Fall is here and families are heading to the Pumpkin Patch to pick their pumpkins.
Whether you buy large pumpkins, small pumpkins, mini pumpkins, or even faux pumpkins, decorating pumpkins as a family can be a great way to celebrate the fall season.
Decorating your house with the pumpkins you picked together can also be an easy way to add to your Halloween decorations.
If you have young children, you may not want to tackle pumpkin carving since you must use sharp knives and other sharp objects.
Maybe you just don’t want to pull out carving tools to carve your pumpkins because of the mess.
No matter what your reason, you can find a fun way to decorate pumpkins without having to find any carve pumpkin ideas.
Check out our list of ways to decorate your pumpkins without carving this season for kids of all ages.
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1. Kid-Safe Paint
If you want to allow your children a chance to paint on their own pumpkins, set them up at a table to paint their pumpkins with safe paint. We put paint smocks on our kids and let them decorate their pumpkins however they wanted with a paint brush. There are so many pumpkin painting ideas for little hands and a bit of imagination. When they are done, you can display their masterpieces in a window, on the front porch, by the front door, or on the dining table.
2. Stickers
If you’re trying to avoid the mess, stickers can be a great option. You could buy random stickers that your kids can have fun with, or sticker sets with eyes, noses, and mouths. Make sure to fully wash and dry the outside of the pumpkins or the sticker adhesive will not attach to the pumpkins.
3. Stamps
Allow your children to stamp their pumpkins for a different look. They could make it look like there are spiders crawling all over it or just have fun with different stamp colors. Whatever they choose, stamps are a more permanent option without using paint.
4. Markers
If you want to give them more room for creativity, but you’re not interested in pulling out paint, you could let them use markers. They can design their pumpkins however they would like without risking getting paint everywhere. Washable markers and permanent markers would both be options for decorating pumpkins. Markers can still damage clothing so I would cover their clothes with smocks or old shirts.
5. Cardstock
Cardstock paper is a sturdy paper that could be used to decorate pumpkins. You could cut out faces or cute designs and glue them into the pumpkins. Another idea is to make multiple different faces and add Velcro dots to them. Then faces could then be changed whenever you would like.
6. Tissue Paper
The opposite of Cardstock is tissue paper, which is very thin. Use glue or Mod Podge to attach assorted tissue paper pieces to pumpkins to give them a mosaic look. You could cut them into any shape you want and give it a random look. You could also cut assorted colors into more of a puzzle to fit them together.
7. Rhinestones
If you love sparkle, rhinestones would be a fun option. You could purchase regular rhinestones and glue them on. If you want to make it easier for children, there are adhesive rhinestones that can be stick on to the pumpkins.
8. Googly Eyes
A way to make your pumpkins have the Halloween feel, you could decorate them with googly eyes. Buy an assortment of adhesive small and giant googly eyes and give your pumpkin a creepy look. You could even use the googly eyes in addition to another idea to give your pumpkin eyes.
9. String
A fun Halloween idea is to wrap your pumpkin in string in a spider web design. Add glue onto your pumpkin to hold the string in place. If you decide to wrap the bottom if your pumpkin, you may want yo make sure it will still sit steady without rolling away. Glue some fake spiders onto your pumpkin spider web to complete the look.
10. Mr. Potato Head
I loved to play with Mr. Potato Head as a child. You could continue that gave on your pumpkin. Pull out those old Mr. Potato Head pieces and stick them into your pumpkin. Depending on your pumpkin, they may be too small, but it could still give your pumpkin a silly look.
11. Mesh
If you love the idea of wrapping your pumpkin, you could look to wrap it in mesh. Turn your pumpkins into mummy pumpkins by adding only eyes to the front and wrapping the entire pumpkin in mesh. The mesh would stay on best with a hot glue gun, but you could try other ways of attaching it.
12. Spray Paint
With adult supervision, you could spray paint your pumpkins with your kids. I would recommend taking the pumpkins outside and wearing a mask and eye protection. You could tape Cardstock with cute designs cut out onto the pumpkin and spray paint over the Cardstock to give your pumpkins a great design.
13. Decorative Tape
Washi Tape or Duct Tape can come in many fun designs. Cut out shapes in the tape to give your pumpkin a nice look. You could also wrap your pumpkin with any tape you want if you’re looking for a sillier design. The bonus to tape is it is already sticky, so you don’t need an additional form of adhesive.
14. Glitter
If you want your pumpkin to have a touch of glitz in the moonlight on Halloween night, consider covering the entire pumpkin in craft glue and pouring glitter over it. Glitter pumpkins would look pretty on display outside, and it does not require you to cut into the pumpkin. You could make a design with glue on the side of your pumpkin so the glitter will only be in that design. I think glitter looks great if you decorate a white pumpkin because it really makes the glitter stand out.
15. Nail Polish
If you're like me, you probably have a whole bin filled with assorted nail polish colors that could be put to good use. Let your kids use their crafting skills to decorate their pumpkins with nail polish and see what kinds of pumpkin designs they come up with.
16. Chenille Stems / Pipe Cleaners
Turn your pumpkin into a spider or a creepy Halloween character with some chenille stems, known as pipe cleaners. Stab the pipe cleaners into the side of the pumpkin and bend the pipe cleaners in different decorations. If you put 4 black pipe cleaners on one side and 4 black pipe cleans on the other side, you could have a fun spider pumpkin. Use pipe cleaners to give your pumpkin hair and put a witch hat on top.
17. Rubber Bands
If you pick out a smaller pumpkin, you could purchase some large rubber bands to wrap around it. Start by wrapping your pumpkin with the rubber bands by pulling one rubber band over it at a time. Use paint, markers, or nail polish to color in the areas not covered by the rubber bands. Once your pumpkin has dried, remove the rubber bands by carefully cutting them off. you will have a fun design in different shapes.
18. Pumpkin Face Craft Kit
If all else fails, you could buy a Pumpkin Faces Craft Kit online. These kits include everything you need to design your pumpkins to give them a Jack o’ lantern look without needing additional things. These kits typically also come with the adhesive to attach everything as well.
Picking and decorating pumpkins is one of my favorite things to do with my kids during the fall.
Since they are still young, it’s nice to have ideas to decorate pumpkins without having to cut into them.
If you don't want to go pick pumpkins, you could still find a creative way to decorate fake pumpkins.
What are some of your favorite ways to decorate pumpkins without carving?
Do you have any ideas for fun pumpkins to share?
Let us know in the comments below!
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