Kids love to carve pumpkins – but it can be a bit non-kid friendly at times. Here are some of the best ideas for pumpkin carving for kids and toddlers to make it safe and fun for everyone.
Pumpkin Carving for Kids
One of my favorite parts of Halloween is picking out the perfect pumpkin and carving a fun design on it.
Growing up, I would bug my dad on a daily basis to take us to King Soopers to pick out a pumpkin.
He would usually make us wait until just a few days before Halloween. It was torturous!
Ever since my first child was born, we’ve made pumpkin carving a family tradition. We have three kids now, and it just gets more and more fun with each year.
With that said, it can be a little bit tricky to know the best ways to carve pumpkins with children, because it can be a little bit dangerous once you pull out the kitchen knives!
Thankfully, there are a lot of great ways to involve the whole family – and some are carving-free! I hope that this post will help you find some ideas that the whole family will enjoy this Halloween season.
Pumpkin Carving Ideas for Toddlers
Kid’s Pumpkin Decorating Kits
There are tons of different pumpkin decorating kits out there that are really affordable. I can even find them at The Dollar Tree these days.
My favorite brand is Pumpkin Masters. They include safe-to-use tools to make pumpkin carving a little less dangerous – my oldest son can even do it.
They usually include some fun designs to make it easier to cut out your pumpkin, and they even have some pumpkin stickers that are fun for carve-free pumpkins.
Here are some of the different kits you can buy:
And just for fun, here’s a progression of using one of these kits several years back.
Patterns
There are so many patterns out there that you can find to carve a pumpkin with. You can have your child pick out their favorite one, and then you can just print it off and get started.
I found this website – Pumpkin Pile – that has TONS of free ideas!
Painting
This is one of the simplest pumpkin decorating ideas, and it’s something that young and older children can enjoy.
Just get out some paint, some paintbrushes (or even encourage finger painting) and let your kids go to down. I recommend making sure you set out plenty of newspapers to prevent any big messes.
I also love these bibs from IKEA. They are great for protecting clothes from paint!
Mr. Potato Head Pieces
Forrest and I both thought this sounded like a fun idea – get out a bunch of Mr. Potato head pieces and let your kids stick them into the pumpkin.
This is a very safe way to decorate a pumpkin, and if you have a variety of pieces (there are so many different sets you can get on Amazon), the pumpkin could be rather creative!
Pumpkin Punchers
We got these last year, and they were a big hit for kids and adults. It’s basically like a cookie cutter for the pumpkin. My kids loved being able to pick out different eyes, noses, and mouths, and then it was super easy for Forrest to cut out the design using a hammer.
You can buy them on Amazon!
Chalk pumpkins
I saw this idea on Pinterest, and I LOVED it!
Basically, you buy some chalkboard paint and cover a pumpkin in it. Then, give your child some chalk, and they can draw all over it. I think it’s such a fun and non-messy idea.
Foam Sticker Pieces
I always see foam stickers on sale at Jo-Ann’s or Michaels.
There are always a bunch of different kinds – they often have seasonal/holiday kinds.
Your kids can easily put these all over their pumpkins. This is another great idea for younger kids.
Safe lighting
Finally, it’s important to make sure you keep things as safe as possible with your kids.
I already mentioned the carving tools that Pumpkin Masters have that are safer for adults and children.
However, safe lighting is important as well! Candles can be tricky to light and put into a pumpkin. I put one in our pumpkin tonight and just about burned my hand off (I don’t work well with fire, though).
Pumpkin strobe lights can be really fun to use. I’ve found those at the Dollar Tree most years!
Dollar Tree LED tea lights are also a great idea. I’ve seen some pumpkin lights there as well.
More Halloween Ideas You May Enjoy:
- Free You’ve Been Booed Printables and Ideas
- Halloween Games and Activities for Kids
- Dollar Store Halloween Costume Ideas
Katie is a Colorado-native, BYU graduated, and most importantly, wife to one and mother to three beautiful boys. She is passionate about sharing her experiences with others – especially about pregnancy, breastfeeding, cooking, and crafts. She is currently training to be a Certified Lactation Educator. She loves spending time with her family and helping others find joy in family life.
Jane Manter says
I wish I had more patience to do all the carving properly… I tend to end up half way through all the time!
Lizette Lemus says
I just came across this post and will make sure to save it for the next PUMPKIN SEASON, yay!
Katie says
I hope you will! I just love pumpkin carving!
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles says
These are great ideas! We haven’t done our pumpkins yet, but this gives me some ideas!