It’s finally fall, which means the return of all our pumpkin favorites – pumpkin coffee, pumpkin pie, and more. If you are involved with kids, this means it’s also time for pumpkin crafts. Whether you’re a teacher looking for seasonal arts and crafts ideas, or a parent looking for some fall-themed weekend activities, here’s a list of 10 pumpkin arts and crafts ideas for kids:
1. Paper-mache pumpkin bowl – Use a pumpkin as the mold for a homemade bowl. Line the outside of a pumpkin (or inside, after the seeds are removed) with plastic wrap, then add layers of overlapped, gluey newspaper pieces halfway up the side. Let dry, then peel the bowl off the plastic wrap and pumpkin. Trim the edges, then paint as desired.
2. Paper pumpkin mosaic – Kids draw a fall pumpkin scene onto black or white paper with a pencil, then use small colored squares of paper to fill in the design, leaving some of the background color showing through.
3. Glass pumpkin lanterns – Wash out used glass jars, such as pasta sauce or mayonnaise jars. In a cup, dilute white glue with water. Kids brush glue onto the jar, then cover with orange tissue paper. Continue to apply layers of orange tissue and glue until the outside of the jar is covered. When dry, use black marker or paint to draw a jack-o-lantern face on the outside of the jar. When finished, place tea lights inside the glass lantern.
4. Polymer clay pumpkin jewelry – Kids can create pumpkin-themed necklaces, earrings, bracelets (and more) by molding small pumpkins with polymer clay, then poking small holes to turn them into beads. Adult supervision is needed when baking clay and turning the beads into jewelry.
5. Printed pumpkin cards – For this arts and crafts idea, recycle styrofoam meat trays from the grocery store. Cut off curved edges so the tray is flat. Kids can use a ballpoint pen to carve pumpkin designs into the foam tray. Brush or roll a layer of paint smoothly onto the surface, then press the foam tray down onto paper, transferring the image. Turn your prints into fall-themed greeting cards.
6. Painted pumpkin cans – Clean empty cans and remove sharp edges, then let kids paint the outside of the cans orange and add black jack-o-lantern faces. These crafts are fun ways to display Halloween treats like chocolate pretzel rods or suckers.
7. Watercolor batik – Kids draw a pumpkin scene on white paper with white crayon (or oil pastel). After drawing their ‘invisible’ picture, kids paint over their drawing with watercolors, watching the white lines magically appear.
8. Shoebox jack-o-lantern – For this craft, kids paint the outside of a shoebox with orange acrylic paint, then paint black facial features on the lid. This shoebox jack-o-lantern is a fun way to hold candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters.
9. Sequined pumpkin bag – Kids use fabric glue to attach orange, green, black and yellow sequins onto a canvas bag in a cute pumpkin or jack-o-lantern design.
10. Yarn and sand paintings – Inspired by multicultural arts and crafts, kids can create pumpkin-themed pictures with non-traditional materials, such as yarn or sand. Draw outlines for a pumpkin picture on heavy paper, then fill in one area at a time with a layer of glue. Fill in each color area of the picture with the corresponding color of yarn or colored sand, then move onto the next area until the picture is completed.
Got any other ideas for pumpkin arts and crafts for kids? Add to the list and leave your suggestions and ideas in the comments below.
