Easy Pumpkin Decorating With a Toddler

Last Updated on January 22, 2024 by Allison Lancaster

Decorating pumpkins with a toddler doesn’t have to be frustrating and difficult. If you want to involve your little one in a fun tradition, while getting a bit messy then this post is a must read! 

This year, we’ll have TWO toddlers for Halloween! I wrote this post a few years ago and it was such a fun one: Levi and I decorated our first pumpkin together! This year, we’ll be carving pumpkins with two toddlers and I can’t wait! We’ve learned a lot about life with toddlers in the past few years, but let me tell you: anything involving toddlers and art supplies is messy…but, oh is it fun! 

Here are a few tips for easy pumpkin decorating with a toddler. 

Supplies You’ll Need:

Select an area that you aren’t afraid to get messy. This does involve paint (washable paint-but still, paint). We used an old sheet as our work area, but a drop cloth would work perfect and make clean up even easier.

Wear old clothes. You and them. I dressed our little one down to an older t-shirt and diaper-things that it was ok to get paint on. I wore old clothes too. Yes, the paint is washable-but still, I didn’t want to take any chances.

Have plenty of baby wipes on hand. 

Add some paint to a paper plate (again-easy clean up). 

Take your little one’s hand and dab it in the paint (or use a paintbrush). Our little one wasn’t sure about this at first-he wanted to eat it. Once I showed him what to do, he took both hands and started swirling the paint on the pumpkin.

Have fun with them. It has been years since I decorated a pumpkin, so I took this as an opportunity to have a little fun of my own. I added a few touches of my own and painted our little one’s name on the pumpkin.

Have you decorated a pumpkin with your little one this year?