Kids love Halloween. And who can blame them? They get to dress up in costumes and get free candy from their neighbors. As far as the kids are concerned, there’s no better holiday. While trick-or-treating might be kids’ favorite part of Halloween, it’s not the only activity we do at the end of October. October 26th is National Pumpkin Day, making it the perfect day to carve your jack-o-lantern. But pumpkin carving with preschool age kids can be tricky. They want to be involved, but they’re not old enough to use the sharp carving tools.
Here are some safe and easy ways to involve your preschool age kids in the pumpkin carving.
Pick out the pumpkin together.
Whether you go to a farm stand or the grocery store to buy your pumpkin, bring the kids along and let them help pick it out. You want to get one with a smooth surface large enough to easily carve, so you may have to direct the kids to the best option. Still, even with some subtle direction, the kids will be excited when they get to help pick out the pumpkin.
Get some extra small pumpkins.
Even though preschool kids are too young to carve their own pumpkins, they usually still want to decorate one. But there is an easy solution. When you buy your big pumpkin for carving, grab a few little ones, too. They may be too small to carve, but the kids can paint or decorate them while the grown-ups carve the big one.
Let the kids draw the design.
Just because the kids can’t carve the jack-o-lantern, that doesn’t mean they can’t be involved. Before you start carving, pull out some paper and let the kids draw some designs. Pick one or combine them into a new one to put on the pumpkin. The kids can still claim the pumpkin as “theirs” even if they didn’t actually carve it.
Use battery-powered candles.
Keeping young kids away from fire is a basic rule that every parent and caregiver knows. Luckily, we have much safer ways of lighting up our jack-o-lanterns these days. Battery-powered tea lights are inexpensive, and you can buy them in bulk! If you want it to look a little more realistic, you can also buy battery-powered candles that flicker and are shaped to look like melting wax.
Great Child Care for Your Preschool Age Kids
If you’re looking for great child care for your kids, you need Wollaston Child Care Center! Our team works with children as young as 15 months and we have flexible programs to meet your child care needs year-round. Contact us at 617-773-7217 to learn more!
