Painting Pumpkins with Toddlers

Miss O is 16 months old so we decided that painting a pumpkin might be a lot more fun and involving than carving a pumpkin. We purchased a white pumpkin along with some non-toxic water-based acrylic paint and some paint brushes & foam brushes for her to use. The paint was purchased from the dollar store which meant there was limited selection of colours so I went with a pastel motif!

We gave Miss O a large area to work with by protecting a big space on the floor in the kitchen/hallway. I put the four colours each into their own dish along with a foam brush & paint brush for each. We stripped her down to a diaper and sent her on her way. Miss O is not a big fan of mess, probably because I rarely let her paint (I’m a high-strung mama who detests mess – particularly cleaning it up!). She started by using the foam brushes and let out a resounding, “uh-oh!” when she dripped paint on her belly. She enjoyed mixing the paint colours onto the foam brushes then dabbing them onto the pumpkin. Eventually we painted her hands and encouraged her to put them all over the pumpkin. She had a blast until the very end when she decided to put her paint-covered hand into her mouth! All enjoyment was gone once I cleaned her mouth out with a cloth…

All-in-all I  think it was a success. The pumpkin looks fantastic, she had a lot of fun and she got to experience something new. It was also a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon together as a family. I highly recommend painting a pumpkin for any age – if your baby is crawling then they can paint a pumpkin! I also suggest watching those sneaky little hands closely so they don’t get a mouthful of paint…

Will your house feature painted pumpkins this year?