9 things to do with Pumpkins this Fall

It’s almost pumpkin time and I’ll be the first to admit, I am obsessed! I love them ALL, big, small, round, odd-shaped, orange, white, bumpy smooth. I love to have them on my porch, inside my house, and most of all--to play with. Pumpkin carving is quintessential Halloween, but in my house, we do pumpkin activities ALL MONTH LONG. Here are some ideas of things you can do with your lil’ pumpkin and some real pumpkins this fall. 

Pumpkin Painting

Grab some brushes, paint, and a plastic tablecloth and choose a few pumpkins to paint on. It’s a great sensory experience for your little one to be able to paint on a round, bumpy surface. Your painted pumpkins will have a little extra flair for the season.

Pumpkin Stickers

Grab some Halloween stickers at the dollar store and help your baby or toddler stick them all over one of your pumpkins. This is a great fine motor activity, important for little hands so they can later hold a crayon or marker.

Sensory Play with the Insides of the Pumpkin

Scrape out the insides of a pumpkin and put them into a plastic bin or large bowl for your baby to explore. You can talk about how it feels and expand their vocabulary--slimy, stretchy, sticky, yucky. Get in there with your hands too, mama! 

Pumpkin Volcanoes

Maybe you’ve heard of making science experiments or volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar--you can do the same inside of a pumpkin. Open one up, scrape out the insides and sprinkle the insides generously with baking soda (or let your toddler do the sprinkling if you’d like). Then use eye droppers or turkey basters to add vinegar and watch the explosions erupt.

Pumpkin Succulent Planters

Grab some of the tiny pumpkins from the produce sections and scrape out the insides. Then, fill with soil and some trimmed succulents and share with your friends and neighbors. Your baby will love getting his hands dirty with this activity, and the special people in your life will love the special gift.

Pumpkin Pie 

In my opinion, you can never have too much pumpkin pie. But if you aren’t a fan, try pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread. Little ones love helping in the kitchen and are usually great taste testers too. If your baby is still eating pureed foods, roast up some pumpkin to puree for her to try! 

Pumpkin Races

If you have a slide, great! If not, grab a board or piece of cardboard and create a ramp to race some pumpkins down. Make predictions together about which ones you think will go fastest and slowest.

Pumpkin Hammering with Golf Tees

Grab a bag of inexpensive golf tees and a plastic hammer or two and let your little one pound away into a big ol’ pumpkin. You will probably have to start the holes for your child, and may even have to stick the tees part of the way in. This is a great motor activity! 

Pumpkin Bath

Fill up the sink with some soapy water, grab some sponges or our washcloths and add some small to medium pumpkins. Then let your little one go to town scrub a-dub-dubbing!

Whether you try one, none, or all of these activities, enjoy the season with your little one!