Pumpkin Painting for Toddlers with Lots of Action

Last Updated on August 30, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: This pumpkin painting for toddlers activity involves lots of action to make the paint move around. Perfect for busy kids who love to keep moving!

Toddlers are busy.

Their favorite activities allow them to use the big movements.

I decided to put together an activity that mimics the same movements as golf ball and marble painting, except this time we used pumpkin bells.

As the container is tipped side to side, the different colors of paint blend to make a new color.

Since we are using a (free!) pumpkin printable, this is perfect for the pumpkin theme.

Best part? It’s process art that is simple to set up, with no lengthy steps.

Just what toddlers (and preschoolers!) love.

If you’ve watched my YouTube videos, you know how I prefer to find activities that work well with the energy level of toddlers.

Over my 22 years of teaching 2 year olds, I’ve received many emails from toddler teachers saying they get frustrated because their students don’t want to sit still long enough to complete a project.

My advice? Change it up so that you are working with that energy, not fighting it.

That’s why I love to share activities such as:

Dinosaur Tracks

Making Rainbows with Cars

Stamping Paint with Blocks

Art activities like this allow young children to continue to move. We even might remove the chairs from the table so that they can stand (often moving their legs and feet as they are working).

Pumpkin Painting for Toddlers with Lots of Action

Supplies:

Plastic container with sides (at least large enough to hold the paper)
Red tempera paint
Yellow tempera paint
Shallow containers for paint
Spoon or bug tongs to transfer pumpkins from paint container to pumpkin printable
Pumpkin printable (scroll down to find free download)
Pumpkin Bells

Note: If you don’t have time to order the pumpkin bells, you can use golf balls.

Setting Up This Pumpkin Painting Activity

Make enough copies of the pumpkin printable so each child has at least one.

In each paint container, squirt a bit of red paint and a bit of yellow paint inside. Add a pumpkin bell (or golf ball).

Invitation to Paint Pumpkins

Place the pumpkin printable into the container.

Using the spoon or the bug tongs, transfer the pumpkin bell (or golf ball) from the container of paint and drop it on top of the printable.

Show your toddler how to hold each short side of the container and tip it back and forth, making the pumpkin bell/golf ball move around.

It might take a few tries, so give your toddler that time.

What’s taking place here? Lots of fine motor and balance as the toddlers are focusing on tipping the sides of the container just enough to move the bells/golf balls.