3 Pumpkin Decorating Ideas for Kids

 

This post is sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are my own.

It’s fall! The MOST wonderful time of the year! Bring on all the pumpkins and leaves and cozy sweaters!

This year we were on top of things and got our pumpkins decorated all out on the porch in record time. My kids are OBSESSED with decorating pumpkins and seriously cannot get enough! So today I’m sharing three alternatives to pumpkin carving when you have little ones. Now, don’t get me wrong, we love to carve pumpkins too…..but usually we wait until a few days before Halloween to carve them so that they stay looking nice. And since my kids are pretty young, they don’t enjoy carving as much because either mommy or daddy have to do most of the work. But they are ALL about decorating pumpkins! And they turned out SOOOO stinkin cute! So, keep reading to see three different ways we decorated our pumpkins this year.

ONE

Rhinestone pumpkins! I had no idea if this would actually work and much to my surprise it did! And it was probably my kids’ most favorite thing ever.

I picked up some of these stick-on rhinestones (and glitter, stay tuned!) at the craft store and let the kids decorate mini pumpkins however they pleased.

They were so dang cute about it too….and Hudson loved helping his sisters. This occupied them for close to an hour!

I love that these can be kept inside or outside. And you could be-dazzle larger pumpkins too if you please! It’s a great (mess free) alternative to carving…….but be warned. My other two ideas are the opposite of mess free, ha!

TWO

Glitter pumpkins! Yes, I’m officially crazy. But this project was pretty easy and brought my kids SO MUCH JOY. The mess was worth it. Plus, we did this one outside, so it wasn’t too bad. But I have a feeling my deck will be glittery for the next two years.

You’ll need glitter, spray adhesive, paper plates, and mini pumpkins.

I sprayed one mini pumpkin and covered it in adhesive, then let each child glitter bomb their pumpkin to their heart’s content.

We found it easiest to place a pumpkin on the paper plate, sprinkle some (or in our case, a lot) of glitter on top, then transfer the pumpkin to another plate and use your remaining glitter to cover the pumpkin. Repeat until the pumpkin is covered.

Then I zapped each pumpkin with an extra layer of adhesive just to secure ALL THE GLITTER. Hudson and Sadie went a little crazy with some of these, but we just love how they turned out. Make sure you are the one in charge of the adhesive because it can get messy! Let your pumpkins dry for about two hours before you handle them. And remember, glitter can be vacuumed up. Just let go of the mess and enjoy!

THREE

Painting pumpkins. We have done this every year with our kids and it’s always a big hit. I love letting my kids paint their pumpkin….it’s so much less stressful than carving, ha!

This was the easiest for my two- year- old, Belle, to do and she LOVED it! Look at that face!

We use Crayola washable paint to make clean up a breeze and to spare the surfaces in my home that will for sure get covered in paint. It washes off pretty easy!  But make sure if you do this you keep your pumpkins out of the rain so that the paint doesn’t get ruined.

I love getting creative with my kids! We can’t wait to carve a few pumpkins too! If you are looking for some great pumpkin carving ideas and hacks, Allstate has an amazing video on how to carve your pumpkin like a pro! I’m definitely doing this with Hudson the week of Halloween.

Check this post out for other simple DIY Halloween decorations. How are you decorating for fall this year?

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.