I had been thinking (already!) about Pumpkin carving ideas for my Sammy. It is tough – pumpkin carving with a 3 year old. They are too little to carve, but I knew Sammy would want to do more then paint. So, as I was pondering, a light bulb went on (ha!) What about a Lite-Brite Pumpkin!
This pumpkin carving idea was so simple! We cleaned out the pumpkin and scraped one side of the pumpkin (where I wanted the face) quite thin. Then I used the end of a long, thin spoon to poke holes in the shape of the pumpkins eyes, nose, and mouth.
I checked after a few holes to be sure the Lite-Bright pieces would be the right fit. A skewer would work well too. When I had put all the holes in, I pushed the Lite-Bright pieces in each hole … just to be sure of the fit …
And then I put a flashlight inside … just to be sure …. oh who am I kidding – that was just for fun!!
The picture really doesn’t do it justice. It looks really neat! The Lite-Bright pieces really glow perfectly – just like a Lite-Brite.
Then, I finally decided to share and gave Sammy the pumpkin and the Lite-Brite pieces.
He loved it! He was able to complete this pumpkin carving activity completely independently. And it was an excellent activity for his developing fine-motor skills.
And great for his Self- Confidence … because he did it all on his own!! We took it into a dark room so he could see it glow. He was so excited.
This was one activity that Sammy wanted to do again and again. And the pumpkin has held up great! So far he has put the Lite-Bright pieces in and out 3 times (and I have done it once … or maybe twice) and it still looks great.
Pumpkin carving ideas for kids can be tricky and time consuming for parents. This one still definitely took me some time (the scraping and poking) but it was well worth it in the end, as Sammy has easily spent 3 times as long playing with his pumpkin.
I know you have creative pumpkin carving ideas – and I would really love you to share them! Please tell us, what pumpkin carving ideas have you used?
Fantastic idea ! Our kids always loved to use the Lite Bright. I know they would have loved this idea !
Thank you Lynne!
Well Done Sammy! ( and Mommy) your Pumpkin looks wonderful…. .
Thank you – he was so very proud!
Last year we drilled our pumpkins, it was so much easier than trying to carve them with a 4 and 2.5 year old! I am thinking we could use the smallest size and add the lite brites! Thanks for the inspiration!
Drilling is genius!! A big time saver for sure – great idea!!!
Love this!! Thanks for sharing on the Discover and Explore linky!
This is so unique and creative! CUTE! Thank you for linking up at Toddler and Preschool Moms Pinning Party!
Very cute Idea!! My PPCd children are going to love this new twist, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Anessa! Glad you stopped by – and thank you for taking the time to comment
How fun and colorful! Featured you this week on Mom’s Library!
how clever!!! Love this, and I will be sharing.. way to think outside the box! (or in this case the pumpkin 🙂 )
Thank you so much for sharing!
Such a fun and clever idea! And perfect for the littlest of kiddos.
If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll stop over and link this up to the Perfectly Pumpkin Contest at B-Inspired Mama!
We did this a couple years ago and it was a hit! I love that there was finally a carving activity for my littlest =)
Yours came out super cute =)
Beth
Oh Beth I would love to see what you did with the lite brite! Yes, it is so nice to have something even the wee-est can participate in for Halloween Pumpkin Carving!