If you want a quick and cute autumn activity, this clothespin pumpkin craft is perfect for a cozy afternoon at home or a simple classroom make. It takes just a few minutes, uses basic supplies, and gives little hands a great fine motor workout.
Whether you call it a clothespin or a clothes peg, this easy pumpkin clip is a fun fall and Halloween craft that kids love.
This pumpkin clip is budget friendly, beginner friendly, and mess light. Pinching the clothespin builds hand strength, tracing and cutting boosts scissor skills, and adding the little details supports creativity and focus.
One of the best parts about this clothespin pumpkin craft is that it’s not just something to make and display – it’s interactive too. Because the pumpkin is attached to a clothespin, kids can open and close it, clip it onto different surfaces, and move it around in their play. This simple feature adds a whole extra layer of fun that makes the craft feel more like a toy than just a decoration.
Children love crafts they can actually play with, and these little pumpkins are perfect for sparking pretend play. They might become part of a make-believe pumpkin patch, characters in a Halloween story, or even props for a mini puppet show. The clip action encourages kids to experiment, clip them onto different objects, and come up with creative uses.
This kind of open-ended play fires up the imagination while also sneaking in fine motor skill practice. It’s a wonderful way to blend art, play, and learning all in one simple craft.
Materials You’ll Need for Your Chomping Pumpkin Craft
For this clothespin pumpkin craft, you only need a handful of simple supplies that you probably already have at home.
A plain wooden clothespin makes the base and gives the pumpkin its fun clip function. Orange and green construction paper bring the pumpkin and stem to life, while a black marker is perfect for drawing on those classic jack-o’-lantern details.
A pair of scissors will be needed for cutting out the shapes, and a glue stick or school glue will hold everything neatly in place. These low-cost, everyday materials make it easy to set up the craft in minutes.
Instructions for your Chomping Clothespin Pumpkin Craft
Follow along with the simple step by step instructions below for how to make your chomping jackolantern Halloween pumpkin craft. It’s so easy!
Pumpkin Clothespin Halloween Craft
Turn a simple clothespin into a cute little pumpkin with this easy fall craft – perfect for Halloween fun, autumn decorations, or a quick kids’ activity!
Materials
- Wooden Clothespin or clothes peg
- Construction paper in orange and green
- Scissor
- Marker
- Glue
- Free printable template
Tools
- Printer for template if using
Instructions
- Cut the template pieces and trace them onto the matching colours of construction paper.
or draw these freehand if preferred. - Add details to the traced pieces with a marker.
- And draw or cut out the features for the jack o lantern pumpkin face in black
- Glue the pumpkin’s face pieces onto the pumpkin shape
- Then assemble the full pumpkin.
- Cut your pumpkin in half as shown
- Cut a thin strip of green paper or two for the stem
- Curl the green papers and attach it to the top of the pumpkin.
- Attach the finished pumpkin to the clothespin,
one half to each half of the clothes pin so the pumpkin mouth can open and close when the end of the clothes pin is pinched. 
If you don’t want to print the template (download at the end of this blog post) simply freehand a round or slightly squat pumpkin shape and small triangles or circles for the face. Younger children can use sticker eyes if you want to skip cutting tiny shapes.
Try jumbo pegs for little hands or mini pegs for gift tags. Add a paper leaf, a curl of green paper for a vine, a touch of glitter, or swap the marker details for black paper cutouts. You can also stick a small magnet strip to the back and turn it into a fridge clip.
Learning Benefits of This Pumpkin Craft
This simple pumpkin craft strengthens pinch and grip, builds scissor control, and supports hand–eye coordination. Following step by step directions helps with sequencing, and decorating the face encourages creative decision making.
It is a lovely calm activity to include in autumn centers, after school time, or a Halloween party table.
This craft is great for preschool and up. Pre cut pieces for toddlers and supervise scissor use. Glue sticks are usually easiest for small hands.
You can also make emotion pumpkins with different faces and talk about feelings while you craft.
Download the Clothespin Pumpkin Template Printable PDF
You can grab the free printable template to make this clothespin pumpkin craft even easier.
If you’re new to downloading from our site, check out our step-by-step guide here: How to Download Our Printables.
Terms of use: Our printables are free to use at home or in the classroom, but please remember they are not for commercial use.
More Autumn Activities For kids
If you are planning a pumpkin week or an autumn theme, pair this with a pumpkin sensory bin, leaf rubbings, or an easy apple printing session. It all ties together beautifully for seasonal fun at home or in the classroom.
- LEGO Printing Pumpkin Faces
- Mason Jar Autumn Leaf Lanterns
- Upcycled Glitter Autumn Leaf Craft (Fall Decor)
- Free Printable Autumn Movement Cards for Kids
More Halloween Crafts for Kids
Keep the crafty momentum going with simple ghost, bat, and monster makes. Quick, low prep ideas work best when you want to set out a creative invitation and let the kids explore.
- Rocking Bat Craft for Halloween
- Rocking Frankenstein Craft
- Paper Plate Flying Witch Craft
- Egg Carton Spider Craft
- Printable Halloween Lantern Craft (14 Lantern Templates!)
If you try this clothespin pumpkin craft, share a photo with us. We love seeing your creations and it helps other families find this free idea too if you share our blog post on Facebook, Pinterest or your favorite social media.
