Easy Decorative Pumpkin Paper Bag Craft

It’s October, which means we can officially get excited about fall! I love the cooler weather, the beautiful leaves, and the traditions of autumn! This season is also perfect for outdoor adventures and indoor crafts. If you’re looking for an easy, fun indoor craft that takes some inspiration from nature, this pumpkin paper bag craft is a perfect fit.

After you take a look at this craft, if you want even more pumpkin fun, scroll to the bottom of this article. There you’ll find information about an All About Pumpkins unit study and a recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Soup!

I love that this craft is fairly simple yet comes out looking really nice. All ages should be able to participate in making these paper bag pumpkins, and you may even have everything you need at home to make them! The finished product makes a simple but elegant autumn decoration to grace your entryway or dining room table.

What You’ll Need for the Pumpkin Paper Bag Craft:

• Brown paper bag
• Clean plastic shopping bags
• Orange washable paint
• Paint brush
• Green pipe cleaners
• Green construction paper
• Pen or pencil
• Glue
• Scissors

How to Make the Pumpkin Paper Bag Craft:

If you are like me, you have a drawer in your kitchen dedicated to plastic grocery bags. We all end up with more of them than we know what to do with, and it’s wasteful to just throw them away. This pumpkin paper bag craft gives you a chance to recycle some plastic grocery bags and put them to good use!

To start making your decorative pumpkin paper bag craft, open a brown paper bag and stuff it about halfway full with clean, plastic shopping bags. Twist the top of the paper bag tightly to close and form the stem of the pumpkin. Kids of all ages, even toddlers, will enjoy helping with this step! 

Next, grab your washable paint and paint the pumpkin orange. You can paint the stem green if you like, but we thought the brown color of the paper bag actually worked really well for the stem!

Alternatively, if you want to make “designer pumpkins,” you can certainly paint your pumpkin paper bag craft pale green or white. This craft is also simple enough that you can make several at one time, so it could be fun to make a variety of pumpkin colors (especially if you plan to use them to decorate a tabletop or front porch).

Grab some scissors (or have your kids grab the kid-friendly scissors) and cut out some very simple leaf shapes to attach to the stem of your pumpkin. You only really need 1-2 leaves per pumpkin. Attach each leaf with a bit of glue.

Last, wrap a green pipe cleaner around a pen to create a curly “vine.” This is a great motor skill activity for young children!

Once you’ve created your vine, you will simply twist it around the stem of your pumpkin paper bag craft. The wire inside the pipe cleaner will hold it in place.

There you have it: a simple and classic pumpkin paper bag craft that you can easily make at home with your kids this fall. We hope that you enjoy creating this craft with your children this season. Even more, we hope you enjoy creating special memories that come from simple things like enjoying some craft time together! If you make this craft, be sure to share it with us—here or in our Facebook community!

Want more pumpkin fun?

On Only Passionate Curiosity, we’re sharing a FREE (for a short time–just put in a zero where it asks for the amount you want to pay) All About Pumpkins Life Cycle Unit Study! You’ll find 16 pages of science-related pumpkin printables along with links to even more pumpkin-related learning. We’re sharing ideas for pumpkin-related math, language arts, sensory play, and art to go along with it!

And on our other sister site, you’ll find a yummy recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Soup! It’s delicious, healthy, and easy to make. And it just might encourage your children to be willing to try something new!