🖌️ Pumpkin painting ideas
No knife needed! Paint, markers, stickers and googly eyes. Pick one, then paint it with a grown-up nearby.
15 no-carve pumpkins
Candy corn stripes🖌️ No-carve
Mummy wraps🖌️ No-carve
Galaxy pumpkin🖌️ No-carve
Unicorn pumpkin🖌️ No-carve
Googly-eye monster🖌️ No-carve
Black cat in the moon🖌️ No-carve
Tic-tac-toe pumpkin🖌️ No-carve
Sunflower🖌️ No-carve
Ladybug🖌️ No-carve
Painted owl🖌️ No-carve
Rainbow pumpkin🖌️ No-carve
Spider web pumpkin🖌️ No-carve
Painted ghost🖌️ No-carve
Silly marker face🖌️ No-carve
Pumpkin in a paper witch's hat🖌️ No-carve
How we paint a pumpkin
- You
1. Pick a pumpkin
Pick a pumpkin with a smooth side. Wipe it clean and let it dry.
- You
2. Paint the base
Want a white, black or blue pumpkin? Paint it all over first, and let it dry.
- You
3. Draw it on
Draw your picture on with a pencil, or print a guide and trace it.
- You
4. Big parts first
Paint the big parts first. Let each colour dry before the next.
- You
5. Little parts last
Add eyes, lines and dots with markers or a thin brush.
- Together
6. Stick on the extras
Googly eyes, felt and stickers stick with glue dots. Googly eyes and other small stick-ons can choke a child under 3: a grown-up sticks them on and puts the spares away.
- 🖌️ Washable paint comes off hands and tables. Cover the table with newspaper first.
- 👀 Googly eyes and other small stick-ons can choke a child under 3: a grown-up sticks them on and puts the spares away.
For grown-ups: no-carve pumpkin ideas
A painted pumpkin is the easy way in for preschoolers and kindergartners: no knife, no goop, and it lasts longer than a carved one. Every idea here has a free printable guide to trace at the size of your pumpkin. Older kids who want to carve can pick an easy pumpkin carving stencil, or make their own face in the pumpkin face maker.
Tip: acrylic craft paint covers best on a pumpkin's waxy skin; washable kids' paint is easier to clean up and may need two coats. Let each colour dry before the next.