Pumpkin activitis for toddlers are a wonderful way of getting ready for the changes in the seasons and experimenting many different ways of using a pumpkin.
Who knew that a pumpkin could be used in so many ways?!
All of these pumpkin activities for toddlers will see dirty hands, sticky fingers, science experiments and many more exciting ways of using pumpkins during playtime.
1. Pumpkin Wash
Toddlers love copying many day to day tasks that they see us doing, cleaning being one of them.
Why not make the most of their enthusiasm and create an activity based on this which will have our toddlers grinning from wall to wall.
Grab a large pumpkin or a few varied smaller pumpkins and place on top of a large towel or sheet.
Fill a bucket/ bowl with warm soapy water and allow your little ones loose with a clean cloth.
Playing with water is always a big hit for most toddlers plus they will love doing a ‘grown-up’ job.
2. Pumpkin Stickers
I personally hadn’t previously given my almost 18 month old daughter any stickers until this activity but boy oh boy did she love it!!
It really is as easy as it sounds- sticking stickers onto a pumpkin.
We tried with googly eyes to create pumpkin faces (mummy you could draw the noses and mouths on the pumpkin.)
Any other kind of fun stickers could be used too.
This is actually a great fine motor activity as our toddlers concentrate on peeling the stickers off the sheet and then transferring them over to the pumpkin.
They love feeling the stickiness on their little fingers!
I actually left this activity out on the table for a few days and my little girl kept going back again and again during the day to repeat this activity.
3. Pumpkin Golf Tee Hammering
Photo Credit: icanteachmychild.com
For this activity you will need some plastic golf tees and a toy hammer which could come from another toy that you already have around the house.
It is easier using a larger pumpkin too to make it easier for our toddler.
I would recommend making some holes for the golf tees in the pumpkin before starting this activity with your little one.
Our toddlers also can see where they need to place the golf tees on the pumpkin before starting hammering.
The previously made holes will prevent the tees slipping when initially hammering.
Our munchkins love to make noise and banging everything so now is the perfect opportunity to do this.
A great activity for working on coordination too.
4. Pumpkin And Rubber Bands
Another simple, literally zero set up pumpkin activity for little hands.
Not just fun but also an awesome activity to develop fine motor and muscle strength.
Originally found on the Immagination Tree Blog we couldn’t but try this activity in our house.
All you need is a pumpkin (small or medium size) and rubber bands that would fit the pumpkin. For my medium size pumpkin I used 7” rubber bands. There’s no one right or wrong way to do this activity.
For younger toddlers you might want to wrap the bands yourself and let you little one take them off, exploring the stretchy qualities of the band.
With older kids you can offer to wrap rubber bands around pumpkins themselves. It’s
5. DIY Pumpkin puzzle
Mix in some problem solving into your pumpkin activities theme with this super easy to make DIY Pumpkin Puzzle.
You can easily make it in 10 minutes using just recycled cardboard, a craft knife and craft glue.
See detailed set-by-step guide how to make it and download our FREE PUMPKIN PRINTABLE here: DIY Pumpkin Puzzle.
6. Pumpkin & Fizzy Oobleck
This simple sensory play has been hands down one of our favorite pumpkin activities so far.
Here are just a few things that we love about Fizzy Pumpkin Painting & Wash:
- Single set up is 2 days worth of play!
- Multisensorial play – different texture and substances.
- Nature is involved – real gigantic pumpkin.
- First science experiments for the youngest toddlers.
Read the full list and see set-by-step recipe here: Pumpkin & Fizzy Oobleck.
7. Pumpkin Playdough
8. Sticky Pumpkin Activity & Craft
There’s more than just one reason to love this simple pumpkin activity and craft.
It’s a 2 in 1 entertainment with lots of learning opportunities and exploration.
All it takes is 5 minutes to set it up and multiple ways to play both for young toddlers and kids.
See how to make Sticky Pumpkin Activity & Craft
9. Pumpkin Seed Shaker
Photo Credit IG: @bitty_bee_play_ideas
This pumpkin seed shaker is a wonderful idea to use for both younger toddlers and babies.
They have their very own homemade musical instrument.
Other fall themed shakers could be made putting acorns, lentils or any other fall items into the transparent containers.
Place the contents of the shakers into a tinker tray ready to explore all the different materials as an extra fun sensory activity when finished.
10. Erupting Pumpkin
Photo Credit: www.sproutingwildones.com
How many seconds will our toddlers be able to resist before they want to get their hands in on the fun?!
A science experiment turned into a fun pumpkin activity which both younger and older toddlers will love.
The levels of involvement in the science experiment part can be varied depending on the kiddies age.
11. Pumpkin Squish Bags
Photo Credit: toddlerapproved.com
Not every child likes getting their hands dirty and messy play so this is an ideal solution.
When using pumpkins, whether it be for cooking or playing, the inside mush often gets thrown straight in the bin.
This activity can make great use of the mush by simply putting it in a sandwich bag or similar and letting our toddlers move all the contents around.
If you want to create a messy play, instead of sealing the pumpkin mush away, put it straight into a tray and your son/ daughter can squish their hands straight in.
12. Fluffy Pumpkin Slime
Photo Credit: iheartartsncrafts.com
Who doesn’t love that feeling of getting your hands among a jar of slime whether it be a young toddler or a grandparent.
Allowing our toddlers to play with this homemade pumpkin slime will be a sensory overload and will have them keep coming back again and again.
13. Magic Melting Pumpkins
Photo Credit: giftofcuriosity.com
Such a fun activity working on fine motor skills whilst getting involved in a mini science experiment.
Our toddlers will be fascinated when they see the melting pumpkins after contact with the vinegar.
They will be oh-so satisfied when they understand that they are the ones provoking the melting.
14. Pumpkin Balloon Sensory Matching
Photo Credit: icanteachmychild.com
These filled balloons can be used in lots of different ways to create exciting activities for our toddlers:
- Matching pumpkins with the same textures/ fillings
- Using to practise throwing
- Putting together a sensory box
- Helping mummy with the funnel to put the fillings inside
15. Five Little Pumpkins Fingerplay
Photo Credit: schooltimesnippets.com
These 5 finger play pumpkins will have our little munchkins thrilled with joy as they see them come to life.
We can move them around during story time, running nicely along with the book equally named Five Little Pumpkins.
This fun pumpkin book can be found on our Top 10 Pumpkin Books page.
16. Pumpkin Suncatcher
Photo Credit: simplefunforkids.com
A simple but effective activity for our toddlers to enjoy while getting their hands all sticky.
This activity is a good way to teach colours whilst creating a fall piece of art for the windows.
The coloured light which falls into our rooms from these sun catchers will have our kiddies touching and observing their surroundings to see where this magic comes from.
17. Pom Pom Pumpkin Painting
Photo Credit: toddleratplay.com
Pom poms are a great stamp solution for painting with little ones- they are super squishy and easy to grab hold of whilst also being the right texture for the paint to be used on.
Why not draw pumpkin outlines on a piece of paper so our little artists can try and stamp as close to them as they can.
Otherwise draw a large pumpkin for them to fill with pom pom painting.
18. Pumpkin Fairy House
Photo Credit: kitchencounterchronicle.com
Make sure the preparation is done out of reach of any roaming little fingers.
Set up the cut pumpkin fairy house with some of their toys they have around such as animals or figures and watch their pure delight when they discover the new house.
They will have so much fun peeking through the window and door holes and putting their favourite characters in their too.
19. Pumpkin Car Tunnel
Photo Credit: adventuresandplay.com
Such a fabulous activity which allows our toddlers minds to create all kinds of scenarios with their pumpkin tunnel and cars.
They love watching as the cars enter inside the pumpkin one way and exit another.
It brings an extra bit of excitement to play time and could also be used for playing with toy animals too.
20. Pumpkin Puffy Paint Recipe
Photo Credit:growingajeweledrose.com
Only 3 ingredients needed to make this puffy paint which is perfect for making any halloween and fall crafts or activities.
The puffiness makes it even more authentic for the paintings at this time of year.
Get your little ones helping you make the paint too, they will love this just as much as the actual painting part.
What’s your favourite pumpkin activity to enjoy with your toddlers?
We would love to know what you get up to involving pumpkins!
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