44 Easy Pumpkin Decorating Ideas to Do with Your Kids in 2026

Let your kids pour different colors of paint over the top of the pumpkin and watch the colors cascade for a vibrant, abstract look.

Glue crayons around the pumpkin’s stem and use a hairdryer to melt them, creating a cool, dripping color effect as the melted wax flows down the sides.

Use multi-surface paint pens to create bold and colorful faces or designs on your pumpkin with precision and ease.

Paint a pumpkin with chalkboard paint and let kids draw their own designs with chalk, then erase and create new ones!

Use glow-in-the-dark paint to create eerie designs that light up when the lights go out!

Capture the season with this adorable craft by painting your child’s handprints inside a pumpkin outline for a unique and personal keepsake.

Use paint pens or markers to draw cute, simple ghost figures all around the pumpkin for a playful Halloween vibe.

Use fall leaves as stencils to paint colorful patterns on a real pumpkin, creating a vibrant and nature-inspired decoration.

Transform your pumpkin into a wise owl using cut-out paper for wings, eyes, and feathers. This adorable owl pumpkin craft is simple and fun, perfect for a cozy fall decoration.

Create charming animal-themed pumpkins by adding paper cutouts to form the faces of a raccoon and a fox. With bold, cute features, these pumpkins are sure to be a hit with kids!

Use candy corn and black markers to transform the pumpkin into a cute, spiky hedgehog character.

Paint your pumpkin with a cute deer face, and attach real twigs for antlers to create an adorable woodland creature.

Decorate a pumpkin like a chicken by adding felt for a beak and comb, and attach feathers for the wings and tail.

Use construction paper to make a curly mane and glue on googly eyes to turn your pumpkin into a playful lion.

Paint the pumpkin black, then add foam ears, eyes, and whiskers to make a cute and spooky black cat for Halloween.

Paint your pumpkin green and use foam cutouts for spikes, eyes, and teeth to turn it into a cute, friendly dinosaur.

Paint your pumpkin white and add a glittery unicorn horn made from paper or foam. Use felt or construction paper to add ears, eyes, and a colorful mane.

Paint the pumpkin black and add paper wings and ears to turn it into an adorable, friendly bat.

Turn bowtie pasta into bats and hot glue them to the pumpkin. Stick lollipop “bats” with paper wings into the top of the pumpkin for a sweet and spooky touch.

This playful turkey pumpkin is decorated with colorful paper feathers and fun facial features. A perfect craft for kids to make and display during the Thanksgiving season!

Paint your pumpkin black, glue on googly eyes, and use pipe cleaners for legs to create a simple and fun spider decoration.

Paint the pumpkins white and add simple black shapes for eyes and mouths to create a family of ghostly pumpkins.

Paint the pumpkin green and add a witch hat, googly eyes, and yarn hair to make a fun and spooky witch decoration.

Wrap the pumpkin in strips of gauze or white fabric, leaving space for googly eyes to poke through, turning it into a cute and spooky mummy.

Paint your pumpkin green and use black paper cutouts to create Frankenstein’s iconic stitches and hair for a fun Halloween design.

Create a spooky vampire pumpkin by cutting black paper into fangs, a cape, and eyebrows to give your pumpkin a fang-tastic look.

Paint fun, silly monster faces on your pumpkins and use foam or paper to create horns and other monster features.

Wrap your pumpkin with white string or yarn to create a spider web design, and add a foam or plastic spider for a spooky touch.

Glue bright, fluffy pom-poms all over the pumpkin to create a fun and colorful design.

Glue colorful buttons all over the pumpkin to create patterns or fun faces.

Cover your pumpkin in googly eyes of different sizes for a fun and silly look.

Tear up pieces of colorful tissue paper and glue them onto the pumpkin in a mosaic-style design.

Easily decorate pumpkins with this 26-pack of Halloween stickers featuring 56 different funny expressions.

Glue colorful, painted pumpkin seeds onto the surface in patterns or designs to create a textured, artistic look.

Collect leaves, twigs, and acorns from the backyard and glue them onto the pumpkin to make natural, autumn-themed designs.

Skip the carving and use this fun kit with a mallet to pound cookie cutters into the pumpkin for fun shapes and designs.

Dress up your pumpkin with a cape, mask, and some superhero emblems to turn it into your child’s favorite character.

Use blue and black paper cutouts to transform your pumpkin into a cute Minion character, complete with oversized goggles and a happy smile.

Paint your pumpkin yellow and add simple emoji faces to create a set of expressive and playful pumpkins.

Wrap the pumpkin in a towel and add cucumber slices for eyes and a face mask made of paint to give it a relaxing spa look.

Stack three pumpkins on top of each other, paint a snowman face, add buttons, a scarf, and stick arms to create a fun fall or winter snowman decoration.

Turn your pumpkin into a magical fairy house by adding tiny doors and windows. Use petroleum jelly instead of glue to stick on flowers, herbs, leaves and other nature finds.

Poke fresh or artificial flowers into the pumpkin’s surface to create a vibrant and beautiful floral display.

Get the full instructions for making a pumpkin flower arrangement.