Standing with Autistic People, Today & Every Day
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Sensory Friendly Pumpkin Carving Ideas for Toddlers
Carving pumpkins can be a fun way to celebrate Halloween! But if your little one prefers a calmer, less gooey experience, here are some fun ways to decorate your pumpkins this Halloween.
Stickers: Have a variety of Halloween-themed stickers available and let them pick how they want to decorate. This supports their fine motor skills without the extra mess! You can also try drawing shapes on the pumpkin and have them put the matching stickers on top!
Paint: Use washable paint with brushes, dabbers, or paint sticks to decorate the pumpkins! You can talk about the colours, mix new colours, or count dots to keep it fun and interesting!
Fabric: Cut out eyes, noses, and mouths from felt fabric and attach Velcro to the back. You can make different silly faces to encourage pretend play to learn about emotions! Talk about emotions while making the new faces. For example, “Oh look, this pumpkin is so happy!” or “Uh oh, this pumpkin is sleepy, we better put it to bed!”
Bonus: Letting them choose a pumpkin can be a fun way to build motivation for the activity! You can talk about how the pumpkin is big, small, bumpy, green, or orange. Remember to follow the lead and have fun!
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