These pumpkin circle time activities for preschool bring songs, stories, simple science, counting, sorting, and creative activities together in one fall theme. Children explore a real pumpkin, discover how pumpkins grow, investigate what is inside, and compare pumpkins of different colors and sizes.
My Preschool Circle Time: Pumpkins packet includes five daily lesson plans, teaching posters, song visuals, and related printables. Follow the complete sequence for a week of pumpkin learning, or choose individual activities to complement your existing fall plans.
A Week of Pumpkin Circle Time Activities for Preschool
The lessons are organized into five daily themes:
- Day 1: Introduction to Pumpkins. Observe a real pumpkin and describe its appearance.
- Day 2: The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin. Explore how a pumpkin grows from a seed.
- Day 3: Parts of a Pumpkin. Investigate the outside and inside of a pumpkin.
- Day 4: Pumpkin Colors and Sizes. Sort, count, and compare pumpkins.
- Day 5: Pumpkin Art and Sensory Play. Create pumpkin seed art and explore pumpkin themed materials.
Each day includes an introduction, a song, a suggested read aloud with discussion prompts, and a related activity. The additional crafts and worksheets can be completed in small groups, during center time, or at another point in the day. You do not need to fit every printable into one circle time session.
Try the Free Pumpkin Circle Time Sample
Take a closer look at the resource with the free Pumpkin Circle Time sample. It includes selected lesson pages, a Pumpkin Life Cycle poster, a pumpkin craft in color and black and white, and the Counting Pumpkin Seeds 1 worksheet.
Use the sample to explore the lesson format and try a few printable activities before purchasing the complete packet.
Day 1: Introduction to Pumpkins
Begin by inviting children to share what they already know about pumpkins. Have they seen one growing, picked one at a pumpkin patch, or helped explore one at home?
The suggested read aloud is The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders. Before reading, invite children to predict what might happen when a pumpkin starts rolling away. Afterward, discuss what they would do if they saw a large pumpkin rolling down the street.
The Pumpkins on the Vine Song
Throughout the week, children sing “The Pumpkins on the Vine” to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.” The packet includes a complete song poster, five individual verse posters, and orange, green, and white pumpkin props.
Children can make a large circle with their arms, pretend to scoop out seeds, rub their hands together, and point to the top of their heads to represent a stem. They can also show big and small with their hands and hold up the matching pumpkin colors.
The same song is revisited each day, giving children opportunities to connect its words with the pumpkins, posters, and activities they are exploring. Attach the printable pumpkin props to craft sticks, or prepare them for use on a felt board or magnetic board.
Explore a Real Pumpkin
Place a real pumpkin where children can take turns examining it. Provide a magnifying glass and invite them to look closely at the skin, stem, and shape.
Encourage children to describe what they notice. Does the pumpkin feel smooth or bumpy? What does its stem look like? The included Pumpkin on a Vine photo poster provides another reference as children discuss where pumpkins grow.
Pumpkin Shape Craft
The pumpkin craft uses five oval pieces and a rectangular stem. Children cut out the shapes and glue them onto another sheet of paper to create a pumpkin.
A color version is included, along with a black and white version that children can color or paint before assembling. This activity connects the pumpkin theme with cutting, arranging shapes, and gluing.
Pumpkin Cutting Practice
The cutting pages provide straight, zigzag, and wavy paths beneath pumpkin pictures. Choose the page that suits each child’s current scissor skills.
Children cut along the dotted paths toward the pumpkin. These pages can be offered separately from the craft so children can focus on one cutting task at a time.
Day 2: Pumpkin Life Cycle Activities for Preschool
On the second day, the focus moves from observing a pumpkin to learning how it grows.
The suggested read aloud is From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer. Use the discussion prompts to talk about what happens after a pumpkin begins as a seed and what it needs to grow.
Pumpkin Life Cycle Poster
The Pumpkin Life Cycle poster shows four stages: seeds, sprout, flower, and pumpkin.
Follow the arrows around the poster and name each stage together. Encourage children to describe what comes next and to notice how the pictures change as they move around the cycle.
Pumpkin Life Cycle Sequencing Worksheet
Children color the life cycle pictures, cut them out, and glue them into the corresponding spaces on the worksheet. The picture guides provide a reference as they arrange the sequence.
After completing the page, invite children to point to the pictures and describe the order.
Pumpkin Color by Code
The additional Color by Code worksheet combines a pumpkin picture with number and color matching. Children use the numbered crayon key to identify the color for each section.
The code uses numbers 1 to 6. Offer this page as an additional activity for children who are ready to follow a number key and work with smaller coloring spaces.
Planting Pumpkin Seeds
Extend the Day 2 lesson by planting a pumpkin seed in a clear cup so children can observe its growth over time. This optional activity connects the pumpkin life cycle worksheet with a real growing plant.
Revisit the cup over the following days and encourage children to describe any changes they notice. Return to the questions discussed during the story: What happens after a seed is planted? What does a pumpkin plant need to grow?
Day 3: Parts of a Pumpkin Activities
Day 3 invites children to discover what is inside a pumpkin. Before showing the inside, ask them what they think they will find. Will it be empty, or will something be hiding beneath the shell?
The suggested read aloud is The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons. After reading, connect the discussion to the real pumpkin and the included teaching posters.
Parts of a Pumpkin Posters
The Parts of a Pumpkin posters use a photograph of a cut pumpkin to identify its different parts. Two labeling versions are included, along with matching pages containing explanations.
One version uses the words stem, flesh, pulp, shell, and seed. The other uses stem, pulp, fibrous strands, shell, and seed. Choose one version for your display and use its vocabulary consistently during the investigation.
Pumpkin Investigation
Have an adult cut the pumpkin in half before the activity. Provide spoons and bowls so children can explore the inside, scoop out seeds, and examine the stringy material. The lesson also includes gloves as an optional supply.
Invite children to compare the outside with the inside. Ask how the seeds feel and whether the material around them feels sticky. Keep the chosen poster nearby so children can connect the labeled photograph with the parts they are examining.
Counting Pumpkin Seeds Worksheets
The two Counting Pumpkin Seeds worksheets provide practice with numbers 1 to 5 and 6 to 10.
Children count the seeds in each pumpkin, trace the path below it, and cut out the number pieces. They then glue the matching numeral into the box beneath each pumpkin.
Choose the number range that suits your group. The activity brings counting, numeral recognition, tracing, cutting, and gluing together on one page.
Pumpkin Dot Activity
For another fine motor activity, children fill the circles on the Pumpkin Dot Activity page with dot paint.
The pumpkin, leaf, and stem provide plenty of spaces for controlled marks. This printable can be offered alongside the investigation or saved for a quieter activity later in the day.
Day 4: Pumpkin Color and Size Sorting Activities
On Day 4, children compare pumpkins and explore ways to sort them.
The suggested read aloud is Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White. After reading, discuss what Rebecca did with her pumpkins and what the children would do with a large pile of pumpkins.
Pumpkin Shapes and Colors Poster
The Pumpkin Shapes and Colors poster displays photographs of different pumpkins. Invite children to look for differences in color, shape, size, and surface texture.
Use the photographs to introduce the sorting activities. Children can notice that pumpkins do not all look alike before grouping the printable cards by a particular feature.
Measuring and Comparing Pumpkins
After exploring the Pumpkin Shapes and Colors poster, bring out a few real pumpkins in different sizes. For a simple Day 4 extension, help children measure the width or height of each pumpkin using a ruler or measuring tape.
Compare the pumpkins together and talk about which are taller, shorter, or wider. This optional activity gives children another way to explore pumpkin sizes before moving on to the color and size sorting activities.
Pumpkin Color Sorting
The printable color sorting activity includes crates labeled orange, green, and white, with pumpkin cards to match.
Children place each pumpkin with the corresponding crate. Once the cards are sorted, count the pumpkins in each group and name the colors together.
Big and Small Pumpkin Sorting
Next, use the big and small crates to sort the pumpkin cards by size. The packet includes larger and smaller versions of the pumpkin pictures.
This gives children another way to organize familiar materials. Instead of looking for matching colors, they now compare the sizes of the pictures.
Big and Small Pumpkins Worksheet
The related worksheet provides a cut and paste version of the size sorting activity. Children cut out the six pumpkins and glue them into the Big Pumpkins or Small Pumpkins column.
Use it after the reusable sorting activity, or offer it separately during small group time.
Day 5: Pumpkin Art and Sensory Play
The final day brings the theme together through art, sensory exploration, and a conversation about foods made from pumpkins.
The suggested read aloud is Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. The discussion prompts invite children to think about why the friends argued and how they worked together to make the soup.
Pumpkin Seed Craft
For the Pumpkin Seed Craft, children glue pumpkin seeds onto the printed pumpkin and its stem. Allow the glue to dry before painting over the seeds.
Children paint the pumpkin orange and the stem green. The finished picture provides a textured way to revisit the seeds they investigated earlier in the week.
Pumpkin Sensory Bin
The lesson suggests a sensory bin with pumpkin seeds, orange colored rice, scoops, bowls, and small toy pumpkins.
Children can scoop, pour, and explore the materials as they revisit the pumpkin theme. Set up the sensory bin as a supervised small group or center activity, using materials appropriate for the children in your care.
Making Pumpkin Pie Sequencing
The additional sequencing worksheet shows three pictures related to making pumpkin pie: preparing the ingredients, baking the pie, and a finished slice.
Children cut out the pictures and place them in order in the numbered boxes. Invite them to describe the sequence using first, next, and last.
Pumpkin Books for Preschool Circle Time
The five suggested books follow the daily themes:
- Day 1: The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders.
- Day 2: From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer.
- Day 3: The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons.
- Day 4: Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White.
- Day 5: Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper.
Gather the books before beginning the theme and keep them near your circle time area.
Preparing Your Pumpkin Circle Time Activities
Begin with the weekly overview, then read the daily plans and choose the activities you will use. Print the song posters, classroom posters, pumpkin props, and sorting materials. Laminate reusable pieces as desired, and prepare the cutouts before introducing them to the group.
Print individual worksheets and craft pages on regular paper. Organize each day’s printables together so the materials for a lesson are easy to find.
Gather a real pumpkin, a magnifying glass, spoons, bowls, pumpkin seeds, crayons, dot paint, glue, orange and green paint, and child safe scissors. Prepare the rice, scoops, and toy pumpkins for the sensory bin when you plan to use that activity.
Keep the same song visuals available throughout the week. Introduce the other posters as their topics arise, then leave them accessible for children to revisit during later activities.
Using the Pumpkin Theme Beyond Circle Time
These pumpkin circle time activities for preschool connect group learning with opportunities to explore, create, and practice new skills afterward.
Children can investigate a real pumpkin together, then revisit its parts in a poster, count seeds on a worksheet, and use seeds in a craft. They can also sort the pumpkin cards more than once, changing from color sorting to size sorting.
Use the daily plans as a starting point, then choose the follow up activities that suit your group’s interests and abilities. The printables can support a complete pumpkin week without requiring every child to complete every page.
Get the Complete Pumpkin Circle Time Packet
Bring the five daily lessons, song posters, pumpkin props, teaching posters, sorting activities, crafts, and worksheets together with the complete Preschool Circle Time: Pumpkins resource.
Happy Teaching! 😊
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