I’m pretty obsessed with fall. I love it when we start to feel that chill in the air that calls for cute jackets, bon fires, football, and any and all things pumpkin. Pumpkin fudge? I’ll try it. Pumpkin patch? Yes please. Pumpkin carving? I’m there. I’ll be there extra fast if you are serving some crazy, delicious pumpkin coffee concoction. As a pumpkin crazed mama I feel it’s part of my duty to spread this love by sharing the best, easiest, and cheapest pumpkin activities for toddlers.
Pumpkin activities start with pumpkin shopping. I like to get a mix of different sizes and varieties, some for the kids and some for the porch. The best assortment I have found is at K&K Nursery. They have heirloom Cinderella pumpkins, some that are white, others even look like they have vertical tiger stripes. Their pumpkins really are beautiful. Aldi is my other stop. They mainly have miniature Jack Be Littles and regular Jack O Lantern pumpkins. Theirs are the cheapest prices you’ll find.
Now that we’ve got the pumpkin purchasing covered, let’s talk activities.
1. Pumpkin Painting
As fun as carving pumpkins can be it is not totally feasible to do with toddlers. Instead paint them with washable paints using brushes, sponges, or even fingers. With washable paints you can leave the pumpkins out and when it rains or you hose them off, the kids can paint them all over again.
2. Basket of Pumpkins
Fill a basket or bucket with Jack Be Littles, the miniature pumpkins, and place it somewhere your toddler can reach. I put ours on the bottom of the bookshelf in the living room. The kids will take it from there.
They will take the pumpkins one by one from the basket, to a different spot in the house, and back again. They will stack as many as the can before all the pumpkins fall over. They will come up with their own games that only make sense to toddlers playing with mini pumpkins. My best friend tried it with her boys who declared, ‘We’re the daddies to all the pumpkins!’
3. Marshmallow Pumpkin Dip
Just melt 2 cups of mini marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl for 20 seconds. Have the kids mix in 1 cup of pumpkin purée with a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice mix.
They will like playing with the spoons and bowl and measuring cup. When they are done they can have fruit slices, graham crackers or ginger snaps to dip for a snack.
4. Growing Pumpkins
Okay this one requires some foresight. For pumpkins to be ready by fall they have to be planted around July. The vines are sprawling so you do have to have enough yard space. This is our first year to try to grow them. So I am not in any way an expert, and we don’t have pumpkins yet. I will say though we have pumpkin vines and blossoms. The kids had a great time helping to plant the seeds. They also help me water and check on the plants every day. I think we will grow some pumpkins, but if for some reason the plants don’t produce anything the process has still been fun.
5. Pumpkin People
My church, Windwood Freewill Baptist Church, does this activity at our Fall Festival. It’s just gluing on googly eyes and pom balls on small pumpkins to make them look like faces. It’s simple but entertaining. If you don’t have those items use whatever you do have. It’s fun to see what they come up with using just markers, paper and glue.
Bonus tip: Basket Market usually has discount paints and other craft supplies.
Great ideas!
Thank you! Let me know if you try any and how it goes. Happy fall to you 🙂