Build a Jack-o-Lantern Sensory Activity for Littles!
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Looking for a fun Halloween activity that’s both creative and educational? This Jack-o-Lantern sensory activity for kids is a fantastic way to engage young children (think preschoolers and kindergarteners) while fostering fine motor skills, critical thinking, and imaginative play.
The best part? It’s reusable, mess-free, and perfect for busy moms looking for an easy craft that keeps kids of all ages entertained during the Halloween season.
Now, while this activity is geared toward younger children, older kids can still participate in the fun, especially helping to set up the activity for their younger siblings or peers. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Halloween-themed sensory activity?
Why Kids and Parents Love This Jack-O-Lantern Sensory Activity
This activity has all the components of a really fun, but not-so-scary Halloween activity. Kids love it because they get to design their own Jack-o-Lantern face, mixing and matching pieces to create silly or spooky pumpkins! Meanwhile, parents appreciate how it supports their sensory experiences and helps develop fine motor skills in a playful, low-pressure way.
Whether your little one is using buttons for eyes, feeling the texture of pipe cleaners, or sticking on colorful pom poms, they’ll be having so much fun they won’t even realize how much they’re learning.
From identifying different shapes to mixing and matching colors, it’s endless fun with endless opportunities to build upon and make this little activity unique for your child. Plus, it’s a great way to start conversations about Halloween traditions like pumpkin carving—minus the mess!
Another reason this activity is such a hit is its versatility. It’s designed to be repeated over and over again. Because we don’t use glue or tape, your kids can build new pumpkin faces as many times as they like, switching between different emotions and shapes.
Simply store everything in a ziploc bag or container when you’re done, and you’ll have an activity ready to go for another day. Pro tip: It’s also a perfect way to explore emotions by creating happy, scared, or surprised pumpkins. How many emotions will your little one be able to identify and put together?
Whether you’re enjoying a cozy afternoon at home or need something fun for long car rides, this Jack-o-Lantern sensory activity is an easy solution bound to boost everyone’s Halloween spirit.
Lastly, this Jack-o-Lantern sensory activity is more than just a fun way to celebrate the spooky season. It supports your child’s sensory development!
Children can strengthen fine motor skills, improve their social skills through play, and even engage in critical thinking as they choose different designs and engage in this sensory experience.
You’ll love how easy it is to set up and store, making it one of those favorite activities you can pull out any time. And if you think this one is easy, you can use the same idea to replicate it for other holidays, like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and more!
Supplies You’ll Need
Be sure to grab these items (if you don’t already have them lying around) for your activity:
- Orange and Yellow Felt (to create the pumpkin and face features)
- Pom Poms (choose a variety of textures, colors, and sizes)
- Pipe Cleaners (cut into 1-2 inch segments)
- Googly Eyes (different sizes for added fun)
- Buttons (perfect for eyes or extra decoration)
- Felt Leaf Stickers (optional, for a fall touch)
How to Set Up The Jack-O-Lantern Sensory Activity
1. Prep Your Pumpkin Base: Cut the orange felt into a large pumpkin shape. This will act as the base for your child’s design.
2. Create the Face Pieces: Use the yellow felt to cut out different shapes for eyes, noses, and mouths. Be creative! Include a few variants for each feature—big round eyes, triangle noses, and even some silly or surprised mouth shapes. Keep in mind that you can use any color for these shapes, we just chose to do yellow because it’s a fun fall color.
3. Set Up Your Craft Station: Lay out the pom poms, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and buttons. Make sure to have a range of textures and sizes, which will make this a great sensory experience for little hands. We love using circular sensory bins with inserts to divide craft supplies, just like this one here.
4. Invite Kids to Play: Encourage your kids to explore the different pieces and build their pumpkin faces. You can ask them to make a happy pumpkin, a spooky one, a pumpkin with square eyes, or even try a game of creating surprised pumpkin faces!
5. Boost Sensory Learning: As your kids play, prompt them to describe what they feel. For example, “Is this pom pom soft or rough? Is this pipe cleaner bumpy or smooth?” This simple addition turns the activity into a rich sensory experience.
6. Practice Sorting and Counting: After designing a few pumpkins, challenge your child to sort the pieces by shape or count how many googly eyes they’ve used. This helps build early math skills while they’re having a lot of fun! If this is easy for your little one, introduce some pattern play with them. See if they can create a pattern on their pumpkin, etc…
This Jack-o-Lantern sensory activity is the perfect combination of the Halloween favorite, a jack o’lantern, and sensory play. Whether it’s your first time doing this activity or it’s become a seasonal tradition, younger kids will enjoy the chance to create their own pumpkin crafts and explore different ways to express their creativity. As a busy mom, you’ll love how quick and easy this setup is, and your little ones will adore the sensory fun they get to dive into.
For more fun Halloween activities and sensory play ideas, don’t forget to check out the related posts below!
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