Fall brings a special time of year. The leaves begin to change and there is a crispness in the air that seems to symbolize a new season. With fall comes Halloween and with Halloween comes many yearly rituals. Some things that people do during the Halloween season are apple picking, trick or treating, or carving a pumpkin.
Carving a pumpkin can be a fun family event. You can have a family contest to see who can carve the best pumpkin, or you can just carve one as a family. If you are not feeling very artistic and think you need a little help when it comes to carving a pumpkin don’t fear, there is help. This help comes in the form of free printable pumpkin carving stencils.
Here I will list my top 10 pumpkin carving stencils for kids online.
1. Spider
This simple pattern seems very easy for kids because there is not a lot of detail to it. The pattern recommends that you carve the legs first and then the main body parts of the spider. This pattern can be replicated on the same pumpkin or you can just do one giant spider. This free carving stencil can be found at http://www.pumpkinlady.com/jumpingspiderpattern.htm.
2. Happy Face Pattern
This happy face pattern is great for kids because it shows a happy pumpkin and can be used for smaller children that might be afraid of a scary pumpkin. You can print this pattern and then tape it to the pumpkin and let your child trace the pattern on the pumpkin. To print this Happy Face Pattern go to http://www.pumpkinlady.com/face3pattern.htm.
The moon and stars pattern is great because it is simple, but still depicts something that people relate to Halloween. It shows one moon surrounded by four stars, but you can definitely duplicate the stars and have as many stars as you want on the pumpkin. The moon is even smiling a little. http://www.pumpkinlady.com/moonandstars.htm
4. Paw Prints
This carving pattern is a great idea for your animal loving child. They are really cute little paw prints and you can make a track across the pumpkin. http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pawprints.htm.
5. Bat Design
This pattern is of a bat hanging upside down and seems very simple for children to do. You can print this pattern from http://www.paperpumpkins.com/pages/pumpkins/design025.htm.
6. Ghost
This ghost pattern might be for older children simply because it has some small details in the face area, but a ghost is always a winner when carving a pumpkin. http://www.paperpumpkins.com/pages/pumpkins/design029.htm
7. Bat (Batman symbol)
This is another bat carving stencil. This bat resembles the Batman symbol that you see. If your child is a fan of Batman then this is a great stencil. http://www.paperpumpkins.com/pages/pumpkins/design074.htm
If your child is a fan of Disney, then the Mickey Mouse stencil is a great way to go. There are also other Disney characters available. http://gonewengland.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn;=gonewengland&zu;=http%3A%2F%2Ffamily.go.com%2Fholidays%2Fpkg-pumpkin-templates%2F%23
9. Black Cat
Nothing screams Halloween like a black cat. This cat is fairly simply designed and should be pretty easy for a child. Check out this stencil at http://www2.worldpub.net/images/parenting/whitepage/magazine_pullouts/pdfs/black_cat.pdf.
10. Spooky Face
A spooky face is a classic way to carve your pumpkin. You can print a spooky face pattern from http://www2.worldpub.net/images/parenting/whitepage/magazine_pullouts/pdfs/silly3color.pdf.
There is no reason to feel intimidated from carving a pumpkin this year. Simply print one of these carving patterns and have fun with your kids creating a masterpiece they can be proud of!
