With autumn fast approaching, crafts involving pumpkins are a fun way to get preschoolers engaged in the change of the season. Toddlers will have a blast making and experiencing a variety of pumpkin projects and activities. Here are five fun pumpkin crafts to get your early childhood learners celebrating autumn in no time!
5 Pumpkin Crafts for Toddlers
Pumpkin Maracas
What you need:
- Egg carton
- Dried beans
- Wooden craft stick
- Glue
- Orange paint
- Paintbrush
- Green construction paper
- Scissors
What you do:
Cut out the eggcup sections from the egg carton (there will be a top and bottom). Paint the outside of the eggcups orange with the paintbrush, and let dry. Add some dried beans to a bottom section, and then glue on a top section to keep the beans inside. Be sure to insert a wooden craft stick before gluing closed, as this will be the handle of the maraca. Use the green construction paper to cut out small leaves and stems for the mini pumpkins, and attach with glue. Once completely dry, toddlers can start shaking those maracas and making music.
Pumpkin Tambourine
What you need:
- 2 paper plates
- Orange paint
- Paintbrush
- Green construction
- Scissors
- Tape
- Stapler with staples
- Single hole puncher
- 8 jingle bells
- String
What you do:
Paint the bottoms of the plates orange and let dry. Cut out pumpkin stems from the green construction paper. Tape the stem to the top of the plate on the inside (unpainted side), with the stem sticking out. Staple the two plates together, orange side out, and stem at the top. Use four staples per pumpkin (top, bottom, left side, right side). Between the staples, punch out two holes, making eight holes around the plates. Thread the string through the bells and attach to the plates through the holes. There you have the pumpkin tambourine. Use with the pumpkin maracas to start a preschool Halloween band.
Pumpkin Seed Art
What you need:
- Dried pumpkin seeds
- Tempera paint
- Plastic sandwich bags with zip closure
- Wax paper
- Craft paper or card stock
- Glue
What you do:
Put a little bit of paint in the plastic bag, using different bags for different colors. Add some dried pumpkin seeds and move the seeds around to coat with paint. Toddlers will love this part of the activity. Once seeds are covered, lay out in a single layer (not touching) on wax paper to dry. When the pumpkin seeds are ready, preschoolers can glue them onto the cardstock or craft paper to create pumpkin seed art masterpieces.
Pumpkin Mummy
What you need:
- Pumpkin
- Roll of gauze
- Wiggly eyes
- Black construction paper
- Scissors
- School glue
- Hot glue gun with hot glue*
What you do:
Before giving to students, carefully, hot glue* the beginning piece of the gauze to the back of the pumpkin and wrap around the pumpkin as desired. You may have to add a few dabs of hot glue along the way to keep the gauze in place. Then glue the end of the gauze to the pumpkin to keep it secure.
Next, allow children to cut out the mouth from the construction paper and attach to the pumpkin along with the wiggly eyes. School glue should work just fine for this step. Say hello to pumpkin mummy!
*The hot glue gun should ONLY be used by the teacher. NEVER allow children to handle the hot glue gun.
Painted Pumpkins
What you need:
- Pumpkin
- Acrylic paint in squeezable bottles
- Cardboard
What you do:
Before beginning, clean the pumpkins by wiping with a damp towel and let dry. Next, place the pumpkin on a large piece of cardboard. Begin by squeezing the acrylic paint onto the stem of the pumpkin, alternating colors frequently. Children will love squeezing paint on their pumpkins! As the paint randomly drips down the sides of the pumpkin, beautiful painted pumpkins are created. Once finished, let dry completely before moving to your pumpkin display area.
What are some of your favorite pumpkin crafts for early learners?