10 Pumpkin-Carving Ideas for Kids

Monstrously Cool Pumpkin Carvings

Playful eyes and uniquely shaped gourds turn this year's pumpkins into easy-to-make silly monsters any kid will love. Our free pattern download and pumpkin-carving how-to make carving these smiling pumpkins a breeze.

Cute Owl Pumpkin Carving

Click here for the owl pattern

This adorable Halloween pumpkin decoration is crafted with colored papers and just a bit of carving—perfect for pumpkin-carving with kids who are a bit younger.

Once the face is carved, cut the ears and wings from cardstock. Glue together the outer and inner ear cutouts and the outer and inner wing cutouts. Glue the wings to black cardstock, then cut out, leaving an 1/8-inch black border all around. Fold and clip the ears and wings as noted on the patterns. Attach them to the pumpkin with straight pins.

Farm Animal Pumpkin

This cute kid's pumpkin carving project starts with a carvable faux pumpkin. Create the barnyard scene by painting the pumpkin red and carving a barn door opening. Fill the pumpkin with mini gourds decorated to look like farm animals. We used cut felt pieces to make the faces.

Owl Pumpkin

Minimal carving means these adorable owl pumpkins are perfect for pumpkin-carving sessions that includes younger kids. The owls come together with just a bit of carving, glue, and sunflower seeds. Of course. this pumpkin-carving idea looks great on orange pumpkins, too.

Mouse Pumpkin Carving

With just a few easy steps, you can turn your pumpkin into a clever mouse-themed display. To create this pumpkin, cut circles into a real or faux pumpkin to resemble swiss cheese. Fill some of the holes with faux plastic mice.

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Fun Cat Pumpkin

Download the free pattern.

Use this easy for kids idea to create a likeness of your favorite feline. Pipe cleaner whiskers, crafts-foam ears, and a pretty bow make this carved pumpkin kitty a surefire favorite. Simply download the free pattern and carve out this feline's face before adhering her whiskers, ears, and bow with hot glue.

Laughing Pumpkin

Get the FREE pattern

There's something to be said for funny pumpkin-carving ideas that play up classic jack-o'-lantern features and techniques. This sweetly grinning pumpkin offers an expressive face bound to turn on the smiles. Get our pumpkin-carving pattern to make the face just right.

Pumpkin Candy Lane

Hoppy Halloween! This pumpkin carving idea starts with a coat of green crafts paint. Cut a wide mouth and glue on small white gourds for eyes. Cut legs from paper and hot glue them to the back of the funny pumpkin. If you're looking for ideas for kids who are a little younger, let them help with the tracing and decorating while the bigger kids assist with the surface carving.

Pup Pumpkin

Put together this silly pup pumpkin decoration with your dog-loving kids. Carve a silly grin, paint the mouth and nose black, and paint on a brown face. Use wire hangers to attach white gourds painted with brown circles as eyes and green gourds for ears. Cut a tongue out of the pumpkin left over after cutting the mouth, then paint it red and place it inside the mouth.

Circular Smile

Keep kid-friendly pumpkin carving simple by using an apple corer. (While it's not as sharp as a knife, kids should still proceed only with adult supervision.) Punch out a funny smile of circles and use the punched-out plugs for more pumpkin decorations, such as for the nose or pupils.