Halloween is my favorite holiday, but when it comes to pumpkin carving, I’m a bit of a scrooge. I confess in this safe space of non-judgmental moms: I HATE pumpkin carving. There. I said it. Bah-humbug!
The labor. The goop. The seeds that I’ll never roast and feel guilty about discarding. And all the anxiety that comes along with those carving tools.
Y’all, I just can’t do it at this stage of my 4-year-old’s life. It’s too much for this mama. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t make some awesome pumpkins. Here are three ways to decorate pumpkins that don’t require carving tools but still make fun memories:
Painting
Painting is a favorite activity in our house, so pumpkin painting, as you’d imagine, is a huge hit. Flat paints are a great choice, especially for coverage of large areas, but last year we tried puffy paint, and we are never turning back!
We chose neon and glow-in-the-dark paints so that our pumpkins were equally brilliant at night. Add some google eyes with liquid glue, and you have yourself an alternative jack-o-lantern!
Using Stickers
You know those make-a-face stickers where your kiddo can choose eyes, a nose, etc. to put on a blank face? Well, they’re not just for making faces on paper — you can also make a pumpkin face! And the best part is you can often find pre-made sticker sets in the store (here’s looking at you Target Dollar Spot).
Decorating Kits
For about $10 you can turn your pumpkin into a licensed character. The kits usually come with a head and arms and either legs or a chest piece. All you have to do is push the dowels into the pumpkin flesh — it’s kind of like Mr. Potato Head for pumpkins. What could be more fun than that?!
