Pumpkin picking is so much fun! My children love to visit our local pumpkin patch each year in the fall. They scour the field for just the right size, shape and color. I love to see their unique pumpkin selections each year.
After we pick our pumpkins, then comes the fun part—decorating! We’ve decorated our pumpkins in many ways, from carving, to painting, to melting crayons on top. No-carve decorating is my favorite since the pumpkins last so much longer that way.
There are lots of fun and simple ways to decorate a pumpkin without carving. Here are 10 no-carve ideas to try with your kids this fall:
- Miniature pumpkin spider. Use black pipe cleaners for legs and beans with a drop of black paint for eyes. Glue to a miniature pumpkin for a friendly Halloween spider.
- Miniature pumpkin bat. Paint a miniature pumpkin black. Glue on wings made of black craft-foam and paint on eyes for a cute pumpkin bat.
- Chalkboard pumpkin. Paint a pumpkin with chalkboard paint. Once dry, write or color on your pumpkin with chalk.
- Yarn-wrapped pumpkin. Secure yarn to the bottom of the pumpkin with hot glue. Wrap the yarn around the pumpkin in a random web pattern. Repeat with additional yarn colors, securing the ends with hot glue.
- Pumpkin mummy. Wrap a pumpkin in gauze and glue on some googly eyes to turn your pumpkin into a mummy.
- Sparkly pumpkins. Spread on some glue and cover with colorful glitter.
- Tape resist pumpkin painting. Use painters tape to create a design of your choice on the pumpkin. Paint the pumpkin and allow to dry before peeling off the tape to reveal your design.
- Emoji pumpkin. Paint your pumpkin yellow, then paint or draw a face to look like your favorite emoji.
- Potato Head pumpkins. Drill a few holes (or use a screwdriver to poke holes) in your pumpkin and decorate with Mr. Potato Head accessories. Change out the look of your pumpkin as often as you like!
- Glow-in-the-dark pumpkin. Paint your pumpkin white, then decorate with glow-in-the-dark paint. Set your pumpkin outside to enjoy at night.
