Pumpkin crafts are one of our favorite fall activities because my toddlers absolutely love them. They’re easy to set up, fun to make, and always turn into adorable keepsakes.
Best of all, there’s no carving needed. Toddlers can paint pumpkins, stamp with them, roll them through paint, or create pumpkin shapes with playdough for a simple and mess-friendly fall activity.
So, if your little one is ready, here are 20 easy and creative pumpkin crafts for toddlers that you can start today.
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1. Pumpkin Handprint Craft
Simply paint your toddler’s hand with orange paint and press it down onto paper. Together, add a green stem and small eyes and a smile. The result is a sweet little keepsake that looks adorable framed above a fireplace or on the fridge.
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2. Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft for Toddlers
For this pumpkin craft, give your toddlers a paper plate and let them go wild with orange paint. Once it dries, cut out triangle eyes and a mouth from black paper and glue them on together.
Additionally, you can check out more paper plate fall crafts for kids if you want even more ideas just like this one.
3. Pumpkin Footprint Art
For this pumpkin craft, paint the bottom of your toddlers foot orange and press it onto paper. The heel becomes the base of the pumpkin and the toes form the top. Add a green stem and a few leaves, and you have a precious piece of fall art.
If you want to explore even more open-ended fall activities, these fall sensory activities for kids are a wonderful place to look next.
4. Pumpkin Sponge Painting
Cut a sponge into a pumpkin shape or simply use a round sponge. Dip it in orange paint and press it firmly onto paper. Then stamp leaves and stems in green.
Moreover, you can layer different shades of orange to make the pumpkin look more vibrant. For more texture-based and open-ended ideas, also explore these easy paper craft ideas for kids that use simple supplies you already have.
5. Playdough Pumpkin Craft for Toddlers
Give your toddler orange playdough and let them roll it into balls and flatten them to create pumpkin shapes. Add small bits of green playdough as the stem and leaves. Simple, open-ended, and very satisfying.
If you want to make your own playdough at home, we have a full guide packed with fun playdough ideas for toddlers that your kids will love.
6. Q-Tip Dot Pumpkin Painting
Draw a pumpkin outline on paper and let your toddler fill it in using Q-tips dipped in paint. Each little dot builds focus and hand control. Furthermore, the finished piece looks stunning because of all the texture the dots create.
For more activities that keep little hands busy and build skills at the same time, check out these fine motor activities for toddlers at home that actually work.
7. Pumpkin Stamping with Real Pumpkins
Did you know that you can cut a real pumpkin in half and use it as a stamp? This is one of those pumpkin crafts for toddlers that also works beautifully as sensory play. The texture of the pumpkin flesh creates a really interesting print on paper. Simply dip the cut side into orange paint and press it onto paper.
You can also build on this theme by setting up one of these fall sensory bin ideas right alongside the stamping activity for a full sensory-rich afternoon.
8. Coffee Filter Pumpkin Craft
Give your toddler a flattened coffee filter and orange washable markers. Let them color it completely. Then, very carefully, spray a little water over it and watch the colors spread and blend in the most beautiful way.
Once it dries, scrunch the filter into a pumpkin shape and add a green pipe cleaner as the stem. As a result, you get a 3D pumpkin that looks like real art. These look amazing on a fall window display. If your toddler loves color-mixing activities like this one, they will also enjoy these aesthetic paper craft ideas you can make at home that are just as visually stunning.
9. Toilet Roll Pumpkin Craft for Toddlers
Save your toilet rolls because they make some of the best pumpkin crafts for toddlers. Paint the cardboard tube orange and let it dry fully. Then, squeeze it gently from the sides to give it a pumpkin-like shape. Add a green pipe cleaner curled at the top as the vine and draw on a face with black marker.
This is also a great way to talk to your toddler about recycling and reusing everyday items. These little pumpkins look so cute lined up on a windowsill as fall decor. For more creative recycled craft inspiration, check out these bottle art ideas for kids that are equally fun and budget-friendly.
10. Pumpkin Bubble Wrap Printing
Press a piece of bubble wrap into orange paint and then stamp it onto a pumpkin outline drawn on paper. The bumpy pattern looks just like a real pumpkin’s skin.
Moreover, the bubble wrap feels so interesting for little hands to press. So this activity covers both sensory play and fine motor work at the same time. Consequently, it is a win in every way.
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11. Torn Paper Pumpkin Collage
Tear up pieces of orange tissue paper or magazine pages and glue them onto a pumpkin shape drawn on card stock. Layer the pieces to fill in the whole pumpkin.
Once finished, add a brown or green stem using a strip of paper. The layered texture looks really creative and no two pumpkins will look the same. If your toddler loves working with paper this way, they will also enjoy these easy DIY crafts and simple activities for kids that are just as low-prep and fun.
12. Nature Pumpkin Craft Using Leaves
Take a quick walk outside and collect some fall leaves with your toddler. Then, together, arrange and glue the leaves onto a pumpkin outline to fill it in. You can use red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves for a stunning autumn effect. This is one of those pumpkin crafts for toddlers that truly celebrates the season.
Not only is this a wonderful sensory experience, but it also gets your little one outside and connected with nature. Similarly, you can find more nature-based inspiration in our post on fall leaf crafts for toddlers and these easy fall nature crafts that are perfect for little hands.
13. Pumpkin Watercolor Painting
Draw a large pumpkin outline in black crayon on white paper. Then let your toddler paint freely inside the lines using watercolors. The crayon will resist the paint and create a lovely wax-resist effect.
Additionally, this is a great activity for teaching your toddler about colors and how they mix. Orange and yellow together look especially beautiful on a pumpkin painting. If your little one loves painting this freely, also look at these forest school activities for kids for even more open-ended and nature-inspired creative play.
14. Pumpkin Sensory Bin Craft Activity
A pumpkin sensory bin is one of the best pumpkin crafts for toddlers because it combines crafting with sensory play. Fill a bin with orange-dyed rice or dried corn. Add small plastic pumpkins, scoops, and cups. Let your toddler scoop, pour, and explore freely.
You can also include pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters and playdough to extend the play even further. As a result, this single setup can keep a toddler busy for a surprisingly long time. For even more sensory inspiration, check out these sensory bin ideas for 2 year olds and these 25 easy sensory bin ideas for toddlers that are perfect for this season.
15. Mini Pumpkin Decorating with Stickers
Simply buy a few small pumpkins and set out a collection of foam stickers, dot stickers, and googly eyes. Let your toddler go completely wild decorating each pumpkin however they like.
There is no right or wrong way, which is exactly why toddlers thrive with this activity. Furthermore, the finished pumpkins make beautiful fall table decorations. You can also pair this with fall printables for kids and printable coloring pages for kids to keep the pumpkin theme going all afternoon long.
16. Paper Bag Pumpkin Craft for Toddlers
Stuff a brown paper bag with newspaper or tissue paper. Twist the top closed and tie it with a rubber band to form the pumpkin stem. Then let your toddler paint the whole thing orange. Once it dries, draw on a face or add sticker eyes. These 3D pumpkin crafts for toddlers look so impressive for such a simple process.
Moreover, this is a great way to use up materials you already have at home. There is no need to buy anything special. If you love using everyday materials creatively like this, you will also enjoy these popsicle stick crafts for kids that are equally low-cost and high-fun.
17. Salt Dough Pumpkin Ornaments
Salt dough pumpkin ornaments are among the most special pumpkin crafts for toddlers because you can keep them for years. Mix one cup of flour, half a cup of salt, and half a cup of water to make your dough. Tint it orange if you like, then roll it out and cut pumpkin shapes. Press your toddler’s thumbprint into each one.
Bake at a low temperature until hard, then paint and seal. As a result, you get beautiful keepsakes that last for years. If you also enjoy making crafts that you can sell or gift, these easy fall crafts to make and sell are worth checking out because salt dough ornaments fit right in.
18. Pumpkin Pasta Necklace Fine Motor Craft
Dye dried pasta shapes orange by placing them in a zip-lock bag with a few drops of orange food coloring and a little rubbing alcohol. Shake and let dry. Then let your toddler thread the pasta onto yarn to make a necklace.
Threading pasta builds the pincer grip and hand-eye coordination that toddlers need for writing later on. Additionally, your toddler will feel so proud of the finished necklace. If you want more activities that sneak in learning through play, these 25 easy toddler activities at home moms can set up fast are exactly what you need to bookmark right now.
19. Pumpkin Scratch Art for Toddlers
Color a sheet of paper heavily with orange and yellow crayons. Then cover the entire sheet with black crayon or black paint. Let your toddler scratch pumpkin shapes and patterns into the black layer to reveal the bright colors underneath.
Because the results are always a surprise, toddlers stay completely engaged during this activity. Furthermore, the final artwork always looks stunning. This is definitely one to frame. If you want more showstopper ideas just like this one, also explore these easy fall nature crafts that produce equally beautiful results with very little effort.
20. Pumpkin Fingerprint Art
Last on this list of pumpkin crafts for toddlers but certainly not least, fingerprint pumpkins are pure joy. Simply press your toddler’s fingertip into orange paint and stamp it onto paper to create a round pumpkin body. Add tiny fingerprint eyes and a mouth in black. Finally, draw a green stem with a marker.
You can fill a whole page with tiny fingerprint pumpkins and create a beautiful fall art piece. Moreover, this works equally well as a group activity if you have more than one child at home. It is fast, easy, and the results always turn out better than expected.
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- 50 Easy Toddler Play Ideas Moms Can Set Up Fast Â
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Finally,
There you have it. 20 of the best and easiest pumpkin crafts for toddlers that you can start today with supplies you already have at home.
You can also save all of these pumpkin crafts for toddlers on Pinterest so you always have them ready when you need them. And if you are looking for printable activity pages to pair with these crafts, the shop has fun toddler printables you can download right now.
also check out these cozy self-care ideas every tired mom needs because you deserve a little something for yourself too.
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