Updated September 30, 2026
Here’s how to make DIY caveman costumes for the whole family: cut a folded rectangle of leopard print or brown fabric with a head hole, sew two side seams, then cut the edges rough. Add faux fur leg warmers and a bone necklace and you’re done.
Every Halloween we go all-in on a matching family costume, and this year’s theme was such a blast. The kids got completely into character, and the build was quick, forgiving, and budget friendly. If you’re after something fun and easy, here’s exactly how we made ours, plus links to the props and accessories we used.
Cavemen costumes scale better than almost any other family theme, because the same tunic works on a toddler and on a grown adult with nothing changed but the size of the rectangle.
How do you make a DIY caveman costume?
Fold a rectangle of leopard print or brown fabric in half, cut a head hole at the fold, and sew the two side seams. Cut the hem and sleeves ragged so the edges look rough. Layer faux fur leg warmers over boots, add a bone necklace and a club, and finish with brown eyeliner for the eyebrows.
Table of Contents
- How do you make a DIY caveman costume?
- DIY Caveman Costumes at a Glance
- What You Need for DIY Caveman Costumes
- Step 1: Make the Caveman Tunic
- Step 2: Add the Fur, Props, and Face Details
- The Finished Cave Family Costumes
- Caveman and Cavewoman Costumes for Adults
- Stone Age Costume Ideas for Kids: Boys, Girls, and Toddlers
- How Much Does It Cost to Make a Caveman Costume?
- 📌 Save This Idea for Later
- More Halloween Projects
- DIY Caveman Costume FAQs
- The Bottom Line on DIY Caveman Costumes
Watch the Caveman Costumes Come Together
Here’s a video of the entire process for all you visual learners.
DIY Caveman Costumes at a Glance
- Time: An afternoon for the whole family
- Cost: About $10 per person in fabric, or under $75 for a family of six
- Difficulty: Beginner sewing. Two straight seams per costume.
- Sewing needed? Yes, but only straight lines. A machine helps and hand stitching works.
- Best ages: Toddlers through adults, same tunic scaled up or down
- Works as: A full family group or one costume on its own
- Reusable? The tunics become dress-up box staples
What You Need for DIY Caveman Costumes
Fabric and Sewing Supplies
- Leopard print fabric, about 1 yard for every two kids or every adult: the main tunic fabric. I used two different prints so the costumes weren’t identical.
- Plain brown cotton, same amount: the other tunic option, and the one to pick if you want a more classic caveman look.
- Faux fur fabric, 1 to 1.5 yards for the whole family: this is what the leg warmers, the over-layer vest, and the sash are all cut from.
- Thread
- A sharp pair of fabric scissors
- A sewing machine
Accessories and Props
- Bone necklaces and hair clips
- Bone hair clips
- Jumbo bone props
- A caveman club prop
- A caveman wig and beard combo
- Brown eyeliner pencil: this is what the eyebrows and the smudged face paint are done with.
- A teasing comb: for the big, messy caveman hair.
Worn Underneath
- A black long-sleeve tee: for anyone wearing a sleeveless tunic, or for a cold Halloween.
- Simple black shorts: what the younger girls wore under their tunics instead of the long-sleeve tee.
Want more of my go-to craft supplies? Browse my favorites on my Amazon storefront.
Step 1: Make the Caveman Tunic
A cave man costume is really just one shape. Get the tunic right and everything after it is decoration.
For the base layer, I made simple tunics in either leopard print or plain brown for each of us. I started by cutting out a big rectangle wide enough for each person. When you buy fabric off the bolt, it’s already folded in half. Keep it that way. On the folded edge, I cut a hole for the head to slip through.
For the sleeves, I tried the tunic on my kid and marked where I wanted the side seams. Then, I cut in from the sides to create the bottom edge of each sleeve.
Next, I trimmed off the extra fabric from the sleeve’s armpit down to the bottom of the tunic.
After flipping the tunic inside out, I sewed a single seam down each side from the bottom of the sleeve to the tunic’s edge.
These costumes are great for letting kids join in, even if the seams aren’t straight. It doesn’t matter at all. That’s the beauty of these DIY caveman costumes; they’re meant to look a little rough.
Finally, I roughed up the edges by cutting tiny triangles along the sleeves and the tunic’s bottom edge. It instantly gave it that perfect rugged caveman look!
Step 2: Add the Fur, Props, and Face Details
The tunics alone are adorable, but adding fur pieces to your DIY caveman costume really takes it to the next level. For some family members, I added leg warmers: just a simple rectangle of fur fabric sewn up one side to fit around each leg. Super easy.
Then, for a few extra fun pieces, I made a furry over-layer by cutting another rectangle and keeping it folded at the top.
I eyeballed a rounded armhole on one side and made a sweeping cut across the chest and under the arm on the other side. I sewed the sides, flipped it inside out, and trimmed the bottom edge into long triangles for that rugged vibe.
And the fur sash like my older daughter’s in this photo? So simple! Just a strip of fur fabric wrapped around, pinned, and stitched to fit. It was a hit!
These DIY caveman costumes don’t need to be perfect, and that’s half the charm. I can’t recommend this enough as a family project. We do a theme every year, and my kids always love getting involved. The rough cuts and uneven seams just add to the look, so don’t stress if everything isn’t perfect!
And there you have it, our family of cavemen! These costumes were quick, easy, and so much fun to make. If you’re considering DIY caveman costumes, don’t overthink it. The more rugged, the better. Just go for it!
The Finished Cave Family Costumes
This one is a sleeveless look with a black, long-sleeve tee layered underneath. For the eyebrows and the ‘face paint,’ I just used a brown eyeliner pencil. Super easy!
The bone accessories, like the necklaces and hair clips, totally finished off the look for these easy DIY caveman costumes!
My two younger girls skipped the long-sleeved tees, but I got them all some simple black shorts to wear underneath. And they all absolutely loved the jumbo bone props. They really got into character with those.
How cute did this baby DIY caveman costume turn out?! And that unibrow? It was all so good! I originally made him a solid brown tunic to wear under the leopard print layer, but I loved the look of just the leopard print. Plus, the weather was perfect for our Trunk or Treat, so it worked out great! This caveman club prop was super fun too.
For my husband Stuart’s costume, he totally looked the part with this awesome caveman wig and beard combo. For my hair and the girls’, I teased it big, poofy, and messy with a teasing comb, then added the bone hair clips. We both finished off our DIY caveman costumes with these cool, fake animal tooth necklaces.
I loved this year’s family Halloween costume! The DIY caveman costumes turned out so good, and it was definitely one of the easiest years for sure! Whether you call it a caveman outfit or a caveman costume, the recipe is the same: one rough tunic, fur wherever you want it, and a prop in every hand.
Need more fun, Halloween ideas? Here’s a tutorial for these viral, light-up porch ghosts, and details for all of my interior Halloween decor.
Caveman and Cavewoman Costumes for Adults
A caveman costume for men is the same tunic cut longer and wider, worn over a plain tee or bare depending on the weather and your nerve. Leave the hem rougher than you think it needs to be.
A cavewoman costume uses the same rectangle with one shoulder cut away and the hem taken up, which reads instantly different without any extra pattern work. Add the fur leg warmers and a bone necklace and the two match without being identical.
Stone Age Costume Ideas for Kids: Boys, Girls, and Toddlers
A stone age costume for kids is the same tunic in a smaller rectangle, and this is where the theme really shines, because a toddler in leopard print with a foam club is funny in a way no store-bought costume is. For a caveman costume for boys, cut the tunic sleeveless, add the faux fur sash, and hand over the biggest bone prop you own. For a cave girl costume, take one shoulder off the tunic, add fur leg warmers over boots, and clip a bone into hair you have teased as big as it will go.
The caveman accessories do most of the work at this size: a bone necklace, the hair clips, brown eyeliner for eyebrows and a smudge or two on the cheeks. If your child will not keep anything on their head, skip the wig and go all in on the props instead. Prehistoric costume ideas for a whole classroom or a group of friends work the same way, because every kid gets the same tunic and a different prop.
How Much Does It Cost to Make a Caveman Costume?
A DIY caveman costume costs about $10 a person in fabric. For our family of six that was roughly 4 yards of leopard print and plain brown cotton at $7 to $8 a yard, plus a yard and a half of faux fur for the leg warmers and vests, which comes to $48 to $65 for everybody. Add an $8 bone necklace and hair clip set and you have the whole look.
Store-bought caveman and cavewoman costumes run $25 to $40 each, so six of those would be $150 to $240. And you get one size that fits one person for one year, where these tunics get handed down and then live in the dress-up box.
📌 Save This Idea for Later
Pin now and come back when you’re planning your next family costume for Halloween!
More Halloween Projects
- Farm Animal and Farmer Costumes: Easy No-Sew Family DIY
- Garden Gnome Costume for Kids (Easy No-Sew DIY)
- DIY Flower Costume for Kids (No-Sew Tutorial)
- 31 Family Costume Ideas: Easy DIY Halloween Costumes
DIY Caveman Costume FAQs
Fold a rectangle of leopard print or brown cotton in half, cut a head hole at the fold, and sew the two side seams. Cut the hem and any sleeves ragged rather than straight, because rough edges are the whole look. Add faux fur leg warmers over boots, a bone necklace, a club, and brown eyeliner eyebrows. That is the entire costume for any size of person, and it takes an afternoon for a family of six with about $10 a person in fabric.
The same tunic in a smaller rectangle. For boys, cut it sleeveless, add a faux fur sash across one shoulder, and hand over the biggest bone prop you own. For girls, take one shoulder off the tunic, add fur leg warmers, and clip a bone into hair teased as big as it will go. Toddlers do best with the tunic over a long-sleeve tee and shorts underneath, no wig, and one soft foam club they can actually carry. Skip anything that has to stay on a head.
Start with the same tunic rectangle, then cut one shoulder away so it sits off to one side, and take the hem up a few inches with a jagged edge. That one cut makes it read as a cavewoman costume rather than a caveman costume with no extra pattern work. Add fur leg warmers, a bone necklace, bone hair clips, and hair teased big with a teasing comb. Brown eyeliner for the eyebrows and a smudge on each cheek finishes it, and it matches the men’s version without being identical.
Cut the tunic longer and wider than you think, since it should hang loose and rough rather than fit. Sew the two side seams, leave the hem ragged, and wear it over a plain black tee or bare depending on the weather. A faux fur vest layer over the top, fur leg warmers, a bone necklace, and a big club do the rest. A wig and beard combo takes it over the top if he is willing. The adult version uses about a yard of fabric and sews in under half an hour.
Faux fur leg warmers, a bone necklace, bone hair clips, jumbo bone props, and a club are the ones we used. The fur pieces are cut from the same yard and a half that covers the whole family, and the bone set is under $10 for everyone. Brown eyeliner is the one accessory people forget: heavy eyebrows and a smudge of dirt on the cheeks do more than any prop. A wig and beard combo is optional and mostly for the adults, since kids will not keep one on.
About $10 a person in fabric. For six people that is roughly 4 yards of leopard print and brown cotton at $7 to $8 a yard, plus a yard and a half of faux fur, which comes to about $48 to $65 for the whole family. Add an $8 bone necklace and hair clip set and you have the look. Store-bought caveman costumes run $25 to $40 each, so a family of six saves well over $100 and ends up with tunics that go straight into the dress-up box afterward.
Mostly. Cut the head hole and the shape as normal, then fasten the sides with fabric glue or safety pins on the inside instead of seams. It won’t survive being pulled on and off all week, but it survives one night comfortably, which is all most people need. If you go this route, cut the tunic a little wider so it can slip on without stressing the glued edges, and keep the fur pieces as wraps tied with ribbon rather than sewn tubes.
Leopard print or plain brown cotton for the tunic, and a fuzzy faux fur for the accents. Cotton cuts with a rough edge, which is exactly the look, and it doesn’t fray into a mess the way a synthetic will. Buy the fur in a small amount, since a little goes a long way: a yard and a half covered leg warmers, a vest, and a sash for six of us. Avoid anything stretchy, because the ragged hem needs to hold its shape.
The Bottom Line on DIY Caveman Costumes
DIY caveman costumes are two straight seams and a pile of faux fur, and they are the most forgiving family theme we have done. Nothing has to be neat. The rougher the edges, the better it looks, which makes it the right pick for the year you start on the twenty-ninth of October.
Did your whole family commit, or did somebody hold out for a store-bought costume? We have had both years. Tell me in the comments.
What type of fabric did you use?
I made this costume about two years ago, so I can’t link the exact fabrics anymore, but I tracked down a few that are really similar to give you a starting point. For the leopard print, I used a stretchy apparel fabric like this one. The faux fur for the accent pieces was close to this, and then just plain brown cotton for the belts and a few other things. Honestly, this costume is so forgiving that almost any fabric will work, so feel free to use whatever you love or already have in your stash. Hope that helps, and I’d love to see how yours turns out!