Pumpkin Crafts for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Elementary Students

Kids love pumpkins! Let your kids celebrate fall's orangest icon with these crafts and art projects designed with toddlers, preschoolers, and young elementary students in mind!

Jack-O-Lantern Plates

Paper plate crafts are fun for kids and inexpensive for adults! Give each child an orange paper plate (or let them paint a plate orange on a previous day) and a piece of yellow construction paper. Have them cut out triangles, circles, or squares for the eyes and nose of their Jack-O-Lantern and long half moon shape for the mouth. After students glue the faces onto their Jack-O-Lanterns, help them staple a strip of green construction paper so it forms a loop on top of the plate. Hang the Jack-O-Lanterns by their "stems" from the ceiling of your classroom or home.

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Kids love to decorate their own pumpkins. Since young children aren't ready to wield a knife yet, let them decorate the outside of their pumpkins using one or more of the following ideas:

--cut shapes out of black paper for the face

--use markers to draw on the pumpkin

--use paint to paint a face on a pumpkin

--glue pieces of yarn or ribbon to the pumpkin

--put a silly hat or crown on the pumpkin

Finger Paint Pumpkin

For a super artsy pumpkin painting, give each kid a piece of brown paper (paper from a grocery bag works great for this project). Put blobs of red and yellow paint on the bag and encourage the children to use their hands to create a pumpkin shape. When they are finished, cut a stem shape out of green paper and glue it to the top of the pumpkin they created. Optional: shake a little orange glitter onto the wet paint for a little added bling!

Nutty Pumpkins

Paint a walnut orange. When the paint is dry, let children draw a face on the pumpkin with a black marker. Glue a bit of green craft foam or green ribbon to the top for a stem.

Pumpkin Stained Glass

Cut out a piece of contact paper in the shape of a pumpkin. Give student pieces of torn contact paper in shades of orange, yellow, and red. Let them cover the contact paper in the pieces of tissue paper. Trim the edges if needed and hang in a sunny window.

Clay Pumpkins

Give students a piece of clay dyed orange and show then pictures of pumpkins or real pumpkins. Let them create a clay pumpkin and insert a small piece of green pipe cleaner for a stem. Let dry. Paint a face or draw one with a marker,

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