Preschoolers can create a decorative pumpkin out of a 3-inch Styrofoam ball. Provide children with glue and small strips of orange construction or tissue paper. Encourage children to glue the pieces of orange construction paper onto the Styrofoam ball until it is completely covered and no white shows through. Children can glue on an eyes, nose and mouth cut from felt material. Finish the pumpkin by pushing a small piece of green or brown pipe cleaner into the top of the pumpkin.
Preschoolers and toddlers will enjoy creating a unique bag for trick-or-treating. Create a pumpkin stamp by cutting a large potato in half. Draw a pumpkin on the flat side of the potato and then use a sharp knife to cut around the outline of the pumpkin about half- inch deep so that the pumpkin design is raised. Provide each child with a white canvas bag. Encourage children to use a pumpkin stamp dipped in orange paint to create pumpkin designs on the bag.
Toddlers and preschoolers can create a decorative Halloween pumpkin out of a lunch sized paper bag. Show children how to crumple newspaper and stuff their paper bag until they are ½ full. Twist the top of the paper bag and tie string around it to create a stem. Provide orange and green paint and encourage children to paint the pumpkins. Once the pumpkins are dry, toddlers can use a black marker to draw on eyes, a nose and a mouth.
Preschoolers will enjoy painting yellow paper with liquid starch to create an orange pumpkin. Trace pumpkin patterns on yellow construction paper and cut them out. Provide bowls of liquid starch and paint brushes. Encourage children to paint the pumpkins with the liquid starch. Wherever the starch is applied on the pumpkin, it will turn the paper orange.