Decorating Pumpkins... Toddler Style!

Decorating pumpkins is one of my favorite things about Halloween - probably a close second to getting candy! For Derek and me, it's really a family affair. Family or friends come over and we spread a huge drop-cloth or piles of newspaper in the living room and all carve away. So it was really important to us to be able to get Emma involved. I saw this idea on Young House Love last year, and have been looking forward to trying it ever since!

We got two small pumpkins for Emma. (And at a dollar apiece, I can't complain!)

I smoothed on a layer of painters tape, then traced out two jack-o-lantern faces.

With a sharp knife, I cut around my pattern, and peeled away the excess tape.

After spreading an old plastic table cloth over the highchair and table - to help with clean up - we let Emma go to town with finger paint!

She had fun getting messy, smearing paint, and splashing in the tub afterwards! The finished product turned out great, but I would suggest peeling off the tape when the paint is still wet. I waited until the next morning, when the pumpkins were dry, and there were a few sections that had thicker paint that tried to come off in big chunks. With a little finesse, the edges turned out fairly clean, but I think it would have been easier if the paint was wet.

All in all, it was a blast to watch Emma decorate her pumpkins, and she looked like she had a blast well. We'll certainly do this with youngsters for Halloween again! 


What did you do with pumpkins this year? How did you include younger kids and toddlers in the activity?