Pumpkin Village · Guides
Easy pumpkin carving ideas for families
Simple designs. Plenty of personality.
Simple pumpkin carving ideas for families, with practical tips for choosing a pumpkin, safer carving with children and helping your finished design last longer.
Carving safely with children
An adult should handle sharp knives and make the difficult cuts. Use purpose-made pumpkin carving tools where possible, work on a stable surface and keep hands dry. For the finished pumpkin, battery-powered LED lights are a lower-risk option than an open flame.
Children can still do plenty: draw the face, scoop seeds with a spoon, choose the shapes and help place the finished pieces.
Six easy pumpkin carving ideas
- Classic happy face. Two different-sized eyes, a small nose and a wide uneven smile are easy to draw and forgiving to cut.
- Googly eyes. Make two oversized round eyes with small pupils and keep the mouth tiny. It works especially well on squat pumpkins.
- Cat face. Use triangle ears as part of the top edge, almond-shaped eyes and a simple whisker pattern.
- Ghost pumpkin. Cut an oval mouth and two mismatched eyes. The less symmetrical it is, the more character it has.
- Starry pumpkin. Instead of one big face, use a safe pumpkin tool to make a scattering of simple stars or circles.
- Paint-and-carve. Paint or draw most of the design and carve only a few openings. It is a good way to get a bold result with less cutting.
Choose a pumpkin that is easier to carve
Look for a pumpkin that sits steadily, feels firm and has an area of relatively smooth skin where your design will go. A huge pumpkin is not automatically easier - medium-sized pumpkins can be simpler to handle on a kitchen table.
If the pumpkin is mainly for decoration rather than carving, unusual colours, warty skins and odd shapes can be the best part. See our pumpkin varieties guide for more ideas.
Help your carved pumpkin last longer
Keep an uncarved pumpkin cool, dry and out of strong direct heat. Once carved, it will naturally deteriorate faster. Remove loose pulp, keep the pumpkin as cool as practical and avoid leaving it next to a radiator or other heat source.
Carve closer to the day you want to display it rather than weeks in advance, particularly if the weather is mild.
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