5 Toddler-Friendly Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

“It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus!”

— Max (Hocus Pocus)

The only thing more terrifying than a toddler with a carving knife, is a toddler with a carving knife attempting to slice slimy, slippery, spherical objects. The brunt of creativity for pumpkin carving therefore falls to parents looking to keep 5 digits on each toddler hand. Of course, pumpkin carving is a holiday tradition I won’t let slip by, but I also make sure that my kids get to partake in some toddler-friendly Halloween decorating of their own. There is nothing more magical than putting on some festive music, getting in the spirit, and watching children immerse themselves in a project that they find special. Below are a few of my favourite, toddler-friendly, easy, no-carve, pumpkin decorating activities that are still completely festive and worthy of a spot by your front door!

Monogram

What you need:

• Painters tape

• Paint (acrylic is best but, to keep it clean, washable paint will work as well)

• Sponge

How To:

1. Clean and dry your pumpkin completely

2. Tape the letter(s) of your choosing onto your pumpkin

3. Let your child pick colours, or choose halloween themed

   colours for them to sponge onto their pumpkin

   • Ensure that the entire monogram is covered in paint

4. Let dry completely

5. Remove the tape

Creatures In The Dark

What you need:

• Paint (acrylic is best but, to keep it clean, washable paint will work as well)

• Paint brush

• Sparkles

• Googly eyes

  • I found a great pack of various sized, stick on, googly eyes at Michaels that pulled this look together

How To:

1. Clean and dry your pumpkin completely

2. Have your child paint the pumpkin black

3. Let your child sprinkle glitter on top of the wet paint

4. Let the paint dry completely

5. Place various sized googly eyes onto the pumpkin

   • If your child is able to place the eyes in pairs it gives a great “creatures are watching you” effect

   • If your child is younger having them randomly place the eyes on the pumpkin is just as adorable

   • I highly recommend self-adhesive googly eyes because working with glue on a vertical surface can be quite difficult

Spider Web

What you need:

• String/Rope/Thread

• Tape

• Spiders

  • I used stick on spiders I found from Michaels which kept this very toddler-friendly

How To:

1. Clean and dry your pumpkin completely

2. Tape a piece of string/rope/thread near the top of your pumpkin where it will not be seen

3. Get your child to wrap the string around the pumpkin occasionally taping the string down in order to anchor it to the pumpkin and change directions

   • This will be challenging for younger kids so instead, cut pieces and just allow them to tape each piece to the pumpkin; top to bottom then side to side to get the same end result

4. Stick on the spiders in various random places

   • If the tape is visible, strategically place spiders as cover-up

Mummy Pumpkin

What you need:

• Sticky foam (white and black)

• Tape

• Crepe paper ribbon (white)

  • Gauze would be more effective, but I didn’t have any on hand so I used crepe paper from our art supply stash and it worked fine

How To:

1. Clean and dry your pumpkin completely

2. Have your child cut white circles out of the sticky foam for the whites of your Mummy’s eyes

3. Have your child cut smaller black circles out of the sticky back foam for the pupils of your Mummy’s eyes

   • If your child is not old enough to use scissors effectively, pre-cut the the eyes for them and allow them to do the sticking

4. Have them stick the whites of the eyes directly onto the pumpkin; then, have them stick the pupils on top of the whites

5. Tape down one end of the crepe paper ribbon to the top of the pumpkin and allow them to wrap the pumpkin

   • If this is challenging for your child, paint glue all over the pumpkin and allow your child to simply stick pre cut pieces onto the pumpkin

   • Tape down the ribbon as needed to ensure that it holds in place

Mr. Pumpkin Head

What you need:

• Mr. Potato Head pieces

• Skewer/Knife

• Paint (optional)

• Paint brush (optional)

How To:

1. Clean and dry your pumpkin completely

2. An optional step would be to paint your pumpkin and leave it to completely dry

3. Pierce holes into your pumpkin where pieces of the Mr. Potato head should fit

4. Allow your child to place the pieces into the pumpkin to create their own “Pumpkin Head”

   • Older children will be able to accurately place body parts and accessories

   • Younger kids can place the pieces anywhere creating their own special slightly creepy looking “Pumpkin Head”