Pumpkin Decorating Ideas for Kids

Paint, glitter and other adornments turn a plain pumpkin into a festive one.

There are pumpkin decorating ideas that kids can do that don't require the use of carving utensils. You can put aside the knife and let your child take an active role in the decorating process by adorning your pumpkin with a variety of materials and accessories that you may already have at home.

Accessorize Your Pumpkin

Use Mr. Potato Head parts to turn your pumpkin into a personalized creation. Let kids add funny eyes, mouths, noses, ears, arms and other accessories to a small pumpkin. You can even purchase Mr. Potato Head kits specifically designed for pumpkin decorating in Halloween themes, including witches, pirates, princesses and ninjas. Create accessories at home by cutting facial features out of card stock and affix them to your pumpkin with push pins. Or create a veggie-themed pumpkin by using toothpicks to attach a carrot nose, apple ears and radish eyes.

Create a Pumpkin Family

Instead of carving jack-o'-lanterns, turn your pumpkins into a family that mirrors your own. Choose large and small pumpkins to represent each member of your family. Position the small one on top of the large one to form the "head" and the "body". Paint facial features on the small pumpkins. Glue on buttons for eye pupils and a small balloon to form the nose. Use lipstick to create the mouth of female family members. Add yarn hair and accessories like hats, scarves, neck ties or hair bows to make the pumpkins resemble your family members. Push sticks into the sides of the bottom pumpkin to make arms.

Set a Spooky Scene

Create mummy, spider-infested and bat pumpkins for a scary addition to your front porch décor. Make a mummy by wrapping the pumpkin with white gauze and gluing on googly eyes. Turn a regular pumpkin into a spidery one by draping it with purchased spider webs. Add the finishing touch by placing several small plastic spiders on the pumpkin. Wrap a pumpkin with black tissue paper and tape on bat-shaped construction paper wings (see Resources for template) to create a bat pumpkin. Add white construction paper teeth, black ears and googly eyes.

Just Add Glitter

Make your pumpkin sparkle by covering the entire pumpkin with glitter or by using stencils to create glittery designs. To glitter the entire pumpkin, paint a thin layer of glue on your pumpkin and sprinkle on glitter. You can use one color or a mix of colors. Make sure you place a sheet of newspaper under the pumpkin to catch excess glitter. Print out stencil designs from websites or make your own by using a lace doily or by cutting a pattern out of a piece of card stock. Tape the stencil onto your pumpkin and apply glue to the patterned area. Pour glitter onto the pumpkin and allow it to dry.

References

• Family Fun: Veggie Head Pumpkin
• Martha Stewart: Glitter Pumpkins

Resources

• Family Fun: Flapping Bat Template
• Better Homes and Gardens: Free Printable Pumpkin Stencils