Make a simple and inviting pumpkin writing center as a fall preschool literacy activity.
I’m always looking for ideas to do with pumpkins. Fall preschool activities are so fun so I figure that the more pumpkin activities, the better! Am I right!?!
I especially love doing no-carve pumpkin ideas beforehand. If I can get two uses out of a pumpkin instead of one, it’s a win-win!
This led to the making of a pumpkin writing center!
We put this one in our home, but I also set this up as the activity for the outdoor co-op preschool that I run in our community.
Get the best learning activities for 3-5 year olds at your fingertips
Writing centers are my favorite. Especially when it comes to open-ended writing. Anytime I can make an inviting writing center without paper, it’s always a sure success.
Don’t get me wrong because I like paper too. But too much paper and the writing center is always an overflowing mess. And we’re spending more time cleaning it up than actually using it. It’s that delicate balance.
Pumpkin Writing Center and Fall Literacy Activity
So it turns out that pumpkins are a great dry-erase surface! I had no idea until I saw these amazing process art pumpkins using chalk markers. Since we had a bunch of dry-erase markers around, I figured we would give it a shot!
And it worked just like magic pumpkin magic!
How to Make a Pumpkin Writing Center
This, my friends, is super easy. Crazy easy!
The best part is there is quite literally no setup! Simply grab the materials below and allow your preschoolers to take over and enjoy their writing creations.
Materials:
- Pumpkins
- Dry Erase Markers
- Soft Cloths
- Dry Erase Circle
As I was in the grocery store looking for pumpkins, I spotted these white pumpkins and knew they would be absolutely perfect for this! Plus some small orange pumpkins. I have to admit — I can’t help but buy them each year because they are too cute!
I grabbed the dry erase markers on Amazon. If it’s back to school time, I stock up at the store when they are on sale.
These dry erase dots are super addicting to use, and there are lots of other colors too! Plus, it was perfect to turn into a Jack-O-Lantern.
I set up this fall activity as a preschool writing activity, and I didn’t give any instructions. But this is what I naturally saw happen over the week:
- Tracing the Jack-O-Lantern
- Drawing lines down the pumpkin and around the pumpkin
- Letter writing
- Name writing
- Pictures
- Lovely notes (from my school-age kids)
Let’s not forget the skill of putting the lid back on. I love teaching self-help skills!
All in all, this literacy center for preschool is my new favorite fall activity! It’s so super simple but has been hours of fun.
More Favorite Pumpkin Activities
If you are planning a fall-themed lesson plan to go along with this fall activity, you’ll love our already-made fall-themed lesson plans to pair with them.
Check out our set of amazing seasonal literacy and math centers. Ensure you always have the perfect center any time of year!
- The Best Movement and Action Songs for Children - January 8, 2026
- Back to School Survival Guide for Preschool Parents - July 29, 2025
- Thanksgiving Ten Frame Counting Mats - November 17, 2024
Adding pumpkins to the writing center is a nice themed twist to paper. I will include this idea next time!
I hope they love it, Faye!