This activity takes pumpkin carving and pumpkin painting to the next step for a toddler!
Ask them to help you clean out the insides of the pumpkin to get it ready for painting or carving: Cut off the top yourself (definitely don't let your kid near a sharp knife!), and then have them help you scoop out all the seeds, stringy guts from inside the pumpkin. If they don't want to put their hand inside the pumpkin, you can give them a large serving spoon and have the "help" or just scoop out the insides and let them play with the slimy texture in a bowl.
Then I recommend painting the pumpkin (instead of carving it) so your child can be more involved with the whole project from start to finish.
Another idea is to get your child their own little pumpkin to paint (they don't even have to scoop this one out). This way they get to participate AND your get to decorate your other pumpkin how you want it. Because let's face it, a pumpkin painted by a toddler is probably not going to be something you want to display on your front porch. 🙂
I would LOVE to see how your pumpkins turn out! Don't forget to use the hashtag #52weeksofsensory and tag @highchairchronicles if you post any pictures on social media.
Psst, if you happened to come across this page and are wondering what the heck this is all about: We are doing the 52 Weeks of Sensory challenge. Come join us!