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 this one certainly fits the bill!
Draw on Pumpkins with Washable 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
But wait, this 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!
What 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!
This looks like so much fun! We’re doing pumpkins next week and this will be a great way to explore our pumpkin before we carve it.