Halloween may be over, but the pumpkin fun doesn’t have to end! Pumpkins are the perfect theme to carry you through the month of November — tying together fall, harvest, friendship, gratitude, and even Thanksgiving. Whether you’re looking for cross-curricular connections or festive fun, here are 10 pumpkin activities your students will love long after the costumes are put away.
1. Pumpkin Pie in a Cup
Looking for a fun and easy Thanksgiving activity for kids? Pumpkin Pie in a Cup is the ultimate no-bake dessert and classroom treat! Students follow a step-by-step mini book that walks them through the recipe, allowing them to read directions, measure ingredients, and sequence steps — all while working together to mix, scoop, and create their own pumpkin pie cups.
This activity hits so many standards: reading comprehension (following directions), math (measuring, graphing, tallying), and writing (sequencing and opinion writing). Plus, it includes a pumpkin pie craft, class graphing tools, differentiated writing prompts, mini recipe cards, and a parent donation letter to make prep simple. It’s a sweet way to connect literacy and life skills as you transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving.
2. Pumpkin Soup Activities
The heartwarming story Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper is the perfect book to revisit after Halloween. Duck, Cat, and Squirrel make the same soup every day — until Duck wants to stir instead of scoop. Your students will love discussing teamwork, kindness, and sharing with this SEL-rich story.
This Pumpkin Soup Book Companion is jam-packed with reading comprehension strategies (predicting, sequencing, retelling, problem & solution, story message), vocabulary, word work, math games, and a pumpkin retelling craft. It’s a cozy fall favorite that brings friendship to life while reinforcing literacy standards.
3. The Ugly Pumpkin Activities
The week after Halloween is the perfect time to read The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz. Poor “pumpkin” doesn’t get picked for Halloween — but as November rolls in, he learns he’s not a pumpkin at all… he’s a squash!
The Ugly Pumpkin Book Companion resource is filled with reading comprehension, writing, and word work activities that focus on identity, gratitude, and acceptance. Students can complete retelling and character analysis tasks, craft their own squash art, and even explore math extensions like surveys and graphing. It’s the perfect story to help your students see beauty in differences — and to celebrate that Thanksgiving feeling of belonging.
4. A Bold Pumpkin Plan
Katy Hudson’s A Bold Pumpkin Plan is an adorable follow-up to Halloween themes of bravery and friendship. Hedgehog dreams of making his winter home inside a pumpkin, but soon learns the value of accepting help and working together.
A Bold Pumpkin Plan Book Companion includes comprehension activities, vocabulary work, word work, math games, and a pumpkin home craft. It’s also a wonderful resource for discussing SEL themes like kindness, courage, and community. Have your students write about a time they needed help or create their own “bold plan.” It’s a great way to wrap pumpkins into lessons on perseverance and teamwork.
5. Solve the Mystery of the Missing Pumpkin Pie
Take your post-Halloween learning up a notch with a classroom mystery! In Solve the Mystery of the Missing Pumpkin Pie, students become detectives to figure out who took the pie, when, and where.
They’ll complete nine engaging task cards that reinforce first-grade math and language arts standards (rhyming, fact families, digraphs, editing, sequencing, and more). Each task unlocks a clue until the final mystery is solved. This resource includes intro videos, posters, student journals, awards, and crowns — making it the perfect cross-curricular challenge for November. It’s academic, exciting, and full of teamwork!
Available for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade students.
6. True or False: Pumpkins
Keep your pumpkin exploration going with this interactive True or False Pumpkins game! Students read fun pumpkin statements — like “Pumpkins can be white” or “Pumpkins grow on trees” — and decide if each one is true or false. Then, reveal the correct answer and learn extra pumpkin facts.
It’s a wonderful nonfiction review tool that builds background knowledge and supports science standards. You can play it on your interactive board, use printed cards, or send it digitally. It’s quick, engaging, and perfect for your Pumpkin Review Week or science centers.
7. Pumpkin Life Cycle Activities
Pumpkins are fascinating from seed to vine — and this Pumpkin Lifecycle Unit brings nonfiction learning to life! Students read a 16-page mini reader that features a table of contents, glossary, real photos, and bold-faced vocabulary words.
They’ll explore nonfiction text features, sequence the lifecycle, create a cut-and-paste craft, and write about what they’ve learned. The unit also includes comprehension pages, KWL charts, research projects, word work, and digital versions for projection. It’s the perfect blend of science, reading, and writing — and pairs beautifully with The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons and The Ugly Pumpkin.
8. Pumpkin Patch Movement Breaks
Need to get those post-Halloween wiggles out? The Pumpkin Patch Movement Breaks are an exciting way to combine movement, math, and phonics. Students visit a virtual pumpkin patch where they practice digraphs (sh/ch), CVC short vowels, CVCC words, number sense, and 2D/3D shapes — all through motion!
Each slide prompts a movement challenge: jump, hop, stretch, or dance based on the answer. It’s perfect for brain breaks, transitions, or center rotations, and works on Google Slides or PowerPoint. This fall-themed movement game keeps your learners engaged and active long after Halloween.
9. The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
If you’re looking to deepen nonfiction reading, The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons is a classroom classic! This text helps students build science and literacy connections as they learn how pumpkins grow, are harvested, and used for different purposes.
The Pumpkin Book Companion pack includes fact and detail organizers, vocabulary activities, fact or opinion sort, caption and diagram labeling, and a pumpkin craft. You can also tie it into your Pumpkin Lifecycle lessons to reinforce nonfiction text features and expand your students’ scientific understanding of pumpkins.
10. Pumpkins in a Truck Glyph
Round out your pumpkin fun with the Pumpkins in a Truck Glyph Craft! Inspired by all the cozy fall farm vibes, students follow specific directions to decorate their own trucks filled with pumpkins. Each choice reveals something unique about them — their favorite color, treat, or fall activity.
This glyph makes a wonderful classroom community-building project and doubles as an adorable bulletin board display. Choose from sayings like “Driving into Fall Fun,” “Pumpkins on Board,” or “Watch Us Grow.” It’s part of my Glyph Craft Bundle, and it’s perfect for both October and November.
Pumpkins are such a rich and versatile theme — they connect seamlessly from Halloween through Thanksgiving, offering endless opportunities to reinforce literacy, math, science, and SEL. Whether you’re mixing up pumpkin pie cups, solving a pumpkin mystery, or diving into nonfiction text features, these activities keep your students learning and engaged all month long.
Click the links below to read about more great activities for November:
