Pumpkin Painting Ideas For Kids

During harvest time, it’s a good ideas to get the kids involved in learning as much as possible about the crops. Pumpkins are everywhere, and today we’re going to look at the few pumpkin painting ideas for kids, that will give you an opportunity to talk about this popular crop.

Easy Pumpkin Painting Ideas

Have fun painting a face on a real pumpkin to decorate it, like you see above. But also invite your child to paint a pumpkin picture on paper that will last much longer. Use paint, paper, and a simple fold for an art project that can lead into a discussion about symmetry.

What you need:

a large sheet of paper
paints in pumpkin colors (orange, brown, green, etc.)
paint brushes
a smock
optional: a pumpkin model for inspiration!

What you do:

Fold the sheet of paper in half and put it down with the fold on the left.
Have your child put on the smock and use the paints and brush to paint half a pumpkin on the still-folded sheet of paper (the middle of the pumpkin should touch the fold). He or she can use a real pumpkin as a model. If your child needs help picturing what half a pumpkin looks like, you can trace an outline of half a pumpkin with pencil as a general shape guide.
While the paint is still wet, unfold the paper flat and then gently fold it the other way (like closing a book) so that the wet paint smears on the unpainted side of the paper and makes a picture of a whole pumpkin.

What you can talk about:

Explain that when an object is symmetrical, it has exactly the same shape on both sides. If you draw a line down its middle, both halves will be the same.
Discuss how your child’s painting is symmetrical.
Discuss whether all pumpkins are symmetrical, and look in books or in real-life for examples of pumpkins that have grown lopsided.
For extra fun, fold a sheet of orange construction paper in half, cut out the shape of half a pumpkin (with the center of the pumpkin in the paper’s fold), and unfold the paper to reveal a whole, symmetrical pumpkin.