Easy Paper Pumpkins for Little Fingers

Alright, it’s time to be positive! And negative. This is a quick and casual paper craft, perfect for the “witching hour” between nap and dinner. We will craft the cutest little pumpkins from construction paper and work with positive and negative space. This project also provides practice making different kinds of lines. The cutting component of this <30 minute paper craft makes it perfect for young children as they work with the scissors, using fine motor skills and improving manual dexterity.

Grab scissors, a white crayon, construction paper, and some glue. Step one: draw or trace a pumpkin shape. You can download one below to print, cut out, and trace. I used orange for my pumpkin (of course) and yellow for my “background” or negative space, so it would sort of glow.

pumpkin-shape-Download

Step two: draw a zig zag line vertically from the top of the pumpkin to the bottom, right in the middle of the pumpkin. Next, draw a curvy line in the center of the space between the zig zag line you just drew and the right edge of your pumpkin. Do the same thing on the left side of the pumpkin, going from top to bottom with a curvy line. You should now have three lines. I like to use a white crayon or a colored pencil here because you don’t have to spend time erasing pencil!

TIP: don’t make these lines too tight. If they have super zig-zag teeth or sharp curves, they can be super frustrating to cut out–and that is NOT the point here. The goal here is for kids to practice using their scissors and staying on the lines they drew. If you have older kids working with you, challenge them to make a complicated line. The more interesting the line, the more interesting the result!

Add one more zig zag line on each side, between your curvy line and the edge of your pumpkin. Now we have a total of five lines; it’s time to cut.

Don’t throw away any pieces of your pumpkin!

Cut the pumpkin apart on the lines but carefully lay the pieces of your pumpkin on your background sheet of paper, putting the pumpkin back together like a puzzle. Leave a little space between the pieces of your pumpkin, so it looks like the puzzle almost is floating. The background showing in between is called “negative space,” the space that your brain doesn’t recognize right away. Your brain has already learned to identify and name familiar shapes–so this negative space is a special treat for the eyes. The positive space in this artwork is the pumpkin.

After gluing your pumpkin down with floating negative space, you can choose to leave it there, adding a stem. I cut my pumpkin out and smoothed the edges of my two papers.