Fun with Pumpkins and Markers

This Halloween idea is very simple yet so much fun! If you’re anything like me you’re always on the lookout for center activities that are inexpensive and easy, and drawing on pumpkins art activity certainly fits the bill!

Decorating Pumpkins with Markers for Halloween

The outside of a pumpkin is naturally waxy and makes the perfect surface for writing with washable markers. Invite children in preschool or kindergarten to draw on the pumpkins and erase their drawings with a baby wipe or a wet tissue.

Educational Benefits of Drawing on Pumpkins

Drawing on pumpkins isn’t just your typical art center- let’s examine some of the educational benefits of this activity which include creative expression, imaginative play, and the development of fine motor skills as children grasp the marker.

Ask your students to tell you or their peers about their pumpkin creations to add oral language development.

Provide paper and invite children to draw a picture and tell a story about their pumpkins to add writing into the mix.

Have more than one child in the center with a pumpkin and you’ve got cooperation, problem solving and self-regulation skills going on.

Give your students a digital camera or an iPad to take pictures of their creations and help them create an e-book to share with friends and families and now you’ve got technology!

Drawing on pumpkins started out as a cute, fun activity is actually an educational powerhouse.

So, what are you waiting for? Stock your art center with wet tissues or baby wipes, washable markers, and a pumpkin or two and watch your kids have a blast as they immerse themselves in learning without even knowing it- that’s the best kind of learning!

More Halloween Ideas

5 Little Pumpkins Halloween Sensory Bin – Your little learners will have a blast retelling the rhyme Five Little Pumpkins with this Halloween themed sensory bin! They’ll be developing their fine motor and oral language skills as they retell the rhyme. Setting up this sensory bin experience at home or in your preschool classroom is super simple and loads of fun!
Halloween Sensory Bin with Spaghetti – Need Halloween sensory play ideas for your preschool classroom? You can make this easy colored spaghetti for a super fun Halloween themed sensory bin. This squishy Halloween sensory spaghetti is sure to be a big hit with your kids!
Halloween Sensory Bottle – Halloween can be loads of fun in the classroom with all the cute crafts and activities. Here’s a super quick and easy Halloween sensory bottle you can make to help kids who may become overstimulated by all the activity in the classroom during this time of year.
Halloween Fine Motor Activities for Preschool – Kids can use fine motor skills all day, but doing the same thing over and over can cause children to lose interest. These activities are fun experiences for October that will help build fine motor skills. These are perfect for a fall theme or Halloween theme. And, since many of the items are from the dollar store, you can stock up your morning work baskets or centers.
Counting Pumpkins on a Vine – Counting Pumpkins on a Vine will help teach preschool children to count objects using one-to-one correspondence. This uses simple materials and is very easy prep!