Pumpkin season is a highlight of fall (autumn) in preschool classrooms. Whether you celebrate Halloween or just enjoy the harvest season, pumpkins offer endless opportunities for play, learning and creativity.
These easy, low-prep activities cover music, movement, literacy, art, and even science — perfect for a balanced theme week.
P.S. This post includes a handy printable of these activity ideas.
🎨 Process Art and Crafts
1. Colour-Mixing
Teach the children to make their own orange paint by mixing the primary colours yellow and red. Draw large pumpkins and paint them with the new orange paint.
Colour-mixing is also a fun science experiment.
2. Pumpkin Prints
Try to use older pumpkins for this activity or pumpkins that are no longer fresh, that the store might be tossing out.
Cut small pumpkins in half, dip them in some orange paint and stamp them onto paper.
3. Pumpkin Collages
Provide a big cutout of a pumpkin shape and get children to cut or tear orange and green paper to make a pumpkin collage. Cover all the white bits!
4. Pumpkin Seed Shakers
Dry out the pumpkin seeds and—after using them for all the below activities—place them into small containers and seal them to make shakers (maracas) for music time.
🎵 Music and Movement
1. Play Pass the Pumpkin
Teach your kids this fun rhyme by Miss Nina and chant or sing it as you play this twist on the classic game Pass the Parcel:
Pass the Pumpkin all around
Listen to the spooky sound
Oooooh, ooooooh,
Will it stop on you? BOO!
2. Pumpkin Rolling Race
Hold some pumpkin-rolling races for your kids to build coordination.
Mark a starting line and get the children to roll small pumpkins across the floor or outside, to the finish line.
3. Pumpkin Relay
Divide children into small teams and have a fun relay with a small pumpkin (or substitute with an orange ball).
They must run across the room or up to the next teammate and pass it to them.
4. Balancing Pumpkins
Children balance a small pumpkin on their head (between two hands) while trying to walk along a line of tape on the floor or across the room.
5. Pumpkin Hops
Place pumpkin cutouts (or paint paper plates orange) onto the floor and hop from pumpkin to pumpkin being careful not to fall into the garden bed.
6. Pumpkin Songs
Here are some cute songs about pumpkins:
Do You Know How Pumpkins Grow?
This song by The Kiboomers is sung to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?” and is great for teaching the process from planting to harvesting pumpkins.
Here’s the first verse:
Do you know how pumpkins grow,
Pumpkins grow, pumpkins grow,
Do you know how pumpkins grow?
In my vegetable garden?
Five Little Pumpkins Rhyme
Teach your children this classic fingerplay about five pumpkins sitting on a gate. It teaches rhythm, rhyme and sequencing.
Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate
The first one said, “Oh my! It’s getting late!”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air!”
The third one said, “But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”
Then OoOoOo went the wind and OUT went the light
And the five little pumpkins, rolled out of sight!
I’m a Little Pumpkin
Sing the song that goes with the storybook “I’m a Little Pumpkin” to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot“.
Here is the first verse:
I’m a little pumpkin-yes, I am.
Here are my leaves.
Here is my stem!
7. Pumpkin Poses
Try some poses or exercises such as:
- Curl up small like a seed in the ground. Breathe deeply and rest.
- Squat like a pumpkin on the ground.
- Stretch and slowly rise up tall with arms reaching overhead like a pumpkin vine growing.
- Sit cross-legged and twist your body slowly from side to side like a pumpkin vine curling in the wind.
📚 Literacy and Stories
1. Read-Alouds
Here are some ideas of books to read to your children:
- Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington tells the story of a little boy who plants a seed.
- Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White is about Rebecca Estelle, a girl who hates pumpkins.
- In Pumpkin Jack, by Will Hubbell, Tim names the first pumpkin he ever carves.
2. Pumpkin Would You Rather
Play a quick game of Would You Rather with a pumpkin theme. Ask children to provide reasons for their choices. Here are some prompt ideas:
- Would you rather eat pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie?
- Would you rather pick a tiny pumpkin or a huge pumpkin?
- Would you rather carve a pumpkin with a happy face or a scary face?
- Would you rather roll a pumpkin down a hill or across the grass?
- Would you rather count pumpkin seeds or pumpkins in a patch?
3. Pumpkin Word Wall
Create a word wall with pumpkin shapes. Add theme words like seed, vine, patch, round, orange. Introduce these during circle time.
4. Odd One Out
The Odd One Out Game is a fun way to get children to build vocabulary and introduce them to categories.
Say a string of 4 or 5 words and ask them to tell you which is the odd one out. They must also identify the rule (the criteria for a word fitting into a particular group). Some examples:
- Turnip, pumpkin, cake and potato (odd one is cake; rule: it must be a vegetable)
- Broccoli, pumpkin, butternut, carrot (odd one is broccoli; rule: it must be an orange vegetable)
- Pumpkin, palace, pencil, chair (odd one is chair; rule: it must start with a “p”)
🔢 Maths and Science
1. Smallest to Biggest
Teach children about ordering and seriation by getting them to arrange a set of pumpkins in order from smallest to biggest, and then biggest to smallest, starting on the left.
2. Count the Pumpkin Seeds
Open a pumpkin, scoop the seeds out, clean them and then count or sort them. You could count them into empty egg cartons or help the children count out enough seeds to make their music shakers.
3. Sink or Float Experiment
Test pumpkins of different sizes by dropping them into a large water table or bucket of water. Then try dropping some seeds into the water and seeing if those float.
4. Measuring Pumpkins
Teach non-standard units of measurement by using string to measure around pumpkins and then comparing the lengths of the strings after.
💬 Dramatic Play and Social-Emotional Learning
1. Pumpkin Patch Pretend Play
Set up a “pumpkin patch” or market stall with toy/real pumpkins for buying and selling. Provide extra props such as play money, shop signs, baskets, etc.
2. Pumpkin Feelings Faces
Cut pumpkin shapes from orange cardstock and draw different expressions on them such as happy, sad, surprised, or scared. Use them in circle time to talk about emotions and how pumpkins (and children) can show different feelings through facial expressions.
Pumpkins are the perfect fall/autumn theme — simple, versatile, and engaging. From songs and rhymes to science experiments and dramatic play, these activities bring the season to life in your classroom or home setting.
Here are more fun Halloween-themed activities and fall/autumn activities, and here is a big list of theme ideas for preschool!
📄 Want a quick reference sheet of these activities? Download the free printable below and keep it in your planning binder.
🎃 Pumpkin Theme Activities for Preschool & Kindergarten
Notes
Pumpkins are the perfect fall (autumn) theme — simple, versatile, and engaging. Whether you celebrate Halloween or just enjoy the harvest season, these activities bring the season to life through music, movement, art, literacy, science and play.
🎶🎵 Music and Movement
Play Pass the Pumpkin
Teach your kids this fun rhyme by Miss Nina and chant or sing it as you play this twist on the classic game Pass the Parcel:
Pass the Pumpkin all around;
Listen to the spooky sound;
Oooooh, ooooooh;
Will it stop on you? BOO!
Pumpkin Songs
Here are some cute songs about pumpkins.
Do You Know How Pumpkins Grow? – This song by The Kiboomers is sung to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?” and is great for teaching the process from planting to harvesting pumpkins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7dUtUjzeag
Five Little Pumpkins Rhyme – A classic fingerplay about five pumpkins sitting on a gate. It teaches rhythm, rhyme and sequencing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqluotpWtWs&t=2s
I’m a Little Pumpkin – Sing to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.” Goes with the storybook I’m a Little Pumpkin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8cjd0r-0uM
Pumpkin Rolling Race
Mark a starting line and have children roll small pumpkins across the floor or outside to the finish line. Builds coordination and teamwork.
Pumpkin Relay
Divide children into small teams. Each child runs across the room carrying a small pumpkin or orange ball, passes it to the next teammate, and returns. Great for cooperation and balance.
Balancing Pumpkins
Children balance a small pumpkin on their head or between two hands while walking along a taped line on the floor. Encourages focus and body control.
Pumpkin Hops
Place pumpkin cutouts or orange-painted paper plates on the floor. Children hop from one pumpkin to the next, careful not to fall into the garden bed.
Pumpkin Yoga Poses
Curl up small like a seed in the ground;
Squat low like a pumpkin sitting in the patch;
Stretch tall with arms overhead like a pumpkin vine growing;
Sit cross-legged and twist slowly side to side like curling vines.
🎨 Process Art and Crafts
Colour-Mixing
Teach the children to make their own orange paint by mixing yellow and red. Draw large pumpkins and paint them with the new orange colour. This is also a fun science experiment.
Pumpkin Prints
Cut small pumpkins in half, dip them in orange paint, and stamp them onto paper to make prints. A good way to use older or spoiled pumpkins.
Pumpkin Collages
Give each child a large pumpkin outline. Provide orange and green paper for tearing or cutting. Children glue the pieces down to cover the shape completely.
Pumpkin Seed Shakers
Wash and dry pumpkin seeds. Place them into small sealed containers such as plastic eggs, spice jars, or film canisters to make maracas for music time.
📚 Literacy and Stories
Read-Alouds
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lY-hzZkg0Q
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4xwzxlJJoU
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk5E1QF0bLk
Pumpkin Would You Rather
Play a quick game of Would You Rather with a pumpkin theme. Ask children to provide reasons for their choices.
Would you rather eat pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie?;
Would you rather pick a tiny pumpkin or a huge pumpkin?;
Would you rather carve a pumpkin with a happy face or a scary face?;
Would you rather roll a pumpkin down a hill or across the grass?;
Would you rather count pumpkin seeds or pumpkins in a patch?
Pumpkin Word Wall
Create a word wall with pumpkin shapes. Add theme words like seed; vine; patch; round; orange. Introduce these during circle time.
Odd One Out
Build vocabulary and category awareness. Say a string of words and ask which is the odd one out, plus the rule.
Turnip, pumpkin, cake, potato → odd one is cake (rule: vegetables);
Broccoli, pumpkin, butternut, carrot → odd one is broccoli (rule: orange vegetables);
Pumpkin, palace, pencil, chair → odd one is chair (rule: words beginning with “p”).
🔢 Maths and Science
Smallest to Biggest
Provide several pumpkins of different sizes. Children order them from smallest to largest, then reverse. Teaches seriation and comparison.
Count the Pumpkin Seeds
Scoop out seeds from a pumpkin, clean them, and count together. Children can sort seeds into egg cartons or count out enough to fill their shakers.
Sink or Float Experiment
Place pumpkins of different sizes in a water tub to see if they float. Repeat with pumpkin seeds and compare results.
Measuring Pumpkins
Use string to measure the circumference of each pumpkin. Compare string lengths to discuss which pumpkins are bigger or smaller.
💬 Dramatic Play and Social-Emotional Learning
Pumpkin Patch Pretend Play
Set up a pretend pumpkin patch or market stall. Provide pumpkins, baskets, shop signs and play money. Children can role-play as shoppers or farmers.
Pumpkin Feelings Faces
Cut pumpkin shapes from card. Draw faces showing different emotions such as happy; sad; surprised; scared. Use them in circle time to help children identify and talk about feelings.
Use this printable as a quick reference in your planning binder. Mix and match to create a balanced pumpkin theme week.