummy Craft

A lot of information about mummies and mummification that we have today is from the writings of the ancient Egyptians and historians like Herodotus. Today, we have lots of modern technology that helps us x-ray mummies without damaging them. See if you can find out more about this kind of tech as you make this craft from In the Playroom.

I admit I wasn’t as aware about mummies before this post on mummy crafts for kids as I am now! We hope these crafts have given you an insight into the interesting world of mummies, and how the people of the past dealt with their dead. Morbid topics, but fascinating, nonetheless!

If you’d like to check out more Halloween character crafts, take a look at these: