October is here and pumpkins are everywhere!!! What kind of pumpkins activities do you have for your kindergarten students this year? Are they intentional, effective and engaging? Do you need more ideas and activities for your little learners for this exciting part of the year?

If you have read any of my other blogs, you will know that I am a firm believer in using activities that are both purposeful and fun. I also love having topics that are cross curricular. Apples and pumpkins are two such topics. Both of these units are perfect for labeling, informative writing, science experiments, and taste testing! (Check out post “Apple Activities In Kindergarten“)

Literacy

Having literacy activities available for your pumpkin study is a must! Here is a pumpkin themed literacy activity bundle that includes these activities:

• Upper & Lowercase Alphabet Cards
• CVC Picture Cards
• Accompanying Recording Sheets
• Cut & Glue Label a Pumpkin
• 3D Label a Pumpkin Labels & Sentence Strips
• Hidden Sight Word
• Beginning Sound Cut/Glue printable

Not only are these activities purposeful and intentional, they are fun and engaging! This is all you need to complete your pumpkin week curriculum. Use for your creation station, sensory tables, whole group, small group, and for individual practice.

Anchor Chart

Using an anchor chart to begin the pumpkin unit is always fun and engaging for students. Simply draw the pumpkin on the chart, color, and have your students help with the labeling. Don’t forget to have a real pumpkin in your classroom for comparison. This is the perfect whole group activity. Not only is this an opportunity for your students to tell what they know about pumpkins, but lets you and your students add to the chart with information that they learn throughout the week. The 3D version also available in the “Pumpkin Themed Literacy Activities” for more fun.

Do you need more anchor chart ideas? Check out blog “Must-Make Kindergarten Anchor Charts” and “Classroom Management Anchor Charts“.

Hands-On

After starting the anchor chart, set out butcher paper on the floor or tables. Take a real pumpkin, cut it open, and pass around to your students. This is an amazing ooh-ahh moment!! Your kindergarteners will love looking at the inside of this squash. They can touch, feel, smell and see what a pumpkin looks like both inside and out. This is an added multi-sensory approach to teaching little learners that helps cement concepts and adds a level of fun to this topic!

Next, have your students label their own pumpkins with the simple no-prep labeling activity included in “Pumpkin Literacy Activities“. Just download and print.

Books

Both fiction and non-fiction books on pumpkins are essential for a kindergarten classroom unit study. Keeping these books in your classroom library enables your students to read and review throughout the year. Click on pictures below to go to Amazon for these books, or click here for more books on pumpkins.

See blog post “Best Places to Buy Books For Your Classroom For Cheap” for adding to your classroom library.

Math

To complete the pumpkin unit, you need some math and number activities!! Here are a few that I created to round out my pumpkin unit to be not only fun and engaging, but purposeful and meaningful. Learning can be fun!!!

This count and match 1-30 activity with pumpkin seeds is perfect for your math stations or in your morning work tubs. You can use this as an independent, partner, or small group activity.

What’s Included:

• Pumpkin Number Mats 1-30 (full-color & black/white options)
• Printable Pumpkin Seed Counters (full-color & black/white option)
• Addition Mat
• Response/Recording Sheet

The above pumpkin count and match is included in the year-long bundle for added savings.

More math and counting fun for your pumpkin week!! Not only can your students learn and practice numerals and tally marks, but ten-frames as well. This can be used later for the Thanksgiving season as well.

Sensory Tables

Many of you know how I love sensory tables. They add another level to learning for kindergarteners. Not only can you change them seasonally, they provide teaching and reinforcing skills through a multi-sensory approach. Simply add feed corn from your local feed store to your sensory bin for fun in the fall. Now you can hide the Upper & Lower Case Alphabet Cards or CVC Picture Cards from the “Pumpkin Themed Literacy Activities” to your sensory bin. Your students will think this is so much fun!!!

Need more ideas and information on sensory tables? Check out post “Sensory Table & Bin Ideas for Kindergarten“, “DIY Sensory Table Bin“, and “Creating a Purposeful Sensory Table Station“.

Hands-On Sensory Idea

Need a fun sensory idea for pumpkins? Check out this low-prep, low cost idea for your students. Take a ziplock baggie and draw a pumpkin on it with a sharpie marker. Then add colored hair gel. (I found mine at the Dollar Tree.) Add googly eyes and close the baggie. Have your students roll the dice and move that number of eyes onto to pumpkin. Simple, fun, and purposeful activity for your pumpkin theme!!

Digital/Computer Station Activities

Most classrooms have some sort of computer station or even individual Ipads for the kindergarteners. I love having digital/computer activities that are specific to the topic/theme my students are learning. Below are some fun PUMPKIN digital activities that are perfect for your computer station that you can use for individual practice, fast finisher, partners, or even small groups. Very easy for your little learners to use and practice as well as no-prep for you as the teacher.

Blog Post “Computer Station in the Kindergarten Classroom” will help with more information and ideas.

**FREEBIE**

Here is a **FREEBIE** for ordering number practice with pumpkins for your students.

Puzzles

Need another activity for your pumpkin theme? A year-long alphabet puzzle activity that includes pumpkins is perfect for more alphabet practice along with honing fine motor skills. A win-win!!

How about another year-long number activity that includes pumpkins? Ordering numbers with the additional benefit for fine motor skill practice.

Hidden Sight Words

Hidden sight words are a perfect independent or partner activity for your students. Not only are these year-long and seasonal with pumpkins included, but are editable. And don’t forget to add fun with mini magnifying glasses!!!

Go to post “How to Start Literacy Stations in Kindergarten” for more on literacy.

Check out post “Pumpkin Activities for the Kindergarten Classroom” for more ideas and information.