Uncarved Jack-O-Lantern Preschool Halloween Craft

Preschoolers love to decorate pumpkins themselves, but have a difficult time handling the scooping out and carving tasks -- jobs that take not only coordination and a certain amount of muscle, but more patience than most preschoolers can muster. Using stickers to make the Uncarved Jack-O-Lantern Preschool Halloween Craft lets the preschooler participate in Halloween craft time on a level that s/he can handle. The bonus is you don’t have all that pumpkin mess to clean up!

Materials You Will Need

Fresh pumpkins
Stickers with facial features such as eyes, noses, mouths

How You Make It

Step 1:
Wash and thoroughly dry the pumpkins. Allow them to air dry until they have no more dampness on the outside.

Step 2:
Sit down with your preschool child and talk about faces. Tell him/her that you want him/her to make a face on the pumpkin. Plan where the facial feature stickers will go.

Step3:
Let the preschooler put the stickers on the pumpkin. Have extra stickers in case s/he makes a mistake that s/he wants to fix. 

Step 4:
Add any extras your preschooler would like. S/he can use markers or Halloween stickers to add anything s/he likes.

Step 5:
Proudly display the jack-o-lantern.

An Alternative to Buying Facial Feature Stickers

If you cannot find facial feature stickers or if you want to let your preschooler to make his own, here is how.

Step 1:
Mix two parts white glue (not school glue) and one part white vinegar.

Step 2:
Using heavy white paper such as drawing paper, let your preschooler draw eyes, noses, mouths, ears, or anything else he would like to put on his/her pumpkin. 

Step 3:
Paint the glue and vinegar mixture over the back of the paper and let it dry completely.

Step 4:
Cut out the shapes.

Step 5:
Wet the backs of the stickers and put them on the pumpkin.

Alternative Ways to Decorate A Jack-O-Lantern

Alternative 1:
Use stick-on foam pieces instead of stickers. You can buy these in many craft stores and craft sections of department stores. If they do not have facial features, it is possible to make them by trimming the foam with scissors.

Alternative 2:
Use candy. Attach licorice laces, doughnut-shaped candies, and other types of candy with toothpicks to make eyes, noses, ears, etc. Candy orange slices make nice ears. Some pumpkins have a tough skin, so you may have to make “pilot holes” for your preschool child to put the toothpicks in. This activity requires close supervision to prevent improper use of the toothpicks.

Alternative 3:
Use a Potato Head pumpkin kit. It comes in a variety of costumes for either Mr. Potato Head or Mrs. Potato Head. It's easy for even small preschoolers to do and probably the simplest alternative to the carved pumpkin. 

Alternative 4:
Paint the pumpkin with tempera or acrylic paints or draw on it with markers. Do not cook and eat the pumpkin afterward if you do this.

Alternative 5:
Use the techniques for the Veggie Jack-O-Lantern Preschool Halloween Craft. These techniques can be used on carved or uncarved jack-o-lanterns, but they will require an adult to make holes with a knife.

Helpful Tips for Parents

Tip1:
The jack-o-lantern will not be lit from inside. To make sure it is sufficiently lighted, you might try using a crook-necked desk lamp placed on the floor with a small spot light. Be sure to place it in a way that your preschooler is discouraged from touching the bulb because it will be hot.

Tip 2:
When handling the pumpkin, don’t hold it by the stem. As Halloween approaches, pumpkins are becoming very ripe and the stems tend to come off easily. Holding the pumpkin by the stem can cause you to end up with smashed pumpkin on the floor.