Halloween for kids Pumpkin carving ideas Polka dots
Polka dot pumpkin with drilled holes
Ages 6+ · about 45 minutes
A polka dot pumpkin has round holes all over it that glow like stars. Your kid marks where each dot goes, and a grown-up makes the holes with a drill or an apple corer.
What you need
- A pumpkin
- Round stickers or a marker
- A big spoon
- A drill with a wide bit, or an apple corer (for the grown-up)
- A battery tea light
How to make it
- Mark the dotsYour kid sticks round stickers or draws dots all over the pumpkin. Mix big and small, and keep each dot a thumb's width away from the next.
- Open it (grown-up)A grown-up cuts a lid around the stem with the knife angled toward the middle, so the lid sits on a ledge and doesn't fall in.
- Scoop it outYour kid scoops out the seeds and strings with a big spoon, then scrapes the inside of the front until the wall is about 2 cm (1 inch) thick.
- Make the holes (grown-up)A grown-up drills straight through the center of each dot, or pushes an apple corer in and twists it. Peel off the stickers.
- Clean it outYour kid shakes out the loose bits and wipes the inside with a paper towel.
- Light itPut a battery tea light inside and put the lid back on. It is safer than a candle, and the pumpkin lasts longer.
Tips by age
For younger kids
Stickers are easier than drawing dots, and they show the grown-up exactly where to drill.
For older kids
Plan a picture in dots: the shape of a star, a heart, or your initial.
Make it your own
More ideas like this
Haunted house
For kids 9 to 13: more pieces and thinner walls, so cut slowly.
Classic happy face
Triangle eyes and a toothy grin: three straight cuts per shape, the easiest first pumpkin.
Surprised face
Round eyes and an O-shaped mouth. Circles are easy to draw and easy to cut.
On Kubrio, your kid can build a monster in Monster Maker and use its face as the design for the pumpkin.