Decorating pumpkins is one of first things that come into mind when I think about October. However, as fun as it is in my mind, carving pumpkins is quite the task with toddlers and preschoolers.
I have 3 awesome ideas to share with you. They were all fairly easy and they do not involve sharp objects. You don’t have to deal with the mess of the seeds either! Plus, they came out super pretty!
My preschooler also had so much fun decorating his pumpkins. I hope your kids enjoy it too!
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Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Decorations for Preschoolers
These first two pumpkin decorating ideas are quite similar. But I think they both ended up looking very unique and give a different vibe.
For other fun pumpkin activities for preschoolers, make sure to check out this Pumpkin Unit for Preschool at Home.
1. Mod Podge & Tissue Paper
This first activity, I saw in a magazine recently, and it looked so simple but beautiful!
Materials Needed:
- White Pumpkin
- Mod Podge
- Sponge/Foam Brush
- Tissue Paper
I’m sure this will work on an orange pumpkin, but I think the tissue paper’s colors will definitely look more on a white pumpkin.
Step 1
Cut up the tissue paper into various shapes. The prep is great cutting practice for preschoolers. We love using these scissors.
Step 2
Apply some mod podge using the foam brush onto a small portion on the pumpkin. Place pieces of the cut up tissue paper onto the pumpkin. Apply some more mod podge on top of each tissue paper. This will seal in the tissue paper.
Step 3
Let it dry completely. And that’s it!
We kept the pumpkin around for a couple months (until we decorated for Christmas) and it lasted the entire time, and I think it would’ve lasted a couple more months if we wanted to keep it around longer.
2. Mod Podge & Leaves
This second activity is quite similar to the first activity, but instead of tissue paper, we used pressed leaves. You could also use flowers as well.
I saw this on Little Pine Learners and thought it was so beautiful! Instead of flowers, though, we mainly used leaves to decorate.
I recommend collecting leaves the week before and pressing them. It’s important to make sure that the leaves are fully dry before decorating the pumpkin, to prevent any mold under the mod podge.
Materials Needed:
- White Pumpkin
- Mod Podge
- Sponge/Foam Brush
- Dried and pressed leaves (smaller is better)
Step 1
Make sure that the leaves are completely dry. Try arranging them on the pumpkin to see how they would fit together. Smaller leaves work for the best for this activity.
Step 2
Place mod podge on the pumpkin and stick the leaves on. Once they are in place, put more mod podge on top of the leaves. If the leaves are too large, they can easily fall off since they are not on a flat surface. This is another reason that smaller leaves work better for decorating pumpkins.
Step 3
Once all the leaves are mod podged (is it okay to use mod podge as a verb?) onto the pumpkin, place it in a location where it can full dry. If you have young children, I would recommend placing it on a high bookshelf or something so that little don’t touch it while it is still drying.
How Long Do They Last?
Our pumpkins lasted for a couple months until we were decorating for Christmas. However, I did notice that some of the leaves started getting dark spots on them. I believe those are the leaves that were not fully dried before we decorated our pumpkins.
If you want your pumpkins to last longer, I highly recommend making sure that the leaves are fully dry before mod podging them onto pumpkins!
3. Geometric Shape Pumpkins
This method of decorating pumpkins is super easy for toddlers and preschoolers and low-pre too!
Materials Needed:
Step 1
This is the portion that adults or older children can help doing.
Stick strips of painter’s tape and on your pumpkin of choice. We used an orange pumpkin, but I think a white pumpkin could also be really pretty!
Criss-cross and overlap the strips of tape to create geometric shapes.
Step 2
Color in negative space using paint or sticks. I personally think it looks better when each shape is colored with one color, but let your toddlers and preschoolers get creative with the colors! Multiple colors in one shape could look really cool as well.
Make sure to color to the edge of the tape to help create a sharp line when removed.
Step 3
Peel off the painter’s tape before the kwik stix is fully dried, and you’re done!
No Carve Pumpkin Decorations for Preschoolers
Pumpkin decorating with young children doesn’t have to be difficult. I hope these ideas inspired you to decorate pumpkins with your preschoolers this year! I am definitely looking forward to pumpkin season soon!
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