4 Creative Pumpkin Activities to Spark Fall Magic in Your Classroom

This is the PERFECT time to bring pumpkin activities into the classroom! Many teachers take their students on fall scavenger hunts, integrate the changing colours of the leaves into art lessons, and read seasonal picture books, but have you ever thought of bringing pumpkins into your classroom?

I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little hesitant the first year I tried this with primary students. Part of me thought I was setting myself up for disaster, but I was completely sold when I saw the incredible learning that came from these simple pumpkin activities!

🎃 Language Arts Pumpkin Activities

There are countless picture books to launch your fall lessons, from silly pumpkin adventures to non-fiction texts about life cycles and growth. Books are the perfect way to kick off a pumpkin unit and inspire all sorts of creative pumpkin activities in language arts.

Here are a few of my personal favourites (click each title for more details):

• The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
• How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara
• Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
• How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor
• Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum
• The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry
• Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
• The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

Once you’ve shared a few mentor texts, extend the learning with engaging literacy pumpkin activities such as:

• Writing a “How-To” piece about carving or decorating a pumpkin
• Creating a sensory poem describing pumpkins using the five senses
• Comparing fiction and non-fiction pumpkin books with a Venn diagram
• Building vocabulary by sorting pumpkin-related words into parts of speech

These pumpkin activities build reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary skills while keeping your students immersed in seasonal fun.

🎃 Mathematics Pumpkin Activities

When it comes to math, the possibilities are as big as your pumpkins! My favourite way to use pumpkins in the classroom is through measurement-focused pumpkin activities.

Each fall, I bring pumpkins into my classroom for a full day of investigation. We start with simple observations and estimates:

• How many lines (ribs) does it have?
• How tall do you think your pumpkin is?
• How much might it weigh?
• How many seeds might it contain?

Then, we test our predictions through hands-on pumpkin math activities like:

Students love getting messy, especially when they’re elbow-deep in pumpkin slime! These activities are perfect for combining math, science, and teamwork in one unforgettable fall lesson.

👉 Explore my Pumpkin Investigations resource for ready-to-use templates and recording sheets.

🎃 Science Pumpkin Activities

Pumpkins offer endless opportunities for hands-on science lessons. You can easily connect them to your curriculum through pumpkin activities such as:

• Life cycle investigations: observing seeds sprouting and growing
• Sink or float experiments: testing predictions about density and mass
• Decomposition studies: observing changes over time outdoors or in a terrarium
• Weather and environment observations: tracking how temperature and sunlight affect decay

These science-based pumpkin activities foster curiosity, critical thinking, and real-world connections.

🎃 Art Pumpkin Activities

Fall is full of colour and creativity; the perfect time to mix art into your pumpkin theme! Try these pumpkin art activities in your classroom:

• Paint pumpkins in the style of famous artists like Van Gogh or Mondrian
• Create symmetrical jack-o’-lantern designs for a geometry connection
• Build mosaics or collages using pumpkin seeds and natural materials
• Decorate paper pumpkins with texture rubbings or warm-coloured pastels

Your students will love expressing themselves through these seasonal art projects, and your bulletin boards will look amazing! You can find a pile of other creative pumpkin art activities on this Pinterest board!

🎃 Getting Started with Pumpkin Activities

Ready to give pumpkin activities a try? Start simple! Grab a few pumpkins, some measuring tools, and a sense of adventure!

My Pumpkin Investigations resource includes everything you need for a full day of hands-on fall learning.

And when October rolls around, don’t forget to teach Halloween safety too! Check out this post for inspiration and grab a freebie! (No tricks here!)

📌 Share the Fall Fun

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please share it with your colleagues on Facebook or pin it on Pinterest so more teachers can discover the joy of pumpkin activities in their classrooms this fall.