Discover 10+ easy pumpkin crafts for kids! Fun paper plate pumpkins, pumpkin name crafts, painting activities and free templates for preschool and kindergarten.
Easy Pumpkin Crafts
Looking for fun and easy pumpkin crafts for kids? You’ve come to the right place!
I’ve rounded up some of our favorite pumpkin crafts that are perfect for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and early elementary kids.
From adorable paper plate pumpkins and creative painting projects to pumpkin name crafts and pretend pumpkin pie slices, there’s something here for every little pumpkin lover.
What I especially love about these activities is that they’re not limited to Halloween or Thanksgiving. They’re perfect for celebrating pumpkin season throughout the entire fall season!
Most of these easy pumpkin crafts use simple supplies you probably already have on hand, like construction paper, paper plates, tempera paint, crayons, and glue.
And because I love pairing crafts with children’s books, I’ve included a pumpkin-themed picture book recommendation for every activity.
Whether you’re planning a preschool pumpkin unit, looking for fall classroom crafts, or just need a fun screen-free activity for an afternoon at home, I hope you find something here your kids will love making!
Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Preschool and Kindergarten
Let’s start with a few of our favorite easy pumpkin crafts!
These simple projects are especially well suited to younger children because they use basic supplies, encourage creativity, and provide plenty of opportunities to practice important fine motor skills.
Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft
Our Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft is one of my favorite easy pumpkin crafts for preschool and kindergarten.
Kids cover a small paper plate with torn orange construction paper before adding a stem, curly green vines, and their own hand-drawn pumpkin face.
I especially love that every finished pumpkin looks a little different! Some kids make silly faces, others create happy pumpkins, and every single one turns out adorable.
This is a great choice for a fall classroom bulletin board or preschool pumpkin theme. Includes a free printable template!
📚 Book pairing: Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White – A wonderful fall story about a woman who discovers that an unexpected pumpkin harvest can turn into something pretty special.
Pumpkin Suncatcher Craft
These colorful Halloween suncatchers are such a fun way to decorate classroom or home windows for fall! Our free printable Halloween suncatcher templates include an adorable pumpkin design that kids can decorate with colorful tissue paper.
This easy Halloween craft is perfect for preschool and kindergarten kids and makes a beautiful window decoration when the sunlight shines through.
📚 Book Pairing: It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff – This colorful Halloween picture book is a perfect match for your pumpkin suncatcher craft! Kids will love watching Mouse decorate pumpkins with different faces before creating their own tissue paper pumpkin suncatchers to display in the classroom windows.
Easy Pumpkin Craft
If you’re looking for a simple pumpkin craft that doesn’t require complicated supplies or preparation, our Easy Pumpkin Craft is a great place to start.
Using our free printable template, children can create their own cheerful paper pumpkin.
This is a wonderful activity for younger preschoolers who are learning to cut, glue, and assemble simple shapes.
Display the finished pumpkins on a classroom bulletin board or use them to decorate your home for fall.
📚 Book pairing: It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff – Mouse decorates pumpkins with all sorts of different expressions in this adorable story that’s especially well suited to preschool-aged children.
Paper Bag Pumpkin Craft
Turn an ordinary paper bag into an adorable pumpkin with our Paper Bag Pumpkin Craft!
Kids use construction paper, a printable template, and a few basic supplies to give their pumpkin a cute face, rosy cheeks, a stem, and a curly green vine.
This is such a fun way to transform an everyday craft supply into something completely different.
I especially love this project for encouraging creativity because children can experiment with different facial expressions to make their pumpkins completely unique.
📚 Book pairing: The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders – A fun, energetic story about a runaway pumpkin that makes a wonderful fall read-aloud before crafting.
Pumpkin Name Crafts and Literacy Activities
Pumpkin crafts are even better when you can sneak a little learning into the fun!
These pumpkin name crafts combine creativity with important early literacy skills like letter recognition, name spelling, and letter sequencing.
They’re especially useful for preschool and kindergarten literacy centers, morning work, and fall classroom activities.
Pumpkin Wagon Name Craft
Our Pumpkin Wagon Name Craft is one of my favorite fall name activities!
Children decorate a little wagon and fill it with pumpkins, adding one letter of their name to each pumpkin.
It’s such a cute way to practice name recognition, letter identification, and spelling while creating an adorable fall craft.
I especially love how these look displayed together on a classroom bulletin board. Each wagon is personalized, making the finished display extra special.
Includes a free printable template!
📚 Book pairing: The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll – Two mice work together to grow an enormous pumpkin in this classic fall story. It’s a fun choice to pair with a wagon full of pumpkins!
Halloween Candy Name Craft
This adorable Halloween Candy Name Craft is a sweet way to combine pumpkin crafting with early literacy practice! Using our free printable template, kids can create a cute jack-o’-lantern candy bucket filled with colorful candy pieces that spell out their name.
It’s a fun, hands-on Halloween activity that’s perfect for preschool and kindergarten kids.
📚 Book Pairing: The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano is a wonderful read-aloud to enjoy before making this craft. After reading about what makes Spookley special, children can create their own personalized Halloween candy buckets while practicing name recognition and letter sequencing.
Pumpkin Name Craft
This adorable Pumpkin Name Craft combines pumpkin crafting with hands-on name practice.
Kids color and decorate their pumpkins before adding seed-shaped letters that spell their names.
It’s a simple but effective way to help preschoolers and kindergarteners recognize the letters in their names and practice putting them in the correct order.
I love using name crafts like this because children get to make something they’re proud of while practicing an important early literacy skill.
Includes a free printable template!
📚 Book pairing: How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara – A wonderful classroom read-aloud that introduces children to pumpkin seeds, counting, and the idea that every pumpkin is different.
Pumpkin Pie Crafts for Kids
Pumpkin pie might be one of my favorite things about fall!
These adorable pumpkin pie crafts let children create their own pretend slices of pumpkin pie using paper, paint, and other simple craft supplies.
They’re especially fun for pretend play, fine motor practice, and fall harvest activities.
Torn Paper Pumpkin Pie Craft
Our Torn Paper Pumpkin Pie Craft is an adorable fall craft that little hands will love making!
Kids tear orange construction paper into small pieces and glue them onto a pumpkin pie slice before adding a brown paper crust and a fluffy cotton ball for whipped cream.
Tearing paper is a wonderful way to strengthen the small hand muscles children use for writing, cutting, and other everyday tasks.
And the finished pumpkin pie slices are just too cute!
This is a great choice for preschool, kindergarten, or a fall classroom bulletin board. Includes a free printable template!
📚 Book Pairing: Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie by America’s Test Kitchen Kids is a wonderful Thanksgiving read-aloud to pair with this torn paper pumpkin pie craft! After following Peyton’s search for the perfect Thanksgiving pie, kids can create their own pretend slice of pumpkin pie using torn construction paper and a fluffy cotton ball for whipped cream.
Fingerprint Pumpkin Pie Craft
Our Fingerprint Pumpkin Pie Craft is such a fun way to combine painting, cutting, and gluing into one adorable fall activity!
Kids use different shades of orange paint and their fingertips to create the pumpkin pie filling on a paper plate. Then, they add small pieces of brown construction paper around the edges for the crust and finish with a crisscross lattice top.
I especially love this pumpkin craft because it gives preschoolers and kindergarteners plenty of opportunities to practice fine motor skills while experimenting with colors and textures. And every finished pie looks a little different!
It’s a wonderful choice for fall classroom crafting, pretend bakery play, or a pumpkin-themed art center.
📚 Book pairing: The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Stan and Jan Berenstain – One of my personal favorites! This sweet story about family, gratitude, and Thanksgiving traditions pairs beautifully with a homemade pumpkin pie craft.
Pumpkin Pie Paper Plate Craft
If your kids love painting, they’ll have so much fun making our Pumpkin Pie Paper Plate Craft!
Children paint a paper plate orange before adding little squares of brown construction paper around the edges to create a pie crust.
A few fluffy cotton balls in the center become the whipped cream topping.
It’s a simple, inexpensive craft that combines painting, cutting, and gluing into one fun fall activity.
I especially love this one for younger children because the finished project looks adorable even when the painting and gluing aren’t perfect.
📚 Book Pairing: Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum is a wonderful fall read-aloud to pair with this paper plate pumpkin pie craft! Kids will love learning how tiny pumpkin seeds grow into big orange pumpkins before creating their own pretend Thanksgiving pumpkin pies using paper plates and colorful craft supplies.
Pumpkin Pie Name Craft
Our Pumpkin Pie Name Craft is a sweet way to combine fall crafting with name recognition practice.
Kids color their own slice of pumpkin pie and personalize it with little whipped cream dollops, each featuring a letter of their name.
Once the letters are arranged in the correct order, children glue everything together to create their own personalized pumpkin pie.
It’s an adorable activity for preschool and kindergarten literacy centers, especially when you’re looking for a creative alternative to traditional name worksheets.
Includes a free printable template!
📚 Book pairing: The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs – A gentle pumpkin-themed story that can encourage conversation about growing, changing, and what makes each of us special.
Creative Jack-O’-Lantern Crafts
Of course, no collection of pumpkin crafts would be complete without a few jack-o’-lanterns!
While these activities are especially popular around Halloween, they’re also a fun way to explore facial expressions, encourage creativity, and experiment with different art techniques.
Jack-O’-Lantern Craft
Our Jack-O’-Lantern Craft is a fun and easy paper pumpkin activity that lets kids get creative with different facial expressions.
Using our free printable template, children can mix and match eyes, noses, and mouths to create their own silly, spooky, or happy pumpkins.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about emotions and facial expressions while practicing cutting and gluing skills.
I especially love this one for classroom crafting because no two finished jack-o’-lanterns look exactly alike.
📚 Book pairing: Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell – This beautiful picture book follows a jack-o’-lantern through the changing seasons and introduces children to the life cycle of a pumpkin.
Apple Stamped Jack-O’-Lantern Craft
Our Apple Stamped Jack-O’-Lantern Craft is such a fun way to combine two favorite fall themes: apples and pumpkins!
Kids dip a cut apple into orange paint and stamp pumpkin shapes onto paper.
Once the paint dries, they can use markers to add stems, vines, and all sorts of silly jack-o’-lantern faces.
I love this activity because it’s simple to prepare, uses inexpensive supplies, and gives children plenty of freedom to experiment with their own designs.
It’s a great choice for preschool process art, fall art centers, and kindergarten classrooms.
📚 Book Pairing: It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff is the perfect read-aloud to pair with this apple stamped jack-o’-lantern craft! Kids will love watching Mouse decorate pumpkins with different silly faces before using apple stamps and paint to create their own colorful jack-o’-lanterns.
Why Pumpkin Crafts Are Great for Preschoolers
One of the reasons I love pumpkin crafts so much is that they offer so many opportunities for learning through play.
Sure, the finished projects are adorable, but children are also developing important skills while they work!
Here are a few of the benefits of adding pumpkin crafts to your fall activities:
- ✂️ Fine motor development: Tearing paper, cutting shapes, painting, and gluing all help strengthen the small muscles in children’s hands.
- 🎨 Creativity: Decorating pumpkins encourages children to make choices, experiment with materials, and express their own ideas.
- 🔤 Early literacy: Pumpkin name crafts provide hands-on opportunities to practice letter recognition, name spelling, and letter order.
- 🧡 Hand-eye coordination: Stamping, coloring, cutting, and assembling paper pieces help children develop coordination.
- 🍂 Seasonal learning: Pumpkin crafts are a natural way to introduce conversations about fall, farms, harvests, and how pumpkins grow.
- 📚 Language development: Pairing pumpkin crafts with picture books encourages storytelling, conversation, and vocabulary building.
Best of all, these activities are screen-free and easy to adapt for different ages and abilities.
Simple Supplies for Pumpkin Crafts
You don’t need an overflowing craft closet to make adorable pumpkin crafts with kids!
Most of the projects in this collection use a handful of inexpensive supplies.
Here are some of the basics I like to keep on hand for fall crafting:
- Construction paper in orange, brown, green and black
- White cardstock for printing templates
- Paper plates
- Paper lunch bags
- Washable tempera paint
- Paintbrushes
- Crayons and markers
- Child-safe scissors
- Tissue Paper Squares
- Googly Eyes
- Glue sticks
- Cotton balls
- Free printable craft templates
I especially love stocking up on orange construction paper before fall because we go through so much of it during pumpkin season!
Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Crafts
What are some easy pumpkin crafts for preschoolers?
Some of the easiest pumpkin crafts for preschoolers include torn paper pumpkins, paper plate pumpkins, paper bag pumpkins, and apple stamped pumpkin art. These projects use simple materials and can be adapted for children who are still learning to cut, glue, and paint.
What can kids use to make pumpkin crafts?
Kids can make pumpkin crafts using construction paper, paper plates, paper bags, paint, tissue paper squares, crayons, cotton balls, googly eyes and other inexpensive craft supplies. Many pumpkin crafts also include free printable templates to make preparation easier.
Can pumpkin crafts be used for learning activities?
Absolutely! Pumpkin name crafts are a fun way to practice letter recognition and spelling. Tearing, cutting, gluing, and painting also help children develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Are pumpkin crafts only for Halloween?
Not at all! Pumpkin crafts are perfect throughout the entire fall season. They work beautifully for September and October pumpkin units, harvest activities, November classroom projects, and Thanksgiving crafts.
What books pair well with pumpkin crafts?
Some of my favorite pumpkin picture books include:
- Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
- It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
- The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
- Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara.
These stories are wonderful for fall read-alouds and pair beautifully with hands-on pumpkin activities.
More Fall Crafts and Activities for Kids
If your kids enjoyed these pumpkin crafts, be sure to check out some of our other favorite fall activities!
- 🍁 Fall Crafts for Kids – A growing collection of easy fall crafts for preschool and kindergarten.
- 🍂 October Crafts and Activities – Fun seasonal crafts, learning activities, and printables for October.
- 🦃 November Crafts and Activities – Creative projects and hands-on activities for November.
- 🧡 Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities – Easy Thanksgiving crafts and printables for kids.
Final Thoughts on These Easy Pumpkin Crafts
I hope this collection of easy pumpkin crafts for kids has given you plenty of inspiration for your next fall crafting session!
Whether you’re making paper plate pumpkins, practicing names with pumpkin letters, or creating adorable pumpkin pie slices, these activities are a wonderful way to celebrate pumpkin season.
I especially love that so many of these projects can be adapted for different ages, making them great choices for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms.
And don’t forget to pair your favorite pumpkin craft with a good picture book!
Happy pumpkin crafting! 🎃
