The carvable craft pumpkins make great Halloween activities for little kids. At first my plan was to spray paint one craft pumpkin with chalkboard paint, so we could draw on it with chalk. But, when we got them home we discovered that chalk works right on the pumpkin.

How fun! This is great for young ones to use their artistic creativity to draw a face…or just use different colors to add a few scribbles.

Halloween activities do not get simpler than this! (Well, maybe this one ties with the easiest Halloween craft ever here.)

What you need for the chalk and craft pumpkin art

• Craft pumpkins from the craft store (these are the ones that can be carved with a knife, not the hard plastic ones)
• Chalk

Although this activity is a great free art exploration for little ones, it is also a nice way to do a step-by-step drawing practice. Especially for preschoolers, following directions is very important. This activity makes it more fun.

I said to my Kindergartner, “Draw triangle eyes and a circle nose.” He then wanted my help with a mouth. This teaches following directions and the names of the shapes.

Our other craft pumpkin shape faces activity was a great one for learning shapes too! Both area wonderful to pull out for the toddlers to do while you are getting some household cleaning done, or taking care of a younger baby.

How to use chalk and craft pumpkins for learning

The chalk writes right on the pumpkin. The kids can scribble away or create faces.

How about using these for exploration of feelings?

Draw a mad face and talk about what makes us mad. Draw a sad face and discuss things that make us sad-or things we do to others that make them sad…and so on. Lots of good real life skills can be learned in this short activity.

Of course, just having the pumpkins out with chalk and a damp rag (for erasing) is a great invitation to engage in a little Halloween-themed play.

What easy Halloween activities for toddlers are you setting up for your child?

Read all about 9 Halloween activities and crafts that are great for toddlers, preschoolers and even young school age kids to explore.