My kid made five of these paper plate Jack-o’Lantern crafts in one sitting, and somehow, every single Jack-o’-Lantern had a different personality. One was “fancy,” one was “mad,” and one looked like it hadn’t slept since last Halloween.
We just kept painting, cutting, and laughing until the whole table looked like a pumpkin family reunion gone wrong.
This craft is just one of many Halloween paper plate crafts we’ve been making. Our kitchen table basically turned into a mini art studio.
Supplies for Your Paper Plate Jack-O’-Lantern Craft
Alright, let’s make some paper pumpkins! Grab your supplies, clear a little space (you’re gonna need it), and prepare for everything within reach to mysteriously turn orange.
Jack-o’-Lantern Paper Plate Craft (visual directions + template)
Get the printablePaper plate
View on AmazonOrange paint
View on AmazonConstruction paper
View on AmazonPreschool scissors
View on AmazonGlue stick
View on AmazonPaintbrush
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Once you’ve wrangled all that together, you’re officially ready to make pumpkins…or at least something resembling them.
How to Make a Paper Plate Jack-o’-Lantern
Alright, time to turn that plain paper plate into something worth hanging on the fridge.
Gather your supplies
Everything should already be somewhere on the table…or under it. Once you’ve got the paper plate, orange paint, glue, scissors, and paper, you’re set.
Cut your pumpkin shape
You can trace the template or just freehand it. Nobody’s here for perfect circles. The slightly uneven ones always end up with the best personalities anyway.
Paint it orange
Go ahead and paint the whole plate. Big brush strokes, little brush strokes, doesn’t matter. The second that plate turns orange, it’s officially a pumpkin.
Cut out the stem and leaves
Grab your brown and green paper. Cut out a stem, a leaf, maybe two if you’re feeling ambitious. If one ends up too big, call it “whimsical.”
Glue on the top
Add your stem and leaves to the top of your pumpkin. Slightly crooked? Perfect. Straight stems are suspicious.
Make the face
Here’s where it gets fun. Triangles for the classics, squares for the rebels. Maybe a goofy grin or a dramatic frown…whatever your pumpkin’s feeling today.
Glue it all together
Stick on the face pieces and give them a good press. Every pumpkin ends up looking a little different, which is half the charm.
Ways to Show It Off
That’s it! You did it. A whole paper plate pumpkin with personality. Hang it up, line a few along the wall, or make an entire pumpkin patch if you’re feeling fancy.
More Pumpkin Activities for Kids
Once you’ve made your paper plate Jack-o’-Lanterns, don’t stop there! Keep that pumpkin streak going with a few more fun ideas that smell like fall and feel like Halloween magic.
- Taste-Safe Pumpkin Play Dough – soft, squishy, and scented like pumpkin pie. Perfect for little hands.
- Glowing Pumpkin Sensory Bottle – shake it up and watch it glow. It’s calm, it’s bright, and it somehow makes everyone quiet for a whole minute.
- Pumpkin Guts Slime – stretchy, sticky, and just the right amount of gross. Basically everything kids love.
- Fluffy Pumpkin Slime – like playing with a cloud that smells like October.
- 5 Little Pumpkins Sensory Bin – the cutest way to bring the classic song to life.
- Pumpkin-Scented Sensory Rice – bright, scented, and surprisingly calming to scoop and pour.
- Volcano Pumpkin Science Experiment – a little fizz, a little bubble, and a lot of “whoa, that was cool!”
- Halloween Books for Kids – finish your pumpkin play with a cozy read. Nothing pairs better with crafts than a good story.
Add these to your lineup and you’ve got yourself the ultimate fall vibe.
Paper Plate Jack-o’-Lantern Craft Printable Pack
If you love a craft that’s cute, simple, and actually doable on a weekday, the Paper Plate Jack-o’-Lantern Craft Printable Pack is your kind of magic. It comes with easy-to-use templates and visual directions that make crafting a breeze. Just print, cut, and paint your way to pumpkin perfection.
👇 Grab the printable and start your own little paper pumpkin patch.
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Paper Plate Jack-O’-Lantern Craft for Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten
Preschool
Paint, glue and decorate. Grown-ups handle the tricky cutting, and kids talk through each step with the picture directions.
Pre-K
Trace the template and cut the straight lines. Follow the visual steps in order and point to each picture as you go.
Kindergarten and up
Cut out every piece, add their own details, and retell or write the steps in order on the writing pages.
Get the Printable Visual Directions
Want to make this at home or with a whole class? The printable visual directions walk kids through every step of the jack-o’-lantern craft with pictures, plus a ready-to-trace template.
What’s included
- A picture supply list
- Visual step-by-step directions
- Photo step cards
- A printable template
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Preschool and kindergarten classrooms
- Special education and speech therapy
- Following directions practice
- Thematic units
- Homeschool art time
Paper Plate Jack-O’-Lantern Craft FAQ
A paper plate, paint, a paintbrush, scissors, glue and construction paper. The printable template makes cutting out the pieces much easier.
It’s perfect for ages 3 to 6. Preschoolers paint and glue with a little help, and kindergartners can trace and cut the pieces themselves.
About 30 minutes, plus time for the paint to dry. Paint the plate first and do the cutting while it dries.
Yes. Crayons, markers, tissue paper squares or torn construction paper all work and are a little less messy.
You can freehand the pieces, but the template and picture directions help little ones work more independently and make it easy to do with a whole class.
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From families like yours
Did you try it? Tell us how it went!
We love seeing these activities out in the wild: the lumpy letters, the snack breaks, the proud “I made a B!” moments. Leave a star rating, tell other parents what worked (and what totally didn’t), and add a photo of your setup if you’d like.
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