This pumpkin spice puffy paint is everything I love about fall: cozy, fluffy and just the right amount of messy. Kids swirl it onto a pumpkin printable and end up with squishy, 3-D puffy paint pumpkins that make the whole house smell like pumpkin pie.
It takes three main ingredients and about five minutes to mix, and it’s worth every bit of the mess.
Pumpkin Spice Puffy Paint Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Puffy Paint Craft printable
Get the printableFoaming shaving cream (not gel)
White school glue
Pumpkin pie spice
View on AmazonOrange food coloring
View on Amazon2 bowls and spoons
Paintbrushes
Cardstock for printing
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Make two bases
Fill two bowls with foaming shaving cream and add white school glue to each. About 1 cup of shaving cream to 1/3 cup of glue is a good place to start. Use the old-school foam, not gel. Gel won’t fluff up right.
Add spice and color
Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice into both bowls. Add a few drops of orange food coloring to just one bowl and leave the other white for “whipped cream.”
Stir until fluffy
Gently fold each bowl until the spice is mixed in. You want one creamy white bowl and one soft pumpkin orange, both thick and fluffy like frosting.
Paint your pumpkins
Use the orange paint to fill in the pumpkin printable and the white for highlights, stems or a whipped cream swirl. Pile it on thick for the puffiest pumpkins, then set it aside to dry.
⚠️ Not taste safe
Shaving cream and glue aren’t safe to eat, so this is for supervised art time, not mouthing kiddos. The food coloring can stain while it’s wet, so cover the table and use old shirts or aprons.
More pumpkin fun
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🎟️ Blog reader deal
Use code PUMPKINSPICE at checkout to get the pumpkin printable free.
What’s included
- Printable pumpkin spice puffy paint recipe
- Pumpkin craft template
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Fall art centers
- Preschool and kindergarten
- Occupational therapy and sensory art
- Small groups and take-home projects
- Homeschool
Pumpkin Spice Puffy Paint FAQ
Usually 3 to 4 hours. Thick layers can take a day or more. It’s ready when it feels firm and spongy.
Yes. It keeps its raised, 3-D texture once dry. It won’t be soft and squishy anymore, but it stays textured and smells like pumpkin spice for a few days.
Not really. Shaving cream loses its fluff after a few hours, so mix a fresh batch each time.
Too runny? Add more shaving cream. Too thick? Stir in a little more glue.
It isn’t taste safe, so it’s best for kids past the mouthing stage, with supervision.
More Fall Crafts and Sensory Recipes
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From families like yours
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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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