Home » Seasonal Ideas » Holidays » Halloween » Free Printable Pumpkin Carving Template
Published: September 21, 2020 · Updated: October 12, 2023 by Sacha
Need some pumpkin-carving inspiration this Halloween? Download our free mix-and-match template and print it at home to choose from a variety of spooky or goofy features for your homemade jack-o’-lanterns! And because pumpkins come in all sorts of shapes and dimensions, each design has three different sizes to choose from!
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Are your kids excited for Halloween yet?
Trick-or-treating might be a little weird this year (I’m honestly not sure how that’s going to work in the middle of a pandemic…), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of fun activities you can do to celebrate Halloween with your kids!
Pumpkin carving is a great way to get creative with your kids, but it’s not always simple to come up with your own design.
That’s why I created this fun template that you can download and print at home—so be sure to scroll down to find out how you can get the printable for free and use it this Halloween!
How to Use the Template
This template is designed to be “mix-and-match”. This means that instead of full faces, it contains several types of eyes, noses and mouths—and you get to choose which ones you like best!
The template includes 8 pairs of eyes, 10 types of noses and 8 types of mouths. And because not all pumpkins have the same dimensions, each design comes in three different sizes!
Some of the styles are designed to be scary while others are meant to be goofy, so you should have plenty to choose from no matter what type of look you’re going for!
Download Your Free Pumpkin Carving Template
To download this pumpkin carving template to your phone or computer, click the download link below the image (no sign-up required):
{DOWNLOAD LINK}PUMPKIN CARVING TEMPLATE
How to Carve a Pumpkin
So you’ve downloaded the template—yay! Now what?
1. Prep Pumpkin
Cut off the crown of your pumpkin using a sharp serrated knife, then scoop out the seeds and fibres. (Tip: If you have a toddler at home, throw the pumpkin guts into a freezer bag for mess-free sensory exploration—or, if you’re not afraid of messes, let your child be the one to clean out the pumpkin!)
You can also roast the seeds to make a delicious fall snack, or set aside some of the pumpkin flesh to bake a scrumptious pumpkin pie!
2. Choose Designs
Since this template is designed to be “mix-and-match”, start by choosing the eyes, nose and mouth that you want to give to your pumpkin. (Feel free to skip the nose.) That way, you can save paper and printer ink by only printing the pages you need!
If you’re carving several pumpkins, or if you like several designs and want to test them out, you’re also free to skip straight to the next step and simply print out the entire document.
3. Print Template
Print out the pages containing the designs you’ve picked—or simply print out the entire document if you’re planning on using several designs!
4. Cut Template
Use scissors to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth you need in the size that best suits your pumpkin.
5. Trace Designs
Place the cutouts on your pumpkin and use a permanent marker to trace each shape. Depending on the complexity of the design, you may want to use toothpicks to hold the paper in place while you trace the shapes.
Tip: Feel free to experiment with the angle and placement of each feature. Just because the eyes were positioned a certain way on the template doesn’t mean they can’t be lopsided or upside-down on your pumpkin!
6. Carve Pumpkin
Use a sharp serrated knife to carve out the designs, then place a lit tea light inside your pumpkin and replace the crown to reveal your spooky (or silly) jack-o’-lantern!
Related Halloween Activities
Looking for more fun things to do with your kids this Halloween? Check out this article:
- Edible Glow-in-the-Dark Marshmallow Slime
