My number one tip for a Kid Friendly Pumpkin Carving experience is to have fun and to not expect perfection. Okay, so maybe that’s two tips but you get the idea.
We tried some fun new tools this year which allowed the kids to be more a part of the process rather than just sitting on the sidelines watching.
We don’t carve pumpkins every year but it is a fun tradition that the kids enjoy and we’ve done it often throughout the years. I was really surprised that not everyone carves pumpkins though. Our 22 year old daughter-in-law had never carved pumpkins before!
Our five year old and three year old grandchildren loved the scraper scoops. They were not impressed with just using their hands so the scoops came in handy.
I wish we would have gotten a picture of her face so that you could see how disgusted she was about scooping the insides out of the pumpkin. They were both real funny and kept wanting to wash their hands.
Now the baby was another story. He had no problems scooping the insides out. He’s really not bothered by much though and has such a fun, go get ‘em personality. 
The template that you see here comes in a book of templates with the Pumpkin Carving Party Kit from Pumpkin Masters. The kids all loved being able to pick out their own pictures to work on. The templates also have a pumpkin rating on them with 1 being the easiest and 4 being the most difficult. 
We steered the littlest ones towards the templates that were rated with 1 pumpkin. For the one you see here it has little holes all along the template and you use the crayon that comes with the kit to trace it. This leaves a dotted outline of the picture. We did end up punching out the holes so that when they are lit you will be able to see the picture which is now carved.
The little ones needed lots of help but still had a great time being able to participate. Allowing them to help with sharp knives is not an option so this was a nice change. Our 13 year old was able to use the kit by himself and also enjoyed it.
He was really quite successful carving his pumpkin. 
He loves a good challenge and isn’t afraid of the details.
You can see his turned out great. We forgot to get candles so we couldn’t show them lit up but I love that he was able to complete a fairly intricate design on his own and had a great time doing so.
It was a fun family activity and I’m sure that we will all remember it for years to come. If you decide to purchase the Pumpkin Masters tools just remember that you have to have patience, take your time and most of all have fun! Your littles will probably still need help using them but they will be able to participate much more than they would if you were using a kitchen knife.
After you finish your carving masterpieces make sure you head over to the Pumpkin Masters website and enter their contest! Who knows maybe you will win the $1,000 Category Prize or the $5,000 Grand Prize.
Make sure to visit the blogs below for more pumpkin carving tips, fun and ideas!
Not Too Shabby Gabby
Mommy Envy
Olivera Fitness
Purple Patch DIY
Sight and Sound Reading
Love, Laughter, Forever After
Yours and Mine make Ours
Love and Laundry
Raising Seraphim
Mama Plus One
My Mom Made That
Juggling Act Mama
Mini Van Dreams
Clarks Condensed
About Tammy Northrup
