16 Simple Pumpkin Craft Ideas for Kids to Make in 2023

Jul 25, 2023

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Celebrate the season with one of these DIY pumpkin crafts the kids will have so much fun whipping up!

Every kids favorite holiday is here...Halloween! And every parent knows why—candy and costumes. While most parents are more than happy to indulge them in both (at least for one night a year), it might be fun and worthwhile to also engage the kids in a crafting activity that will help develop their fine motor skills, fuel their creativity, and selfishly, keep them out of your hair for a little while. Cleaning and carving a pumpkin requires sharp tools and parental oversight, but for these fun pumpkin craft ideas, you can set up the materials and just walk away (okay, if we're being honest, we can't promise they won't be calling "mom" or "dad" after a minute or two). So head to the craft store to stock up on supplies and get ready for a Halloween crafting-palooza!The littlest littles will love painting their hand print in the center of a pumpkin that they've shaped from air-dry or oven-baked clay or attaching googly eyes to a pumpkin they stamped from a cut apple. While older kids will love folding sheets of orange craft paper and stacking them to form a ruffled pumpkin, complete with a stick stem, or helping set the Halloween table by folding an orange napkin into the shape of a pumpkin for each place setting. So prior to donning their costumes, playing some tricks, and gobbling down fistfuls of candy, set up a crafting station and see what fun project they choose to make. We would love to see them, too! Add pictures in the comments section below!

Enlist the kiddos into helping set the Halloween table by folding napkins in the shape of a sweet pumpkin.

Get the tutorial here.

No carving mess! Turn orange honeycomb balls into proper Halloween pumpkins that can line your front porch.

To make: Cut facial features and stems from construction paper and apply to the balls with glue dots.

Older kids can stain or paint round wood cutting boards orange while the little kids cut pumpkin leaves from green paper. Once they are all assembled, hang on the front door or on the vent hood above the kitchen stove.

To make: Paint or stain round wood cutting boards orange. Cut pumpkin vine leaves from green craft paper and attach to the board with green twine. Curl green pipe cleaners to form tendrils and wrap around the handle. Thread twine through the hole in the handle and hang from a nail.

Watch kids transform orange wax paper into little jack-o'-lanterns (or white wax paper into adorable ghosts) by folding it and then drawing on sweet faces. Tape pumpkins to fairy or Christmas lights and thread on a branch, around the mantel, or over their headboard.

Get the tutorial at Handmade Charlotte.

See more ideas in The Handmade Charlotte Playbook.

Whether it's for a Halloween bash you are throwing or to hand out to trick-or-treaters, kids will certainly enjoy transforming orange tissue paper into candy filled pumpkins. You might want to keep an eye on them, though, to make sure they don't gobble up all the candy!

Get the tutorial at One Little Project.

This easy project is a Halloween craft and game all in one! Make other faces, like cats and ghosts, on the other side for a reversible game that's double the fun.

Get the tutorial at Made Everyday.

Kids will be amazed when they see these paper lanterns take shape with just a few scissor cuts. Add a classic jack-o'-lantern face and a battery-operated votive for a pretty glow.

Get the tutorial at The Crafting Chicks.

Kids will love filling a pumpkin balloon piñata with candy for the annual family Halloween bash.

Get the tutorial at The Gunny Sack.

Start collecting those empty toilet paper tubes to turn into party poppers! Let your kids stuff them with their favorite Halloween candies and then decorate the outside, as pumpkins of course!

Get the tutorial at Onion Rings and Things.

With just a few supplies and stitches required, this felt pumpkin bag is the perfect introduction to sewing.

Get the tutorial at Hello, Wonderful.

*Kids will be entertained for hours with this Halloween-themed tic-tac-toe game they can make from scratch using a wooden tray and peg dolls found at the craft store.

Get the tutorial at Made to Be a Momma.

Kids love getting their hands dirty and these adorable little handprint pumpkins will allow them to do just that!

Get the tutorial at Non-Toy Gifts.

Crafting a friendly pumpkin (or ghost or mummy) finger puppet from felt is just the start of the fun. Once all the characters are made get ready for nonstop drama—of the theater type, of course!

Get the tutorial at One Crafty Mommy.

The end result is sophisticated but these paper pumpkins simply require a little cutting, folding, stacking, and gluing. A perfect Halloween craft for an older child.

Get the tutorial at DIY Inspired.

Cut an apple in half and voilà! You've got an easy-to-use stamp for making pumpkin-printed cards and more. Add googly eyes and pipe cleaners for the stem. Pro tip: Wrap the green pipe cleaner around a pencil to get a perfectly curled tendril.

Get the tutorial at Made to be a Momma.

Youngsters can celebrate Halloween all month long by wearing these clay pins, which are shaped with cookie cutters, on their backpack or clothes.

Get the tutorial at Handmade Charlotte.

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