This easy paper plate pumpkin craft is a fun fall activity for preschool and kindergarten kids that builds fine motor skills with tearing and gluing.

Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

This adorable paper plate pumpkin craft is an easy fall activity for preschool and kindergarten kids. Made with torn orange paper, a paper plate and a few simple craft supplies, it’s a fun way for little hands to practice fine motor skills while making the sweetest smiling pumpkin.

I especially love this one for October crafting because it works just as well for a fall or pumpkin theme as it does for Halloween. Pair it with a favorite pumpkin book, add it to a classroom pumpkin unit, or make a whole patch of them for a fall bulletin board.

Easy Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft for Kids

There’s something about paper plate crafts that just works with young kids. They’re inexpensive, easy to prep and give children a nice sturdy base to work with.

For this paper plate pumpkin craft, kids tear orange construction paper into small pieces before gluing them all over a 6-inch paper plate. Once the plate is covered, they can add the pumpkin’s face, stem and curly green vines made of pipecleaners.

The finished pumpkins have loads of texture and personality; and no two ever turn out quite the same!

Why We Love This Pumpkin Craft

This simple pumpkin activity packs quite a bit of skill-building into a fun fall project. Tearing and gluing the paper helps strengthen little hand muscles and develop fine motor control, while coloring, cutting and assembling the smaller pieces gives kids even more cutting and pencil practice.

Our paper plate pumpkin craft is also:

• 🎃 Easy enough for preschool and kindergarten
• ✂️ Great for practicing cutting, tearing and gluing
• 🧡 Made with inexpensive, easy-to-find supplies
• 🍂 Perfect for fall, pumpkin or Halloween themes
• 📚 Easy to pair with pumpkin-themed picture books
• 🏫 A cute choice for classroom displays and fall bulletin boards

Supplies

You’ll need:

• Good quality cardstock to print the template
• 6-inch paper plate
• Orange construction paper
• Green pipe cleaners
• Crayons or markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Printable pumpkin pieces, if using our template. You can download the template at the very bottom of this blog post.

Tip: I like using smaller 6-inch paper plates for this project. They’re a great size for preschoolers and don’t require quite as much torn paper to cover as a standard dinner-sized plate.

How To Make a Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

Step 1: Tear the Orange Paper

Start by giving children orange construction paper and have them tear it into smaller pieces.

The pieces definitely don’t need to be the same size or shape. In fact, all those uneven edges are what give the finished pumpkin its fun textured look.

For younger preschoolers, you can tear a few pieces ahead of time to demonstrate how it’s done.

Step 2: Cover the Paper Plate

Apply glue to the front of the paper plate and begin adding the torn orange paper.

Continue overlapping and layering pieces until the entire plate is covered.

Don’t worry about making it perfect. A little bit of the plate peeking through here and there is completely fine.

Step 3: Prepare the Pumpkin Pieces

Color the pumpkin’s stem green and cut it out.

Then prepare the eyes and cheeks. Kids can color the cheeks pink, red or any color they like.

This is also a great opportunity to let children personalize their pumpkins. They can change the expression, draw their own face or add extra details if they want.

Step 4: Add the Face

Glue the eyes and cheeks onto the orange paper plate.

Use a black marker or crayon to draw a happy mouth between the cheeks.

Watching each pumpkin develop its own little personality is one of my favorite parts of this craft.

Step 5: Add the Stem

Glue the green stem to the top of the pumpkin.

If necessary, let the glue dry for a few minutes before moving on to the vines.

Step 6: Make Curly Pumpkin Vines

Wrap green pipe cleaners around a pencil or marker to create curls.

Slide them off and gently stretch the curls until you’re happy with their shape. Attach the vines near the pumpkin’s stem.

Your paper plate pumpkin craft is finished!

Make It a Pumpkin-Themed Storytime Activity

One of my favorite ways to extend a simple craft like this is to pair it with a good picture book.

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White is a wonderful choice to read before or after making these pumpkins. The story follows Rebecca Estelle, who wants absolutely nothing to do with pumpkins: until an unexpected pumpkin patch eventually turns into something pretty special.

The colorful pumpkin illustrations pair beautifully with this craft, making it a fun choice for a fall classroom read-aloud or pumpkin-themed afternoon at home.

A few more pumpkin books that work well with this activity include:

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll – Two little mice discover the same tiny pumpkin and each has big plans for it. A sweet fall story about friendship, teamwork and one very big pumpkin.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara – A fun pumpkin-themed story that sneaks in counting, estimation and early math skills. A great pick for preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell – Follow Jack the jack-o’-lantern as he changes, decomposes and eventually helps new pumpkins grow. Such a neat way to introduce kids to the pumpkin life cycle.

The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders – A giant pumpkin rolls away and creates plenty of excitement along the way! This playful, repetitive story makes a fun and engaging fall read-aloud.

It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff – Mouse decorates pumpkins with all sorts of silly faces in this sweet, simple story. It’s especially fun for younger preschoolers and pairs perfectly with a pumpkin craft.

Classroom Ideas

If you’re making this paper plate pumpkin craft with a classroom or daycare group, turn all those finished pumpkins into a pumpkin patch bulletin board.

Because children tear their own paper, color their own pieces and assemble their pumpkins themselves, each one will look slightly different.

You could display them beneath a heading like “Our Little Pumpkin Patch,” “Pick of the Patch,” or “Our Class Is Pumpkin Sweet!”

For an extra literacy component, add each child’s name beneath their pumpkin.

Fine Motor Skills Practice

This pumpkin craft is especially good for preschool and kindergarten children because so much of the activity involves working those little hand and finger muscles.

Tearing construction paper requires children to pinch, pull and coordinate both hands. Picking up the small pieces and positioning them on the plate works on hand-eye coordination, while coloring and cutting the printable pieces provide additional fine motor practice.

All of that makes this a cute seasonal craft that also sneaks in some meaningful skill building.

More Pumpkin Crafts and Activities for Kids

Looking for even more ways to celebrate pumpkin season? These easy pumpkin crafts and activities for kids are perfect for preschool, kindergarten, classroom fall themes, pumpkin units and screen-free October fun.

Paper Bag Pumpkin Craft – Turn an ordinary paper lunch bag into an adorable smiling pumpkin with this easy, budget-friendly fall craft for kids.

Pumpkin Wagon Name Craft – Kids can practice spelling and recognizing their names while creating a cute fall wagon filled with colorful pumpkins.

Easy Pumpkin Craft – This simple printable pumpkin craft is perfect for little learners who want to practice cutting, coloring, gluing and assembling.

Pumpkin Name Craft – Combine fall crafting with early literacy practice as kids build their own personalized pumpkin while working on name recognition and spelling.

Pumpkin Pie Paper Plate Craft – Turn a simple paper plate into a delicious-looking slice of pumpkin pie for a fun harvest or Thanksgiving craft.

Pumpkin Pie Name Craft – This sweet pumpkin pie craft gives preschool and kindergarten kids a festive way to practice spelling and recognizing their names.

October Crafts and Activities – Find even more creative October fun with a big collection of seasonal crafts, printables and screen-free activities for kids.

Download Instructions

Getting your free paper plate pumpkin craft template is easy. Fill out the form at the bottom of this post and click the “Send Me the Printable” button.

After signing up, check your email to confirm your subscription. You will then be redirected to the printable PDF containing the pumpkin craft template.

Already subscribed? No problem! Enter your information in the form again and you’ll be taken directly to the download.

Be sure to print the template at actual size on standard 8.5 × 11-inch paper. We recommend good quality cardstock for a sturdy finished product.

Tip: Be sure to check your spam or promotions folder if you don’t see the email containing the paper plate pumpkin craft template right away.

Still having trouble downloading our letter c worksheets? Check out this step-by-step download guide with images!

Final Thoughts

This paper plate pumpkin craft is exactly the kind of fall activity I love most: simple supplies, plenty of hands-on creativity and lots of opportunities for little kids to practice important fine motor skills.

Whether you make one at home, add it to a preschool pumpkin theme or create an entire classroom pumpkin patch, these sweet little pumpkins are such a fun way to celebrate fall.

If you make our paper plate pumpkin craft, I’d love to see it! Be sure to follow This Tiny Blue House on Pinterest and Facebook for even more easy crafts, printable activities and screen-free fun for kids.