Pumpkin Seed Counting and Craft for Preschoolers
What preschool teacher or parent doesn’t love a fall preschool activity that is a mix of math and craft? This pumpkin seed counting activity also doubles as a pumpkin craft for preschoolers. Or even a pumpkin snack to fit your fall theme in preschool. Whatever the reason you’re here, this simple pumpkin activity was a crowd pleaser.
Super Simple Pumpkin Craft for Preschoolers and Toddlers
That’s right, even toddlers can enjoy this pumpkin craft. That’s because it’s really interactive and mostly process art, rather than a full-on preschool fall craft. In fact, if your little one can squeeze some liquid glue in any haphazard shape, then they can easily do this fun pumpkin craft that also teaches counting!
Or you can just turn this activity into a snack. That’s what my boys opted for.
So do you plan a full-on pumpkin week within your autumn preschool theme? Where we live, we all four seasons go full blast, so when fall hits in late October and everything around us if a fiery red and vibrant yellow and the outdoors smell a little like dirt, it would kinda be a disservice not to have a pumpkin week, especially leading up to our field trip to the corn maze and pumpkin patch.
But have you ever noticed that preschoolers are enamored with pumpkins? My little boys love growing them (completely by accident as we have two volunteer pumpkin plants last year and have never once planted pumpkin seeds). But they love carving them and scooping out their guts, rolling them around on the floor, carrying them around like they are boulders, and this year my kinder aged son asked if we could paint some pumpkins.
Kids love pumpkins!
So, when I saw these silicone pumpkin ice cube or chocolate trays, I knew I needed to grab some so we could get on with some pumpkin activities in preschool!
And since they are trays, they are just the thing for counting activities!
Now, this post kinda’ has three major ideas in it, so I’ll go over each one.
The Pumpkin Counting Activity for Preschoolers
Having a silicone tray makes this activity a novelty to preschoolers, bring out more enthusiasm for counting.
Materials
- silicone pumpkin tray
- roasted pumpkin seeds
- foam pumpkin shapes
- dice (optional)
The Set-up
Place the roasted pumpkin seeds in a small bowl for each child. Give each child a silicone pumpkin tray and also a foam pumpkin shape, as well as a dice.
The Pumpkin Counting Activity
Invite your preschooler to roll the dice and identify the number. Then, count the corresponding number of roasted pumpkin seeds into the tray.
You have two options from here. You can…
- Recount all the seeds as your preschooler transfers them from the pumpkin tray and onto the foam pumpkin cut-out. Or,
- Keep rolling the dice until the pumpkin tray is completely filled and then make the transfer.
One of the reasons why I love using roasted pumpkin seeds for this counting activity isn’t just because the kids can eat the seeds afterward, but also because the seeds make preschoolers work on those fine motor skills, too! I mean, look at the grasp!
If you can’t use food items in your preschool for whatever reason, you can try any of the following manipulatives instead.
The Pumpkin Craft for Preschoolers
After your preschooler has had a good amount of counting fun, you can choose to make the pumpkin craft OR skip below to the pumpkin snack.
Materials
- roasted pumpkins seeds (from above activity)
- foam pumpkin cut-out (from above activity)
- liquid glue
The Set Up
Set all the materials on a tray and invite your child to make a pumpkin craft for preschoolers.
The Pumpkin Craft for Preschoolers
Invite your preschooler to use the liquid glue to glue down the roasted pumpkin seeds they just got done counting. Your preschooler may want to use little dots of glue under each seed, or he may want to make lines of glue, or blobs of glue. Any of these options are ok. Squeezing glue bottles is a fantastic hand strengthening activity!
The Pumpkin Snack for Preschoolers
After your preschooler have had a good amount of counting fun, you can choose to make the pumpkin craft above OR this fun pumpkin snack.
Materials
- roasted pumpkins seeds (from above activity)
- foam pumpkin cut-out (from above activity)
Really, the idea is to just eat the roasted pumpkin seeds for a snack.
Not much else to say about this other than it encouraged my little boys to try a new food. Normally my preschool aged son wouldn’t have enjoyed roasted pumpkin seeds, but since we had so much fun counting the seeds and “playing” with them before they were offered as a snack, not only did he try the seeds but he also enjoyed them!
This is a bonus because pumpkin seeds are loaded with zinc and magnesium, as well as protein, iron, selenium, and calcium. There’s a lot packed into these little seeds. [source]
Looking for More Pumpkin Activities for Preschoolers?
You might like some of these. Just click on the images to read more. Many of them come with free printables, too.
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Need Some Fall Themed Preschool Centers?
These are my go to centers for preschoolers every fall.
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I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.