Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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3 Fun Pumpkin Projects To Do With Young Kids

Since Clara’s still a few years off from knife-wielding age, we still scratch our heads each year for a toddler-friendly way for her to be involved in the pumpkin decorating process. When she was 5 months old we borrowed the outline of her hand to inspire a lady-like Jack-o-Lantern (a Jill-o-Lantern perhaps?)

Tissue 2010

Last year we took advantage of her new-found dexterity and let her finger paint some pumpkins that we had strategically taped off ahead of time to later reveal some designs.

Tissue 2011

And since she had so much fun last year (and we loved how they turned out) we did a slight twist on that idea by making tissue paper “sticker” pumpkins this year.

Tissue 2012

Anyone who follows us on instagram knows that Clara is obsessed with stickers. And although a pumpkin covered in her usual fare of Snoopys and Barneys would have been fun, we thought it might be even more exciting to try our hand at something we could customize. So we decided to make our own “stickers” with the help of some colorful tissue paper and good ol’ Mod Podge that we already had on hand.

Tissue 0 Supplies

Sherry used some leftover tissue paper from Clara’s pink-and-orange birthday party and cut a bunch of large and small circles using, of all things, a roll of electrical tape as her guide (tracing the outside made the big ones, and tracing the inside made the small ones). Use what you got, right?

Tissue 1 Circles Before Cutting

Then I basically just used a big paintbrush to coat the pumpkin with a thin layer of Mod Podge as Clara placed the tissue dots wherever she pleased. It was really that simple.

Tissue 2 John Painting

We spotted (pun!) these pumpkins at Kroger, and knew they would be awesome (we thought a lighter colored pumpkin would help all of the colors show up since sheer orange and pink dots on an orange pumpkin might be harder to see). Although they might look like typical white pumpkins, they actually have a hint of orangey-pink to them, so it’s a fun twist. Plus a portion of proceeds went to breast cancer research, so that was pretty great too.

Tissue 4 Clara Papering

You can see that the tissue did crinkle a bit as it went down. Bumpy pumpkin surface + toddler fingers = nothing perfectly smooth. But we didn’t mind, we were just happy she was having fun. I did occasionally dab some extra Mod Podge over top to help them stay down, which seemed to help.

Tissue 5 More Paper

The best part was that Clara was IN LOVE with the project. I realize she doesn’t look particularly gleeful in these photos, but it’s because she was so focused on it. She asked several times that night if we could do it again. Plus, we appreciated that it wasn’t nearly as messy as we had anticipated (note the table covered in craft paper). I probably ended up with more Mod Podge on me than she did (I did accidentally stick my forearm in it once) but since it’s basically Elmer’s Glue, it washed off easily with plain water.

Tissue 6 More Paper CU

We did two pumpkins in total, but the fun didn’t stop there. There were so many extra tissue dots that Clara kept on playing (sorting them, lining them up, singing to them, putting them on her head…).

Tissue 7 Playing With Paper

After she went to bed that night Sherry did a full coat of Mod Podge over the pumpkins just to ensure that all of the edges got adhered. The bonus was that it also gave the whole thing a nice smooth and glossy feel.

Tissue 8 After

We think they’re really fun- especially since we just used what we had around the house and came up with something sticker-ish for our sticker-obsessed girl. So if you have any toddlers who are into stickers, this could be a fun weekend project (and tissue paper is only around 99 cents, so it’s pretty cheap too).

Tissue 9 After Close

I attempted to get a cute picture of Clara sitting next to her pumpkin creations, but there was little interest in being still. And yes, she’s wearing the same shirt from the day before. We had dressed her in it as the “it’s ok to get messy” shirt for the project, but since it survived so well it became the next day’s outfit when paired with the skirt of her choosing.

Tissue 10 Clara Pointing

The most interaction I could get out of Clara was her singing “Rock-A-Bye, Baby” to them while swinging the glider-bench back and forth.

Tissue 11 Rocking

Then she discovered a broom nearby and it was like the pumpkins never existed. When a girl’s gotta sweep, a girl’s gotta sweep!

Tissue 12 Sweeping

And if you’re looking for some easy pumpkin paper crafts, our friends at Childhood Magic have a free pumpkin printable that you could use in a variety of ways and give kids of all skill levels an easy way to help you decorate for fall.

Psst – Sherry wants me to mention that for the first time ever she’s attempting to DIY certain aspects of Clara & Burger’s costumes this year, so we’ll keep you posted and share some pics as soon as they’re done (most likely right on Halloween if I know my wife…).

Comments

  3. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    The pumpkins are ADORABLE you guys! I love them! They would also be really fun party decorations the rest of the year on any big ol’ fruit or veggie. Polka dot summer squash! Polka dot watermelons! Polka dot…um…jicama?

    It is, of course, always appropriate to drive to the Home Depot after a pumpkin party! ;-)

    Reply

  5. Momlady says

    This totally Rocks! And no pumpkins were brutally mutilated in the making of this project. The Great Pumpkin would be so proud.

    Reply

  10. Thais Bessa says

    That’s so cute!

    I also did a whole Halloween outfit for my 2 years old daughter today. She will have a Halloween party at nursery during the day and since her nursery is at a farm, the day costume will be too dirty to use again for trick-or-treating in the evening. So she will be a made-by-mommy-pirate by day and an Amazon-bought-dinosaur by night! :) I guess she is he only girl in the universe not that into princesses, lol.

    Reply

  17. Annelies says

    You guys are always so full of great ideas ! I love how the pumpkins turned out and how it was a great project for Clara to enjoy.
    I also love the way you write your blog and the lay out with the pictures. Love how you showed last years pumpkin projects.
    Do you have some more ideas on fun DIY projects you can do with kids?

    Reply

  19. Tim says

    You daughter is precious. I like the “perative” part and the fact that she knows Home Depot. Good stuff. I hope I can pass the X chromosome on with the next baby.

    Reply

  20. Stephanie says

    Cutest. pumpkins. EVER. I almost wish I had a kid so I had an excuse to do that.

    The only thing I’m doing this weekend is getting a home appraisal for my refinancing. I am for some reason, ridiculously nervous.

    I’m also on the east coast but up in Massachusetts. The storms usually don’t make it up this far. They can’t deal with how cold our water is. :) If it does though, my company will probably put me up in a hotel for the night. Yay for free room & food. I hope everyone on the East Coast stays safe. This storm isn’t messing around!

    Reply

  21. Megan says

    Love the pumpkins… and the faces that Clara makes… even when she was only 6 months old. Can’t wait to see the halloween costumes you are making.

    Reply

  22. Nora Rose says

    Adorable! I’m a tad jealous that it’s still warm enough for you all to wear short sleeves! It’s cold up in MA right now, pack warmly for November!!

    I love DIY costumes as well. My mom always made ours (with a base of solid color sweatsuits, the 90s were like that) but we kept them for a long time as play costumes for throughout the year!

    Reply

  27. Amanda says

    These are really sweet. It would be cute if they were done on fake ones then each year you could bring them out and have a “kid collection” sitting somewhere around the yard. Maybe someone else will like this suggestion!

    Reply

  28. jeannette says

    clara seems super dextrous with an ability to focus on her art work. i have grandnephews older than she who would turn that pumpkin and the tissue paper and the mod podge into puree in three seconds. as the ‘rents are buddhists, i’m not allowed to puree the boys. >:-(

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! She does seem to love detailed delicate projects. She’s the kid who finds a blade of grass and holds it up and studies it for ten minutes. She’s like a little scientist.

      xo
      s

  31. Stephanie says

    UGH Frankenstorm! Last year Halloween was cancelled because we got a *freak* snowstorm, over 12 inches! Now this! My poor dogs, all they want to do is steal candy and lick the faces of unsuspecting children :)

    Sidenote- those pumpkins are ADORABLE and I’m definitely pinning them so I remember to do it next year when my nephew is about that age :)

    Reply

  32. Krystle Clark says

    This is ADORABLE! Absolutely in love! FYI – for next year if you do want to introduce her to carving pumpkins… Pampered Chef makes a “Kids First Knife” — I bought a few when I had a party a few years back and they work out great when my 2 1/2 yr old wants to help me in the kitchen. She can’t cut herself but they will still cut things like veggies and a pumpkin :-) Looking forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks at the Richmond book signing!!

    Reply

  33. Megan says

    Such a fantastic idea!! I may have to do this, since another project I plan to do this weekend also involved Mod Podge. Clara sure looked like she had a “really really” great time!

    Reply

  34. Lauren says

    Such a cute project! I’m also always so impressed by how well Clara speaks. She has an amazing vocabulary for a 2 year old!

    Speaking of Clara… have you ever done a post about Clara’s toys (other than the stuff you have recently made). I think I remember you posting about your preference for wooden toys (or maybe I just made that up). Just trying to come up with Christmas ideas for my little one. I’m sick of all the plastic stuff you see at every store!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That would be a fun post for anyone shopping for a toddler! Right now she’s obsessed with books. She’s sort of past most board books but loves those thin floppy covered books (like the Berenstein Bears series). She also really likes things like her wooden scooter-rocker (it’s like a rocking horse but it looks like a vespa) – not only for rocking on it herself, but for putting her stuffed animals on it and rocking them. It’s cute. Hmm, what else. She loves stickers of course. Oh and Play-Doh. That might be her favorite so I don’t know why it took me so long to remember. We got her some fun “tools” to use with it (rolling pins, cookie cutter type animal shapes to stamp into it, etc) and she seems to love that! Also wooden blocks (lining them up, sorting them by color, making a tower, etc) keep her busy. And wood puzzles like the ones by Melissa & Doug are always popular too. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  36. felicity says

    It is looking like Frankenstorm will be a real mess for Halloween. How do we get so lucky with these late october storms?
    I love the pumpkins! I love that you tailor the pumpkin to her ability so she can fully participate. Halloween is such fun.

    Reply

    • heather says

      I’m going to agree it was super adorable. My favorite part was when he laughed and shows his wrinkles by his eyes. I’m a sucker for a hearty laugh and eye wrinkles!

    • heather says

      Haha you absolutely are the President, VP, Treasurer,and secretary. My husband has them too and I *love* them. Love love love them.

      Also on the list – salt and pepper hair (I honestly hope I start to go S&P in my 30’s, and I wouldn’t be sad if my husband did either, strong shoulders, some height since I’m already 5’7″, good cheekbones and a nice nose. Turns out the husband has all of those, which are just a huge plus on top of the other things I love about him! I actually never noticed it about John until I saw his profile in the video that he has a gray spot, cheekbones and a strong nose and eye wrinkles. It made me laugh (no worries, I don’t have the hots for John, it’s just handsome).

    • heather says

      Ehg…I meant “no worries” as a joke because I think saying “no worries” to someone in that context is ridiculous to say (like there would ever be a reason to be). Obviously typing does not convey tone. Fannnntastic. *head on keyboard*. Ima stop writin’ now.

  39. Shari says

    Ahhh you tricked me!! I thought the last pumpkin post was the official 2012 pumpkin decorating post! This one was is even cuter….mainly because of Clara. :) Happy Halloween!!

    Reply

  40. Mary S, says

    Love, love love those pumpkins. I admire your wonderful patience with Clara, letting her place the “stickers” where she wanted, to make it her own and let Clara see her creativity without squelching it. Well done Mom & Dad!

    Reply

  41. Julie says

    Great idea! I may try this out too so thanks for posting! Love the video – your daughter would get along with ours too haha she loves saying “lets go to Home Depot”!! Happy Halloween!

    Reply

  42. Erika says

    What a great idea! Those pumpkins are adorable, and this 35 year old would have fun putting those tissue paper dots on too :)

    Reply

  43. Karli says

    Clara is adorable! And she’s talking so much clearer. Not as much need for subtitles. :) When she’s a teenager those videos will be so much fun to watch again. Great pumpkin decorating.

    Reply

  44. Ginny @ goofymonkeys says

    Awww – you beat me to it! I was planning on mod podging pumpkins too! I hope you don’t mind me doing it, posting about it and linking over here, too.

    They look great and good luck with costume construction – I’ve done it a few times and it’s definitely fun

    Reply

  45. Jen@The Decor Scene says

    Ohhhhhh I love this project. I would love to do this with some damask tissue paper and cut those into dots. Chic!!! Thanks for a great idea YHL. And you probably preserved the pumpkins with the Mod Podge I would think. Hopefully no animals like Mod Podge. ;) Ours always get eaten, so this year we didn’t buy pumpkins, but now I just might go out and get some and put dots on them. Thanks. :)

    Reply

  48. Olivia says

    Awesome project, looks like she had lots of fun and they turned out beautifully!

    “There were so many extra tissue dots that Clara kept on playing (sorting them, lining them up, singing to them…”

    Aw!

    Reply

  49. cheri s says

    My boy Liam, age 4, watched this twice and declared that “Clara is smart.” Also, he loves your office chairs. :)

    Reply

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