Halloween for kids Pumpkin carving ideas Happy face
Happy face pumpkin carving stencil
Ages 6+ · about 1 hour
A free printable happy face stencil for carving a pumpkin with your kid. Black shows what to cut out: tape it on, trace it with a pushpin, and a grown-up carves. Download it as a US Letter PDF, an A4 PDF, or a PNG.
How to use this stencil
- Print it to sizePrint the stencil so the design fits the front of your pumpkin. On a small pumpkin, print at 75%; on a big one, print on A4 or Letter at 100%.
- Open and scoopA grown-up cuts a lid around the stem. Your kid scoops out the seeds and scrapes the front wall to about 2 cm (1 inch).
- Trace with a pushpinTape the stencil flat on the pumpkin and poke along every edge, a few millimeters apart. Peel the paper off.
- Carve (grown-up)A grown-up cuts the black parts out with a small pumpkin saw, small shapes first. A white shape inside a black one falls out: pin it back with a toothpick.
- Light itPut a battery tea light inside. It is safer than a candle.
Tips by age
For younger kids
Your kid tapes the stencil on and pokes the pushpin dots; a grown-up holds the pumpkin steady and does every cut.
For older kids
Change the stencil before you print it: add a tooth, an eyebrow, or a hat with a marker.
Make it your own
More pumpkin stencils
On Kubrio, your kid can build a monster in Monster Maker and use its face as the design for the pumpkin.