IN THIS ARTICLE
If you’re looking for a creative way to celebrate Halloween, pumpkin crafts or other Halloween crafting activities could be a great alternative to trick o’ treating and a tummy full of sugar. Yes, crafts are time-consuming, messy, and I’m not sure how much of an issue this is for other moms, but they can create a lot of clutter and are hard to get rid of without feeling guilty or getting caught!
But according to experts like Laura Phillips, Psy.D, crafting may be worth the trouble. “Arts and crafts play a very big role in developing critical skills for school and social functioning,” Phillips wrote for the Child Mind Institute.
So help your kids build those fine motor, problem solving, and cognitive skills with these quick and easy pumpkin crafts for preschoolers and kindergartners. They are doable for even the un-craftiest of moms! And for the practical or minimalist mom, never fear — most can be eaten, played with, or will rot before you even have to worry about them collecting dust. Enjoy!
Paper pumpkin craft ideas
These crafts require minimal prep time and use craft materials that you likely already have in your home.
1. Apple slice pumpkin stamps
Cut an apple in half, have your child dip it in orange paint using a fork or chopstick as a stamp handle, then press it onto a sheet of paper. Once dry, use markers to draw the stem and Jack-o’-lantern face. Watch this Cute and Easy Toddler Crafts video for a quick tutorial.
2. Coffee filter Jack o’ lantern sun catcher
Take a coffee filter and invite your child to draw designs on it using yellow, red, and orange markers. Saturate the coffee filter with water. Once dry, glue on shapes cut from black construction paper for the face, and a stem from brown paper. If available, laminate and punch two holes around the stem, twisting a green pipe cleaner through the holes. Hang in the window and enjoy! See how it’s done on family lifestyle blog Fireflies and Mudpies.
3. Jack-o’-lantern learning activity
Larissa Yuan, pediatric physical therapist and mom of three, makes Jack o’ lantern pictures out of construction paper with her preschool daughter. “I drew the shapes and my daughter cut out the pieces. It’s a fun way to work on cutting skills, gluing, and shape recognition,” Yuan told Mom.com.
Have your pumpkin and eat it, too: Edible crafts
If your little one is the sensory type that likes to put everything in their mouth or play with their food, try one of these safe-to-eat activities!
4. Edible pumpkin playdough
This marshmallow playdough from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is not only tasty but great for strengthening hand muscles. Microwave pumpkin Peeps in a bowl, add flour and Crisco, and it’s ready to play with!
5. Edible gummy worm slime
Your child will enjoy sensory play while stretching and twisting this orangish-red slime into pumpkins. Microwave gummy worms in a bowl, then have your little one help you mix in powdered sugar, cornstarch, and coconut oil until it no longer sticks to your fingers.
6. Pumpkin spice candy apples
Cut thin slices out of an apple to imitate the recessed lines of pumpkins, and stick a cinnamon stick into the top for a stem. Melt orange Candy Melts with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and dip the apple into the mixture. See how it’s done on lifestyle blog Paper, Plate, and, and Plane.
No carve pumpkin crafts: Wooden pumpkin crafts, turkey pumpkin crafts, painted pumpkins, and more!
Heads-up: Some of the activities below use small items that could pose a choking hazard. Please keep your eyes on your child at all times!
7. Wooden pumpkin craft
This fall pumpkin craft will make a great table or front porch decoration through Thanksgiving! Take three blank wooden pumpkin cutouts. Paint two with reverse colored polka dots using a round sponge brush, and the third with stripes using painter’s tape. Distress with sandpaper and tie raffia around the stems.
8. Turkey pumpkin craft
Another craft that can double as Thanksgiving decor — dye pumpkin seeds using multiple food colors and air-dry overnight. For the turkey’s body, trace your child’s foot on brown construction paper and have her cut and paste it onto a white sheet of paper. Draw eyes and a beak. Have your child glue the pumpkin seeds around the turkey’s body as feathers. If needed, pencil in lines for him to follow. See inspiration on 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
9. Pumpkin stress balls
Feeling like a stress ball? Make one instead, with this quick activity from STEM learning blog Little Bins for Little Hands. Using a permanent black marker, draw Jack o’ lantern faces on orange balloons. (Teach different emotions as you draw!) Using a funnel, fill with flour, corn starch, baking soda, corn kernels, dried beans, rice… whatever you have in your home. Tie a knot and start de-stressing.
10. Painted pumpkins
For those whose kids are not huge fans of Jack o’ lanterns, Good Housekeeping has a diverse assortment of pretty pumpkin ideas for kids: splatter paint pumpkins, pom pom pumpkins, tissue paper pumpkins, even temporary tattoo pumpkins. Turn your painted pumpkin into a flower pot following this floral pumpkin pots tutorial. (This one does require some carving and scooping but it was too cute to leave out!)
11. Clay handprint pumpkin
Last but not least, for those who just love Halloween — make a keepsake of it. Form air-dry clay into a pumpkin shape, then press your little one’s handprint into the center. Once dry, use paint to turn the handprint into a Halloween design. Get the tutorial on nontoygifts.com.
