25 Creative No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Kids

If you don’t want to carve pumpkins this year, you’re gonna love these no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas for kids!

Carving jack-o-lanterns is a tradition that’s been around for a long time. But if you’re anything like me, the idea of having your kids around carving utensils is a little scary!

Plus, I’m just not a huge fan of dealing with the pumpkin guts
 and the huge mess they make.

Thankfully, there are fun and clever ways to decorate pumpkins without carving them – and I’m bringing you some of my very favorite ideas.

Halloween is a prime holiday for crafting of all types. It’s just ripe with ideas for kids to participate in, no wonder it’s such a fun holiday!

Related post: 25+ Halloween Arts and Crafts for Preschoolers

25 No Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Kids

The days of Halloween pumpkins all being carved with generally similar results are long gone. Current pumpkin decorating techniques can involve carving, painting, stickers, drilling, poking, gluing, crayons, electrical wire and so much more.

We’ve all been amazed at the elaborately carved and etched Jack-O-Lanterns on Pinterest or at Halloween festivals. But don’t look for that here. 😉

We’ve done the pumpkin carving thing…and honestly, it’s not my favorite. It’s messy, ridden with dangers with 3 boys handling carving blades, and the pumpkins rot faster once they’re carved.

No, thank you! This year, I wanted some mess-free ways to use as an alternative to traditional jack-o-lantern carving.

As I was brainstorming Halloween pumpkin decorating methods (and searching the internet for ideas) this week, I had a total “why didn’t I think of that?!” morning.  I’m reminded again of just how creative people can be with so little – it’s the perfect Halloween craft! 

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I’ve limited my list to pumpkin projects that don’t require an art school degree or the natural artistic ability of a DaVinci.

All the pumpkin decorating ideas for kids on this list are things I can do, which means they have to be pretty easy. What’s more – they’re things kids can do (or help with).

Check them out…along with these other Halloween decoration ideas, and don’t forget to enjoy some fun and easy Halloween crafts like my Toilet Paper Roll Monsters Halloween Craft or Spider Web Popsicle Stick Craft that kids of all ages can do!

1. Dig Out Your Hand-Held Drill to Do the Carving | The Garden Glove

It’s easy to make pre-marked designs, but even randomly drilled holes look great. Check out this gorgeous pumpkin decorating idea.

Cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin (yes, bottom works very well), scoop out the gunk and add a tea light, battery-operated candle, or even a string of mini lights and you’re done. Like beautiful luminaries!

2. Peek-A-Boo Pumpkins | Better Homes & Gardens

I know I said no-carve ideas…cutting the top off isn’t really carving, is it? This idea is so easy and so unexpected with a plain pumpkin. A sassy peek-a-boo guy will draw plenty of smiles from everyone who sees it.  Why didn’t I think of that?

3. Googly-Eyed Peek-a-Boo Pumpkins | HGTV

Or try this inside variation to add a real smile-getter to your kitchen counter. Your kids will go crazy over these fun googly-eyed pumpkins!

Pumpkin Painting Ideas For Kids

If you or your kids like painting, you can easily turn a real or faux pumpkin into any number of fun creations using all your favorite colors. Check out these ideas.

4. Chic Studded Pumpkins | Erica Brechtel

DIY Chic – these pumpkins make beautiful decor for your home. If you want a more kid-centric version, add colorful stickers, thumbtacks, map pins, small pom poms with craft glue Decorate them with really anything at all!

5. Black Cat No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Idea | HGTV

These painted black cat pumpkins manage to seem both fresh and traditional at the same time while also being deceptively easy to make. All you need is some black paint or some faux black pumpkins to make spooky black cats. 

No Halloween party would be complete without these unique Halloween decorations on your front porch to greet your guests.

6. Fingerprint-Painted Pumpkins | Handmade Charlotte

Painted fingerprint ghosts take only minutes and look fun and unique! You can customize them with orange pumpkins or white pumpkins and Sharpie marker in any and all colors you love.

7. Black Bat Pumpkin | Scrap Lifters

Love bats? Make these easy black bat pumpkins – they hardly take any time at all. Oh, and a few pumpkin painting tips might come in handy.

8. Try Different Paint Patterns | Vandifair

Check out all the different paint patterns you can try! Get some simple but fun painting ideas from this display.

9. Watercolor No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Kids | Lines Across

This idea is so cute! With just a few supplies, you can use this technique on real or faux pumpkins. If you use an orange pumpkin, create the base with some white paint then watercolor over them. 

Kids love using watercolors – and you’ll get some very unique finished products!

10. Drip Painting Pumpkins | Momdot

This just might be my favorite idea on this list! I love the creativity, the ease, and the colorful options! Plus, show me a kid who doesn’t love playing with paint – or dripping it on things. 😉

11. Candy Corn Pumpkin Painting | A Thrifty Mom

Do you love candy corn? Then you may love this easy pumpkin painting idea for kids. All you need is a little white and yellow paint!

12. Caterpillar Pumpkin | Midwest Living

Who could resist this guy? Paint several pumpkins and join them together in a curvy line to create an adorable caterpillar. Use paint, adhesive dots, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. Easy peasy!

13. Glow in the Dark Painted Pumpkins | I Love to Create

Have you tried glow in the dark paint for extra Halloween spark? It’s easy to paint pumpkins to make a huge variety of patterns, and the final result looks amazing both day and night. 

Don’t forget to charge the paint in the light during the day so the kids will go crazy for them at night!

14. Marbled Pumpkins | Artsy Fartsy Momma

Marbled pumpkins with nail polish are as easy as they are pretty! 

15. An Explosion of Color | Color Made Happy

Here’s a different marbled look. I LOVE all the colors used on these pumpkins. They are just amazing.

16. Add Some Paint & Stickers | A Kailo Chic Life

Nothing says that Halloween pumpkins have to be orange, black or white – or scary! Have fun playing with other colors then add Cricut vinyl stickers you make. Or just add foam stickers for a very kid-friendly project!

17. Mummy Pumpkins | Mother’s Niche

Quick. Easy. Cheap. Does pumpkin decorating get any better than that? My kids love mummies, so we’ll probably make this one – how about you? What a fun pumpkin decorating idea for kids – it’s full of Halloween spirit!

18. Melted Crayon No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Idea | Mom Spark

This may not be a pumpkin painting idea per se, but it’s definitely “painting” in my book. And it’s so fun and easy, that this method is one of my favorite pumpkin decorating ideas for kids that we’re trying this year!

Here’s a great use for all those broken crayons you keep running into.  And I love that it uses a fake pumpkin, so you can make it once and pull it back out year after year!

19. Pumpkin Polka Dot Stickers | Etsy

How fun is this idea? Another perfect for little kids idea that is super easy and fast – and affordable too. Just grab some stickers, let the kids decorate to their hearts content and done! It’s one of the easiest pumpkin decorating ideas for kids.

20. Toothpick Hedgehog | Parents

The toothpicks on this hedgehog take a little longer, but isn’t he cute and different from anything else you’ve seen? What a unique way to decorate Halloween pumpkins!

21. Pom Pom No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Idea | Parents

You can make this design with a melon baller or you could achieve the same idea in a less messy way with crafting pom poms and some hot glue. Either way, you can end up with a fun and colorful finished product!

22. No-Carve Spiderweb Pumpkin Painting Idea for Kids | Lowes

How about a spiderweb pumpkin? You can do this simple no-carve pumpkin decorating idea on a real or fake pumpkin, and all you need is a tube of chalk!

23. Add A Witch Hat | Wildly Charmed

Make this simple witches hat design with common crafting tools instead of power tools or carving tools. 

And you don’t need to make a witch you can use any kind of hat! Favorite sports team? Fishing hat?  Southern belle?  Sunbonnet?  Anything goes.

24. Add Some Glitter | No Time For Flashcards

Maybe you’d like a little glam and want to add some shine.  Glitter goes a long way and may just be the answer. It’s easy to do and perfect for toddlers who want to help!

25. Write it Out | Jennifer Allwood Home

Or…you could paint your pumpkin with chalkboard paint and write a message with chalk. The message could change every day (like a count down to Halloween) or it could say something spooky or simple such as “Happy Halloween”.

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Kids – Kits Get It Done & Still Look Great

Sometimes we just want to get something done with minimal effort or time commitment – right?  Have a look at these kits to make pumpkin decorating practically effortless.

Sticker Kit

Here’s the secret to making fun jack-o-lanterns without carving your pumpkins. Let the kids choose the stickers they like and keep the mess down to almost nothing.

Etsy has some fun ones too.

Pumpkin Parts Poke-In Kit

I’ve personally used this idea for years. They’re fast, make no mess at all, and offer really cute kid-friendly choices!

I love some of the more unique options that Etsy has 🙂

Creepy Pumpkin People

If you want to go slightly more creepy and less cute, these pumpkin people kids have you covered. Talk about easy! 

You can also find some fun poke-in options on Etsy, like this fun scared cat!

No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Kids – Final Thoughts

There ya go! What do you think of these 25 different ideas? Fun, right?  Did you see any pumpkin decorating ideas for kids that looked right for you and your family? 

I really hope you saw several no-carve pumpkin ideas you’d like to try or that made you think of something even cooler.

Pumpkin decorating with kids is a fun tradition to do every year – and I love even more now that I’m thinking beyond just carving pumpkins!

Whatever you do with your pumpkins this year, please stay safe, help keep others safe, and have a Spooky Happy Halloween!

More Halloween Fun

If you loved these no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas for kids, you’ll also love these other fun Halloween ideas and resources!

• How To Make Halloween Witch Cupcakes
• Bone Breadsticks For Halloween
• Graveyard Oreo Halloween Dirt Cups Dessert
• Quick & Easy Mommy and Me Halloween Costume Ideas
• The Best Helpful Halloween Safety Tips for Parents
• Watch Over 100 of the Best Family Halloween Movies

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