Learn all about pumpkins! Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Paper Plate Craft

Fall is in the air, and that means it’s pumpkin time! This fun paper plate craft is a great way to teach kids about the life cycle of a pumpkin. They’ll love watching their little pumpkin grow from a tiny seed to a giant, colorful jack-o-lantern. So get ready to get crafty and have fun with your kids this fall!

This post includes dozens of pumpkin activities for kids. Highlighted is a pumpkin activity’s easy paper plate life cycle.

Fall is an inspiring time of year. Children head back to school, gardens are ending their harvest, and the air is cooling in many parts of the world. In other words, it’s time for a cozy sweater and a warm cider. Heading to the pumpkin patch is always an exciting time.

The Life Cycle Of A Pumpkin – Fall Paper Plate Craft For Kids

I’ve got loads of pumpkin activities on this blog, but I love this craft for many reasons. This fall activity is inexpensive, easy, and creative; kids learn life sciences! Children will learn all about the life stages of a pumpkin and a little botany to boot!

The Pulp of a Pumpkin - Parts of a Pumpkin

Pumpkin Facts for Kids

Depending on the ultimate size of the pumpkin, it takes 80 to 120 days for a pumpkin to grow from seed to fruit.
Pumpkins are native to North America and are one of the oldest domesticated plants.
The word pumpkin is derived from the Greek word “pepon,” which means “large melon.”
Pumpkins have male and female flowers. You can eat these flowers! They are good for fighting colds, helping your bones, and strengthening your eyes with Vitamin A.
Honeybees play a significant role in fertilization.
The seeds from a mature pumpkin can be used to grow more pumpkin plants during the next growing season.
Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop and are typically planted in July.
95% of the US Crop of pumpkins is grown in Illinois.
All pumpkins are winter squash.
The color of pumpkins derives from orange carotenoid pigments.
Although pumpkins are typically orange, they can be yellow, white, green, and red.
According to science, the pumpkin is a fruit.
The largest pumpkin ever recorded was over 1800 pounds.

The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Craft

A pumpkin’s life starts by planting the seed in the warm ground. Then, once the seed drank all sorts of water and sunshine, a sprout would pop up through the soil.

Next, you’ll watch the leaves and vine grow larger. Finally, pumpkin flowers blossom from the plant. The female blossom produces a green pumpkin that ripens into an orange pumpkin.

A male pumpkin flower.

How Does a Pumpkin Reproduce?

A pumpkin plant produces both male and female flowers. The female flower contains several hundred eggs, and the male flower makes sperm (or pollen).

Like humans and other animals, the sperm must fertilize the egg to reproduce. In the case of a pumpkin, the “baby” is a seed.

Pumpkin Craft for Kids

I learned this pumpkin craft in Montessori training as part of our Botany unit. You combine an activity with learning to ignite the child’s desire and interest to learn more.

Kids are fascinated with the cycle of seeds growing to sprout to green pumpkin to orange pumpkin, especially since the pumpkin’s life often ends in jack-o-lanterns or dessert (or both!).

Add this pumpkin sewing activity to your fall theme!

Lifecycle of a Pumpkin Craft - Materials

Materials Needed for the Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

Two small orange paper plate
Yarn, string, or ribbon
Scissors
This lifecycle worksheet from atozteacherstuff.com
Markers or Crayons
Glue stick
Green or brown sticky back felt

Lifecycle of a Pumpkin Craft - Printable

5 Life Stages of a Pumpkin

A pumpkin starts as an orange gourd. It then goes through four stages before becoming a jack-o’-lantern. Find out what happens during each stage!

Pumpkins Seed – The first stage of a pumpkin’s life where soon the seed grows to break the surface of the soil
Sprout – During the seedling stage, the pumpkin’s stem and leaves begin to develop. This is when the plant starts to produce roots.
Plant – Once the root system has developed, the pumpkin will begin to grow. It grows by absorbing water and nutrients through its leaves. As the pumpkin grows, it will start to form a shell.
Pumpkins Flowers – During the flowering phase, the plant produces flowers. These are male flowers that produce pollen. Female flowers produce fruit. A beautiful bright yellow bloom will attract your children.
Green pumpkin (juvenile) – The first sign of a pumpkin’s growth is when the stem begins to swell. During the fruiting phase, the pumpkin starts to develop its characteristic shape. This is when the stem will begin to form. When the stem swells, the pumpkin absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. After the stem swells, the pumpkin starts to grow larger. The pumpkin continues to grow until it forms a shell. A pumpkin’s shell protects the pumpkin from being eaten by animals and other pests.
Orange pumpkin – The pumpkin is fully grown, ripe, and ready to be picked from a pumpkin patch.

The Stem of a Pumpkin - Parts of a Pumpkin

Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Activity

Print out the life cycle coloring page from atozteacherstuff.com
Color in the stages of the lifecycle, talking about each step as you go
Cut out the stages of the lifecycle
Take your piece of yarn, string, or ribbon, fold each stage over, and glue to secure.

Cut a stem out from the stick back felt.
Place on top of one of the small orange paper plates
Take the other small orange paper plate and cut a small semi-circle at the top
Place that plate bottom down on top of the other plate with the stem

Glue together
Insert a string with lifecycle stages on it
Invite children to pull the string out to see the sequence of the lifecycle

17+ Pumpkin Crafts & Pumpkin Activities for Kids

Pumpkins Crafts & Pumpkin Activities for Kids - Math

Pumpkin math with pumpkin erasers
Measure the circumference & diameter of a pumpkin
Count pumpkin seeds
Weigh pumpkins
Size order pumpkins by weights
Bake pumpkin seeds
Dye pumpkin seeds
Make a pumpkin seed mosaic
Story sequencing cards
Pumpkin Tissue papercraft
Types of pumpkins
Study the parts of a pumpkin, which include fruit, stem, seeds, skin, pulp, ribs, fibrous strands, and the blossom end.
Baking Soda & Vinegar Pumpkin

Preschool Songs about Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins

One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin is happy.

Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins are grumpy.

Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins are sleepy.

Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins are sad.

Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins are playing.

Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “We’re ready for some fun!”
Then OOOhh went the wind,
And out went the lights,
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.