I'm Mom, Me

Got a few extra minutes you need to fill entertaining a toddler or preschooler? Try these super, duper simple pumpkin decorating ideas.

Materials:

Orange construction paper (for the pumpkin)
Green or brown construction paper (for the stem)
Tape or glue
Paint
Crayons
Markers
Stickers (any kind will do)
Googly eyes (optional)
Pipe cleaners (optional)

Prep work:

*Cut out circles or circle-ish shapes to use as pumpkins. I traced a circular object I had, but you can free hand! No pumpkin has a perfectly round shape!

*Cut out rectangle and square shapes to make the stems for the pumpkins.

Cut out at least 5 pumpkins for one child, but I cut out several more just so we could make more than one each day!

Day 1:

Decorate the pumpkin using crayons! Have the child select any colors he/she wants or you can make suggestions that reinforce color recognition like, “Let’s use purple to color in the bottom of the pumpkin.”

Day 2:
Make a face on the pumpkin! Use the googly eyes and pipe cleaner to make a funny face. No googly eyes or pipe cleaner? Use crayons, marker or other pieces of paper to make a face!

Day 3:
Decorate the pumpkin using stickers! Depending on the age of the child you are working with, you may have to already have the stickers pulled up making them easy to grab. For my 2 year old, I take all the stickers off the sheet and place the tip of the sticker on the edge of our table or on the edge of a cookie sheet. For my 4 year old, I don’t do this. Use whatever kind of stickers you like! I used these Fall leaf stickers I found in the Dollar Spot at Target.

Day 4: 

Decorate the pumpkin with paint…using Q-Tips! This is easily becoming my newest favorite way to allow my children to paint! Q-tips are cheap, they don’t have to be rinsed off or washed after use, and they are great for developing pre-writing skills! Set out a few Q-tips and some paint, and let the child create a unique pumpkin!

Day 5:
Decorate the pumpkin using markers! I like to make sure my children use both markers and crayons weekly. While very similar, the functions of these writing utensils are slightly different.

Bonus (and keepsakes): Cover the child’s hand in paint and make a handprint on the pumpkin. Write the child’s name and date on the back. Laminate for durability and you have a keepsake to save or share with loved ones!