White Ghost Pumpkins: An Easy Halloween Craft for Kids

White pumpkins look like ghosts before you even start. Add two black eyes and the job is basically done.

Ghost pumpkins take 15 minutes. Kids paint faces on white pumpkins and line them up like a little haunted family.

This is the fastest pumpkin project we publish. It also photographs better than any other.

Materials You'll Need

• White pumpkins in a few sizes (look for Baby Boo, Casper, or Lumina varieties)
• Black acrylic or tempera paint
• Paintbrushes
• Pencil for sketching faces
• Newspaper or a plastic tablecloth
• Smocks or old shirts

Safety note: Mini white pumpkins fit in a toddler's mouth. Keep them away from kids under 3. Hand toddlers a full-size white pumpkin instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Wipe Them Down

Clean each pumpkin with a damp cloth. Let them dry. Paint grips clean skin.

Step 2: Sketch the Face

Draw eyes and a mouth in pencil. The classic ghost gets two oval eyes and an oval mouth. A mummy gets wrap lines across the face.

Step 3: Paint It Black

Fill in the pencil lines with black paint. One coat of acrylic covers white fully. Tempera needs a second coat.

Step 4: Add Details

Mummies get crisscross bandage lines. Skeletons get a toothy grin. Vampires get fangs. Kids who like masks can pair these with our paper plate masks for a full costume corner.

Step 5: Dry and Display

Set pumpkins on newspaper for 20 minutes. Group different sizes together for a ghost family on the porch steps.

Tips for Different Ages

Toddlers (2-3): They paint big black blobs. You turn the blobs into faces after. Full-size pumpkins only.

Preschoolers (4-5): They paint inside your pencil lines. Oval eyes are within reach.

Early elementary (6-8): They design their own faces and add details like stitches or cracks.

Older kids (9+): They do shading and fine line work. Black on white rewards a steady hand.

Variations to Try

• Mummy pumpkins: Wrap white crepe paper strips around the pumpkin. Glue googly eyes on top.
• Skeleton pumpkins: Paint rib lines down the sides and a skull face up top.
• BOO pumpkins: Paint the letters B-O-O big across three small pumpkins. Line them up in order.
• Ghost rock friends: Paint small white rocks to match. They guard the pumpkin family.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I buy white pumpkins?

Grocery stores and pumpkin patches stock them each October. Look for tags reading Baby Boo, Casper, or Lumina.

What paint works on white pumpkins?

Black acrylic covers in one coat and lasts outside. Tempera works for indoor display and washes off hands fast.

How long do white pumpkins last?

Uncarved white pumpkins stay firm 2 to 3 months in cool weather. Paint does not shorten that.

Can I carve a white pumpkin?

You can, but the white flesh browns fast once cut. Paint keeps them pretty far longer than a knife does.

Are white pumpkins edible?

Yes, but they taste bland next to orange varieties. Most families treat them as decoration pumpkins.

For the classic orange version, see our no-carve painted pumpkins guide.

Be safe and have fun!