Last week I went grocery shopping alone for the first time in I can't remember how long. And the first thing that I saw was a display of mini pumpkins outside the store. I was so excited and of course bought one for each of my twin boys, as a little surprise for the end of their first week in preschool. We love decorating pumpkins together, and I knew that they would be thrilled to start on our first pumpkin project of the year. Over the past couple of years, we've used chalk and stickers to decorate pumpkins, and this year I was excited to try pumpkin painting with my kids. We used our very favorite no mess painting technique on our new little pumpkins and we all just love how they turned out!
Shake It Up No Mess Painting
We first tried "shake painting" over a year ago, and it's become one of our favorite projects. It is so simple and a lot of fun! I love that there is no worry about making a mess and my boys love that they can be active and move around while they make their creations.
It's also important to note that this activity is all about the process and not the end product. No two pumpkins will look the same, and you actually won't know what yours looks like until you're finished! It's all part of the fun and makes this a wonderful activity for kids of all ages. Here's what you do.
No Mess Pumpkin Painting for Kids
The set up for this activity is really simple. You'll need:
- Small pumpkins
- Acrylic craft paint. I use 3 colors for each pumpkin, and you can choose any colors you like. I used white, black, and purple for Halloween.
- Plastic container with a secure lid. I recycled the container from my dishwasher soap, but anything will work as long as its large enough to give your pumpkin room to move.
Place a small amount of each of your paint colors in the bottom of the container. Space them out and don't use too much - a little goes a long way.
Set one pumpkin inside the container and close the lid tightly. Make sure it is secure or you will not have a no mess project!
Now for the fun part - shake it up! Let your kids go crazy shaking the box. We turn on some music and make it a dance party. Shake, rattle, and roll for as little or as long as you'd like.
When you're done, open the box and see your amazing painted pumpkin! Each of my boys made one and they both turned out gorgeous.
You can try out different color combinations, vary the length of time you shake the container - just have fun and see what you can create!
More Halloween Fun
Looking for more great Halloween crafts? See all our Halloween crafts and activities here, and be sure to check out 10 more fun no carve pumpkin decorating ideas here.
And don't miss some of our favorite Halloween books and movies below!
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