It’s time to Discover & Explore Pumpkins. We’re ready to see your pumpkin crafts, science experiements, field trips, book activities, yummy recipes, and more. Link up new and old posts about pumpkins at the end of this post.
We’re sharing more details about the fun pumpkin craft and name activity the preschoolers made last year. It’s full of fine motor practice and learning. Plus the end result make a terrific fall decoration!
FIND EVEN MORE PUMPKIN THEME ACTIVITIES IN OUR PRINTABLE LESSON PLANS
FOR HOME PRESCHOOL AND PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS.
To make this craft we combined this too cute for words pumpkin face lacing activity from I Heart Crafty Things with this name recognition activity from Classified: Mom and made this adorable pumpkin craft and name activity. Visit both of the original posts for the full tutorials, materials lists, and additional ideas for creating this craft.
We started by painting two paper plates each to make the front and back of the pumpkin.
After cutting one of the plates in half we punched holes through the plates to prepare for the lacing part of the activity. Be sure to align the holes on the full plate with those on the half plate to make lacing easier for the kids.
Lacing is excellent fine motor practice, and the kids really enjoyed this step of the project.
After we finished lacing the kids cut out faces for their pumpkins and we added the finishing touches.
To practice name recognition I cut out paper in the shape of pumpkin seeds. Older kids could also cut the seeds out on their own for additional fine motor practice.
The picture above is an example, but if I were making this craft again I would write the kids’ names with a capital at the beginning and a lowercase for the rest of their names. (No, I don’t have a child named Dean either. I’m still keeping the kids’ names semi-private. Thank you for understanding.)
After making this craft we kept the pumpkins near the kitchen table, and for the rest of the month we pulled them out each day after lunch to practice naming the letters and spelling each others’ names. This would also be a great welcome activity to have on kids’ tables to practice in the morning as school starts.
PRINTABLE PUMPKIN THEME LESSON PLANS
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
Teach kids about real pumpkins and use this theme to teach many math and literacy skills as well. Use this pumpkin theme as you get close to Halloween, for the letter P, or as part of a larger fall unit. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
The full Pumpkin Theme Lesson Plan Pack also includes:
- Pumpkin Number Cards
- Pumpkin Life Cycle Poster
- Pumpkin Life Cycle Sequencing Activity
- Uppercase Pumpkin Letter Cards
- Lowercase Pumpkin Seed Letter Cards
- Pumpkin Pie 5 Senses Recording Sheet
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Home Preschool Pumpkin Theme Lesson Plans
Preschool Classroom Pumpkin Theme Lesson Plans
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Mod Apk
This is great to improve fine motor skills. thank You
Shaunna
I am so glad to know that you liked this activity to reinforce fine motor skills! Thanks for the feedback!
Natasha
Wonderful pumpkin activity! So sharing this!
Shaunna Evans
Thanks so much, Natasha!
Kim @ The Educators' Spin On It
Thanks for sharing in the After School Linky Party! I love how you incorperated the name with seeds! You’ve been featured this week in a Roundup of Halloween Activities!
Shaunna Evans
Thanks so much for featuring us!
Debs
So cute and I love the sewing! Given me heaps of ideas! Just letting you know I’m featuring this post on this week’s Tuesday Tots post on Learn with Play at home. Thanks for linking up ๐
Shaunna Evans
Thanks so much for featuring this idea!
Megan Sheakoski
Oh my word this is so cute and creative!!!! Love the name seeds!
Shaunna Evans
Thanks, Megan! We had fun putting these together, and they look so cute on display when we aren’t using them.
Rebecca from here Come the Girls
What a lovely activity. I was thinking of doing some Halloween threading!
I’ve featured this on The sunday Showcase this week: http://www.herecomethegirlsblog.com/2013/10/05/pumpkin-activities.html
Shaunna Evans
Thanks! Maybe a little multipurpose Halloween threading will be perfect!
Laughing Kids Learn
Thank you for linking this great idea to ‘Share It Saturday’. I look forward to featuring in on my round up of pumpkin ideas.
Shaunna
Thanks so much for the feature!
Rachel@I Heart Crafty Things
I’m so excited to see you made our pumpkin face lacing craft! They turned out awesome! I LOVE the added name activity and how you made the letters like pumpkin seeds. How creative! Thanks so much for linking back to me! ๐
Shaunna
Thanks so much for the inspiration! We’ve gotten a lot of use out of this craft, and I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Natalie F
This is a fun project! Thanks for sharing it with Afterschool.
Valerie
Love Pumpkin time! We did a tear and glue pumpkin paper plate last year but I like your lacing one too. Anything fine motor is always great for young children, right? ๐ I’m sure my toddler would love this craft! Thanks for sharing.
Shaunna
We haven’t tried a torn paper pumpkin yet, but I want to give it a try soon. I think Tinker would enjoy it this year.
Sarah @ How Wee Learn
Such a cute idea. I love crafts that take much longer for wee ones to do then Mama to set up! This one is perfect: the painting, letters, lacing. Thanks for the idea!
Shaunna
Ah yes, I have a rule. If it takes more time for me to prepare than it takes for them to enjoy then it’s not really worth it….the only exception would be baking ๐
Deb
This is great to improve fine motor skills. I also like the idea for the pumpkin seeds.