A Pumpkin Name Craft with 10 Amazing Book Recommendations

As autumn leaves begin to fall and a cool breeze fills the air, the season of pumpkins and all things cozy is upon us. For young kids, this time of year is a magical journey filled with colorful foliage, Halloween costumes, and the anticipation of Thanksgiving feasts. It’s also the perfect time to engage young minds in creative and educational activities that celebrate the spirit of the season. One such delightful activity that combines learning with artistic expression is a Pumpkin Name Craft!

Imagine your little one’s excitement as they complete a pumpkin-themed craft that fosters their creativity and helps them master one of the most critical aspects of early childhood education: learning to spell and write their own name. Please read all about it below!

What is the Pumpkin Name Craft

A name craft is a great way to practice letter recognition and name spelling. The kids will create their own adorable orange pumpkin and then add the letters of their names. They can do this by writing the letters or using the little seeds on the template.

There’s also a space to count how many letters are in each name and record that. Kids will love counting the letters in their names and writing them on the seeds! Display them on your hallway bulletin board for a festive theme in the classroom.

The Pumpkin Name Craft comes in a regular pumpkin shape or a rounded square shape! If you’ve read the story of Spookley, the square version is perfect!

If you’re a visual person, you can watch this quick video to see how easy it is to create your own pumpkin name craft.

Color Your Own Pumpkin Name Craft

One awesome aspect of this craft is that you can print it on plain white paper and have students color the pieces on their own. The kids will love getting creative by adding their own colors to each piece.

If you are trying to find ways to use the pumpkin name craft, try these:

• Place them in math or literacy centers.
• Put them out during morning work times as kids enter the room.
• Keep them on hand for rainy-day activities.
• Put them into your sub plans.
• Use the crafts during small group intervention times.

Pumpkin Books Kids Will Love

Crafts are ALWAYS perfect with a cute story! Before creating an adorable pumpkin name craft with your little ones, try reading one of these amazing stories. There are books to teach about the life cycle, fiction stories, and cute little rhymes!

1. “Pumpkin Jack” by Will Hubbell – Follow the life cycle of a pumpkin from a seed to its transformation into Jack, a jack-o’-lantern, in this beautifully illustrated book.
2. “The Pumpkin Book” by Gail Gibbons – A comprehensive and educational book that explores everything about pumpkins, from their growth cycle to their uses in cooking and carving.
3. “Too Many Pumpkins” by Linda White – Join Rebecca Estelle, who initially dislikes pumpkins but has a change of heart when a huge pumpkin crop takes over her garden. A heartwarming tale of sharing and community.
4. “Pumpkin Soup” by Helen Cooper – Three friends, Cat, Squirrel, and Duck, make pumpkin soup together every day until one day, Duck decides he wants to stir the soup. A charming story of friendship and cooperation.
5. “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever” by Steven Kroll – Two mice, Clayton and Desmond, unknowingly compete to grow the biggest pumpkin in the neighborhood. A sweet story about friendship and teamwork.
6. “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?” by Margaret McNamara – Follow along as Mr. Tiffin’s class learns about estimation, counting, and more through the fun activity of counting pumpkin seeds.
7. “Pumpkin Moonshine” by Tasha Tudor – Join Sylvie Ann as she goes on a magical adventure to find the perfect pumpkin for Halloween in this beautifully illustrated book.
8. “It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!” by Laura Numeroff – Part of the beloved “If You Give…” series, this book features Mouse and his friends celebrating Pumpkin Day with a fun and interactive story.
9. “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” by Linda Williams – While not entirely about pumpkins, this Halloween-themed story includes a memorable encounter with a pumpkin head that’s perfect for the season.
10. “Big Pumpkin” by Erica Silverman – A humorous and engaging story about a witch who wants to make pumpkin pie but faces a challenge when she can’t lift her giant pumpkin.

These books are filled with pumpkin-themed adventures, valuable life lessons, and colorful illustrations that will captivate young readers and make pumpkin season even more exciting!

Even More Name Crafts for Kids

I love doing name crafts with my kiddos. If you do too, you’ll love this giant name craft bundle. There’s something for every month and every theme. In this bundle, you’ll find:

• Owl Name Craft
• Gingerbread House Name Craft
• New Year Name Hat Craft
• Snowman Name Craft
• Hibernation Bear Name Craft
• Shamrock Name Craft
• Easter Basket Name Craft
• Rainbow Name Craft
• Kite Name Craft
• Caterpillar Name Craft
• Dinosaur Name Craft
• Rocket Name Craft
• Flower Name Craft
• Cactus Name Craft

The name crafts are some of my favorite activities so I hope you enjoy creating them with your students! Print them out for a simple activity any time of the year! Happy crafting!