Check your local craft store for the small craft pumpkins. They go on sale frequently. I grabbed a couple for this activity that puts a Fall spin on Mr. Potato Head.

This one is a shape learning activity that can be a solo invitation to play or interactive. It teaches kids about shapes and helps them get creative with a pumpkin theme.

Supplies and How to Set Up the Pumpkin Faces

Supplies:

• Stencils or shape cutouts or cookie cutters
• Black paper
• Scissors
• Craft pumpkin
• Velcro dots

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My son asked if he could help me prepare the shape cut outs. He was able to practice some tracing and then we cut out our shapes. We started by tracing shapes onto the black paper.

Then, we cut them all out. I suggest you cut out at least two of every basic shape: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star and oval.

If you don’t have plastic shape stencils, cookie cutters work well.

After the shapes are cut, they can be laminated, covered in clear contact paper, or clear packing tape to help keep them durable.

Take one of the pumpkins and stick Velcro dots on for eyes. Then stick one where the nose will go. And add one for the mouth.

I cut out different-sized shapes so that the big shape could be the mouth and the small ones could be the eyes and nose. But it really does not matter unless you would like to work on a size comparison activity. Cut out more than one of each shape for more variety.

Pumpkin shape learning activity

Sitting with my toddler, I showed her a shape, asked her what it was called. When she named it she took it from me and placed it on the pumpkin.

Below are the two faces she put together while we played one morning.

You could use one shape at a time if you want to emphasize that shape name. For example, use only the heart cut outs or only the squares. This helps emphasize the shape name for a younger toddler.

I would use shapes that your child has trouble naming too. This helps them practice! I made sure to make ovals and rectangles since those are two that we still need to work on in our house.

She placed the shapes and took them off. Then she made a new face. I stored the laminated shapes in a plastic pouch so this shape learning pumpkin activity could be used over again.

A great extension activity is after a shape face is made, have your child draw the face they on paper. This extends the learning. We always try to end our preschool learning with some paper drawing time to help connect learning and writing skills together – even at these early ages where writing is still scribbles on paper.

What do you think of this twist on a pumpkin Mr. Potato Head? Check out more fun fall activities in the post 9 Halloween Activities and Crafts.