Pumpkin Decorating Speech and Language Activities

Pumpkin decorating is one of our favorite seasonal speech therapy activities! It’s fun, creative, and offers many natural opportunities for targeting articulation, receptive language, expressive language, social communication, and more.

We’ve included five pumpkin decorating ideas plus ways to build speech and language skills while getting into the Halloween spirit. Scroll down to find them!

How to Target Speech and Language While Decorating Pumpkins

Prepositions: You can teach and review many prepositions including in, on, under, above, around. For example, you can instruct a client to draw a circle around the stem or to point to the eye next to the sparkles.
Sequencing: Follow a visual step-by-step sequence while decorating. Write and/or draw out each step, such as picking a pumpkin, gathering supplies, decorating it, and taking it home. You may create the visual ahead of time or encourage the client to think through the steps first, then complete the pumpkin decorating activity.
Following directions: Work on single-step and multi-step directions as you decorate your pumpkins. If you are working in a group or in teams, consider having each individual be responsible for delivering one direction. This can be a great opportunity for individuals to take turns having a leadership position and giving a concise direction to a group.
Descriptive concepts: Emphasize adjectives as you describe pumpkins and decorations. For example, you may talk about the size of the pumpkin, what it feels like, and what the decorations look like. Afterwards, encourage clients to describe their pumpkins in a few words or sentences, depending on their skill level.
Body parts: For pumpkins with facial features, you can easily label and identify different parts (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth). You can then generalize these skills by asking clients to label/identify the facial features on their own faces, too!
Social (pragmatic skills): Practice requesting materials and/or turn-taking if individuals are working with others to decorate one pumpkin. by alternating decorating steps.

Pumpkin designs*

*General design tip: Pumpkin decorating is fun, but can also be messy! Decorating on a flat, large surface that can be covered with an old sheet or newspapers can help for easy cleanup.

Looking for fake pumpkins and arts and craft supplies? Check out some of the links below:

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

1) Classic Jack-O-Lantern

Materials:

Medium to large pumpkin
Writing utensil
Serrated knife
Spoon
Small candle/tea light
Lighter

Directions:

Draw a circle around the stem of the pumpkin and stencil areas around the face you wish to carve
With adult assistance or supervision, use the knife to cut a hole around the stem (following the circle outline)
Use the spoon or your hands to remove all seeds and insides of the pumpkin and dispose (or save to bake at another time!)
Use the knife to carve into the face design that was initially stenciled
Place the candle/tea light within the pumpkin and light!

2) Sparkly Mini Pumpkins

Materials:

Mini or small pumpkin
Glitter (single or multiple colors)
Adhesive spray
Tape
Spoon

Directions:

If you do not want glitter on your stem, cover with tape to protect from adhesive (tip: use tape to cover wherever you want your pumpkin to be glitter free!)
Use adhesive spray to coat the pumpkin
Take the spoon to sprinkle glitter over the area sprayed with adhesive
Shake the pumpkin gently and let the loose glitter fall off
Repeat if desired or to add combinations of colors

3) Funny Face Pumpkins

Materials:

Any sized pumpkin
Face materials (use materials of your choosing - e.g., felt fabric sheets, googly eyes, sparkly cotton balls, etc.)
Scissors
School or tacky glue

Directions:

Select the material(s) of your choosing for your pumpkin’s facial features
If using something like tissue paper or felt fabric, use the scissors to cut into shapes (you will at minimum need 2 eyes, 1 nose, and 1 mouth)
Gently squeeze the glue on the back of each body part to be placed
Continue until you have placed all desired body parts on the pumpkin

4) Spooky Scary Pumpkin

Materials:

Any sized pumpkin
Cotton balls
Black spray paint
Pack of plastic spiders
Adhesive spray (if needed)

Directions:

Coat the entire pumpkin with the back spray paint
Gently pull apart the fibers of the cotton balls to get a spider-web/cobweb appearance
Wrap the pulled-apart cotton balls around the pumpkin and stem (if needed, also use adhesive spray for this step)
Place the desired amount of plastic spiders within the web of cotton balls

5) Mummy Pumpkins

Materials:

Any sized pumpkin
Cheesecloth or gauze
Tape
Adhesive spray
Googly eyes
School or tacky glue
Hairspray

Directions:

If you do not want decor on your stem, cover with tape to protect from adhesive
Use adhesive spray to coat the pumpkin
Take the cheesecloth or gauze and wrap around the entire pumpkin, leaving a small slit towards the top on one side (for the eyes)
Use the school or tacky glue to paste the last thread of the cheesecloth/gauze to the pumpkin
Use the school or tacky glue and apply to the googly eyes
Place the googly eyes in the small exposed slit on the pumpkin’s surface
Spray the coat of the cheesecloth/gauze with hairspray to stiffen