Preschool Pumpkin Unit Theme
There’s so many cute pumpkin activities out for preschoolers that when I was initially planning some for my daughter’s Montessori-friendly preschool pumpkin unit theme- I was really overwhelmed. How would we fit in all of these adorable activities into pumpkin season??
And then I remembered the goal that I have for all of her discovery boxes: to keep it simple, keep it fun, and to help her grow in a lot of different areas.
So with that, here’s what I put together for her pumpkin discovery box. Keep reading for ideas on how to create a pumpkin discovery box for your own preschooler!
(And if you’re curious at all about my goals with ALL of my discovery boxes, check out my post here: Creating Discovery Boxes for Learning at Home. )
Lastly, be sure to scroll to the end for a free, downloadable choice board for your pumpkin discovery box!
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Needed Materials
- Must-have books (more info below)
- Foam pumpkin letters (I got mine at Michael’s for $2)
- A pumpkin
- Paints and foam paint brushes
- Pumpkin seed scooper (a grapefruit spoon works great)
- Miniature pumpkins (again- I got mine at Michael’s for super cheap)
Must-Have Books
Hello World: From Seed to Pumpkin by Jill McDonald
This series continues to be one of our favorite “nonfiction” series for preschoolers. The illustrations are bright, cute, and colorful. It also does a great job of explaining concepts in a preschooler friendly fashion.
This book in particular describes the process of how pumpkins grow from seed to fruit. It pairs great with the “pumpkin life cycle cards”- available here.
It also includes an inside look at pumpkins and has vocabulary about the different parts of the pumpkin if you’re looking for more chances to introduce vocabulary.
At the end, it talks about all the different uses for pumpkins including baked goods, roasted pumpkin seeds, and jack-o-lanterns. As we did our pumpkin discovery box in the fall, my three year old really loved the illustrations of Halloween festivities.
Lastly, it talks about how you can even compost pumpkins to fertilize next year’s pumpkins with! I’m trying to instill in my children concepts of conservation and environmentalism, so I really enjoyed this addition.
It’s available on Amazon here.
Or: Little Pumpkin by Suzanne Fossey (from Autumn Publishing)
I don’t think you need both Little Pumpkin and From Seed to Pumpkin as they really cover the same concepts. HOWEVER, this one’s illustrations are just flat out adorable. Instead of being borderline-realistic, this one has personified pumpkins and pumpkin seeds.
It’s much more of a story-telling format than From Seed to Pumpkin. It rhymes as it covers the life cycle of a pumpkin.
If you’re looking for more content, From Seed to Pumpkin is the way to go. BUT if you’re looking for a slightly cuter and sillier way of introducing the life cycle of a pumpkin, this book might be a better choice.
It’s available on Amazon here.
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
This book is an absolute MUST. You know the picture books that you read for the first time and they instantly capture your heart? This is one of those for us. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve read this together, but it’s one of our ALL TIME FAVORITES.
Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins, and wants nothing to do with them. But when a pumpkin truck splatters pumpkin seeds all over her yard, she has to figure out a solution. What she does shows the value of giving to others and the power of community.
The pictures are warm and cozy and full of a fall-feel. This is the kind of book your children will want to read for years to come while cuddled up on the couch together.
This is also one my daughter wanted to act out- making pumpkin treats for people in our neighborhood.
It’s available on Amazon here.
Language Activities
Pumpkin Patch Letters
Preschoolers need A LOT of practice identifying letter sounds, so the more you can mix it up and give them this practice, the better. Instead of doing a lot of rote practice, I like to turn it into interactive games. (Also- children tend to retain information better when there is some sort of physical activity paired with it.)
So for this one, we kept it simple. I wrote out the letters we were currently focusing on on some foam pumpkins and set up a “pumpkin patch.”
She went through and picked out the correct letters and brought them back.
Ideas to Adapt It:
- (I love activities that I only have to create once and then can use again and again as my children grow. This is a great one for that. Bonus points if it costs me less than $2 AND I can create it less than 5 minutes with a mug of coffee in my hand)
- You can EASILY adapt this to different challenge levels. Make it more challenging by adding in a timer that they have to run and find all the letters before the timer goes off. If the weather is nice, get them outside and set up the pumpkins throughout the yard!
- Have them match upper case to lower case letters. Turn it into a scavenger hunt!
- Or have them spell words with the pumpkins if they’re working on spelling. Have them pick up letters they need for their names. If you have older kids- have them sort vowels from consonants. Whatever strikes your kid where they’re at- run with it.
- If you want to add an extra level of tactility- trace the letter with glue and then sprinkle down some craft sand OR trace the letter with glitter glue to make your own “sandpaper pumpkins”
- (Have older kids you want to include with teaching your little ones? Have THEM decorate the foam pumpkins with glitter glue. Now you can hold your coffee mug with BOTH hands.)
Family Activities and Service Activities
I love incorporating what we’re focusing on learning during our preschool time with family and service activities. And for this theme, it’s easy!
Visit a pumpkin patch as a family! Make some pumpkin bread and deliver it to a neighbor! Anything that encourages quality time and serving others is a great day for our family.
Science Activities
Pumpkin Life Cycle Cards: (Available for download here)
We paired this up with Hello World: From Seed to Pumpkin. After reading the book, I had my daughter try and place these in the correct order. I also showed her how she could reference back to the book if she needed help.
And for older preschoolers wanting more of a challenge, check out my seven-frame life cycle cards as well.
Bonus: Grow a Pumpkin
We tried. My daughter really wanted to have a real life “Too Many Pumpkins” situation on her hands. So we planted some seeds but they just didn’t grow. So we’ll try again next year!
Practical Life
Toddlers and preschoolers alike love practical life activities, and pumpkins offer so many chances for this.
1. Washing Pumpkins
One of my daughter’s favorites is washing pumpkins. This is one of those activities that I initially thought “no- that’s too easy. She’ll get bored.” But for TWO years in a row, she has eagerly washed pumpkins outside and had a BLAST. This was also a great activity to include her baby sister in on. They loved splashing in the water, using the soap and the rags, and then patting the pumpkins dry.
2. Baking Pumpkin Bread
Getting kids involved in the kitchen has so many benefits. The quality time, the sensory experience, the fine motor skills, starting to understand multi-step instructions, and working on patience as they have to wait for things to cook- I absolutely love getting my kids in the kitchen with me.
Pumpkin bread is a great recipe to include them on. With lots of spices to add, my girls love smelling the different ingredients going in. It’s a great one for kids to help with starting at the earliest age (even less than two years old!)
(And my all-time favorite pumpkin bread recipe can be found in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook. You know- the red and white checkered one that comes standard-issued with every kitchen?)
3. Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Another easy one to get kids of all ages involved in. Kids love laying things out on sheet pans. Pop them in the oven and let them roast.
Let your older kids experiment with different seasonings on them- make them salty or make them sweet.
(Definitely be careful with younger kids though- these can be a choking hazard.)
Arts and Crafts
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I am LAZY when it comes to crafts. I don’t want a ton of set up and I really don’t want a ton of clean up.
But sometimes, the simplest crafts are the most fun!
1. Paper Plate Pumpkin
Get some orange paper plates, cut out triangles out of black construction paper, and let your kiddo glue them on to make a jack-o-lantern.
2. Painting pumpkins
My daughter’s favorite- she loves to paint. I hate having paint in the house.
So for this one, we set her up in the yard with paints, foam brushes, and a pumpkin and let her paint to her heart’s content.
She seriously probably spent an hour painting her pumpkin.
(And when we accidentally left it out in the rain- I was worried she’d be devastated. Instead she said “Now I can paint it all over again! Yay!”
3. Foam Pumpkin and Acrylic Markers
Feeling really lazy? Grab a foam pumpkin and a set of acrylic markers from Michael’s and let your color all over it. (We actually got ours from a Home Depot kid’s event! Yay for free activities!)
Sensory/Fine Motor Activities
Toddlers and preschoolers also LOVE sensory activities AND activities that help them improve their fine motor skills.
1. Simple Fall Sensory Bin
A great one for pumpkins is pouring, cooping, and transferring with pumpkins in a fall sensory bin. I got some small pumpkins from Michael’s, mixed it in with some acorns and leaves, filled a bin, gave them utensils, and let them explore.
2. Scooping Pumpkin Seeds
Another fantastic one is scooping out pumpkin seeds. The smell, the goo, the overall grossness- kids are going to love it. (Helpful tip- a grapefruit spoon works great for scooping out the seeds.)
Math Pumpkin Activities
At this age, kids are really focused on counting and mastering the idea of a “one-to-one” concept (that each number represents a concrete number of items.) Any chance they have to count is great- and you’ll often hear them counting to themselves.
After scooping out pumpkin seeds, let them count them! See if they can figure out how many pumpkin seeds are in a pumpkin.
Additional Books:
We love Curious George: Curious About Fall, Rocket’s Perfect Pumpkin, and Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin.
And check back soon for a post here on fall books for preschoolers for more of a description about them and if you’re looking for other fall book ideas!
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