Inside: Looking for some fun pumpkin theme ideas you can do with your toddlers and preschoolers? Come see how we’ve set up our classroom with lots of fun activities!
October and Halloween mean adding pumpkins to our toddler and preschool classroom.
There are so many fun and engaging activities that you can add to your pumpkin theme curriculum that also provide plenty of playful learning opportunities. Come see what we’ve put together for our toddlers and preschoolers!
👉 Scroll down towards the end of this post to find free printables you can use with your pumpkin theme!
Creating a Classroom Pumpkin Theme
Below are some of the main activities we added to our classroom.
Art
Pumpkin Prints
Our toddlers and preschoolers had so much fun mixing yellow and red paint on foil and then pressing the pumpkin printable on top to make a print!
Read more: How to Make Simple Pumpkin Prints with Toddlers and Preschoolers
Pumpkin Magnets
I was able to make good use of the wood pumpkins that were sitting in my theme box. Read more: How to Create a Pumpkin Craft that is a Keepsake Magnet 
Easel
We did some color mixing (red + yellow = orange) on top of our pumpkin printable.
Painting Pumpkins
If you haven’t tried this yet, you must! Simply invite your children to paint on top of pumpkins. They can be washed off and painted over and over again!
Here’s a similar activity: Easy Pumpkin Painting for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Sensory
Small pumpkins, dyed rice, and scoops are always fun for toddlers and preschoolers! Truly, we could have this in our sensory bin for weeks and they’d not get tired of it.
Here’s a similar idea: Halloween Sensory Bin with Pumpkins
Related: Big Collection of Sensory Table Activities
Blocks
Since our children were having so much fun with Magnatiles during our Forest Animals theme, we kept it out and added our beloved pumpkin ball magnets. 
Playdough
I made some of our favorite Halloween no-cook playdough and added some pumpkin cupcake toppers I found at a local store and pumpkin placemats that someone donated to our preschool years ago. Don’t forget to add pumpkin cookie cutters!
Related: 15 Fall Playdough Ideas
Dramatic Play
Pumpkin bags, large plastic pumpkins, and various masks were part of our dramatic play area this week.
Related: Fall Dramatic Play Ideas
Science and Exploration
We opened a pumpkin and explored what was inside, talking about how it looked, felt, and smelled. This led to many discussions about who had a jack-o-lantern at home! You can read more about it here.
Related: Setting Up the Science Center
Books
Music and Movement
Our playlist of music for October:
Free printables that we used these week (click on photo to download pdf):
More themes:
🍎 Fall Activity Plans 🍎
I’ve teamed up with other early childhood teachers and homeschoolers to put together these hands-on fall activity plans for toddlers and preschoolers!
Easy to follow activities that include modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.
Note: This is a digital product. That means when you make a purchase, you will be emailed a link to the activities.
For more information, click on the graphics below:
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