Paper Pumpkins Craft

Cute paper pumpkins are a festive way to welcome the fall season! With just a few strips of paper and a chenille stem, you can make adorable pumpkins that bring a touch of seasonal charm to any space. This simple craft is perfect for all ages, making it an ideal project for classrooms, family craft time, or even as a decorative touch for your fall table. Quick, fun, and oh-so-easy, these paper pumpkins are a must-try for autumn!

Related: Fall is such an exciting time of the year for the whole family, so make sure you check out these other holiday crafts including Tootsie Pop Pumpkins, Pumpkin Coloring Pages Fall Coloring Pages, and this cute origami pumpkin.

Paper Pumpkin Supplies

To make this Halloween paper pumpkin, you will need the following supplies.

Orange paper -regular paper will do. If you’d like to make the pumpkin a little sturdier, you can use orange cardstock. You can also try paper with different patterns or how about glitter papers.
Glue stick
Glue gun
Scissors or paper trimmer
Pencil
Craft pipe cleaners
Battery powered candle light. Please don’t use tealights, the pumpkin is made of paper after all!

Video: Watch How to Make a 3D Paper Pumpkin

Easy Paper Pumpkin Craft Step-by-Step

Let’s get started on making this easy pumpkin craft! If you’re unsure about any steps, just check out the video for a clear, step-by-step guide. Try using different sizes of paper strips to create pumpkins in various sizes—small pumpkin to large! Craft a whole pumpkin patch!

Step 1: Start with a piece of orange paper and cut it into long strips as shown in the images below.

A square piece of orange paper. — You need one square piece of orange paper.

Orange paper cut into nine strips of equal width. — Cut it into nine strips of equal width. About 1-inch strips of paper work well.

Step 2: Take two strips of orange paper, apply glue, and stick them together to make a longer paper strip.

Two hands applying glue to the end of one strip. — Apply some glue to the end of one strip.

Two hands sticking two strips together. — Take another strip and stick it onto the first strip.

Step 3: Glue the remaining strips in the middle of the first two strips mounting each on top of each other till you have the pattern shown in the image below.

A picture of the remaining strips glues to the orignal two strips from the central point so there is a strip at every 45 degrees, starting from the top.

Step 4: Apply glue to the far end of each strip and bend them upwards, securing them in the middle to form the pumpkin shape.

Two hands adding glue to the far end of one of the strips. — Put some glue on the end of the strip.

Two hands glueing the strips together at the top of the pumpkin. — Glue all the orange paper strips and bend upwards.

Two hands holding all the glued strips in place on the top of the pumpkin. — The pumpkin is taking shape.

Step 5: It’s time to make the pumpkin stalk from pipe cleaners. Cut off a small section and bend it in half.

A hand holding a craft pipe cleaner. — A craft pipe cleaner is used to make the pumpkin stem.

Two hands bending a small section of the pipe cleaner in half. — Bend a small section in half.

Step 6: Twist the craft pipe cleaner and then bend out the bottom ends at a 90-degree angle as shown in the images below.

Two hands twisting the craft pipe cleaner. — Twist the craft pipe cleaner, but not all the way down.

A hand holding the twisted craft pipe cleaner with the two ends bent out at a 90 degree angle. — Bend the ends outwards at a 90-degree angle

Step 7: Using a glue gun, apply glue to the top of the pumpkin and secure the stalk. Hold it there until the glue has dried sufficiently.

A glue gun applying glue to the top of the pumpkin. — Apply glue to the top of the pumpkin.

Two hands securing the stalk to the top of the pumpkin. — Secure the stalk in place and allow the glue to dry.

Step 8: Once the glue has dried, take a long craft pipe cleaner and wrap it around the bottom of the stem. Wrap both pieces extending from the stalk around a pencil.

Two hands securing another craft pipe cleaner around the stalk. — Attach another green pipe cleaner by securing it around the stalk.

Two hands using a pencil to twirl the craft pipe cleaner sections extending from the stalk. — Twirl the two sections of the craft pipe cleaner extending from the stem around a pencil to create a curly leaf.

Turn Your Paper Pumpkin Into a Lantern

Simply insert a battery-powered light at the bottom of each paper pumpkin, and voilà—you’ve got charming pumpkin lanterns! These glowing pumpkins make beautiful decor that brightens up any corner of your home all season long. Kids would love crafting these for the Thanksgiving table, adding a warm, festive touch to the celebration.

Two hands holding a battery powered light, ready to be put inside the pumpkin. — Time to insert the battery powered light.

Two hands holding the finished pumpkin with the light inside. — You can secure it with a little glue if you’d like.

And there you go – a fun way to decorate for the season!

More Fall Fun for the Whole Family!

Try out some of these Halloween projects!

Why not make your own cupcake wrappers for Halloween?
Hanging Lantern Ghosts are a fun decoration for the holiday.
Pumpkin Crafts
Pumpkin Template for carving!
Fun Fall Crafts – such a fun time of year!
Check out these all things pumpkin crafts
Thanksgiving Dinner Trivia – so much fun!
Jack-o-lantern face templates for pumpkin carving
Make a 3D card with this tissue paper pumpkin craft

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