The Great Pumpkin Carving Competition

and our favorite carving tools and templates

When my children were small, we started a tradition of carving pumpkins together every October. It grew into a competition that has taken on a life of its own. Indigo told the girls, “You have to be like Michelangelo -- see the Snoopy in the pumpkin and carve until you set him free.”

Indi has won every year, but our neighbors who kindly serve as judges have created new categories for the other kids. Iris won “Cleanest Lines” with her Snoopy the Flying Ace. Hazel’s Snoopy won “Most Like a Comic Strip.”

Tarikua’s friend Scarlet joined us, as she has for the last several years. I love that Indi, Tia, and Scarlet are all in high school but still enjoy this tradition.

Maeve won “Best First Pumpkin”. She was very dedicated and carved hers all by herself. Jude was home for fall break and carved Linus in the pumpkin patch.

Carving Tools

When we first started carving pumpkins, we used kitchen knives, but it was frustrating and dangerous if the knife slipped, even for adults. Since then, we’ve tried lots of different carving tools, and this set is the kids’ favorite.

Printable Templates

My kids like to use printable templates that they tape directly onto their pumpkins. Maeve cut right through the lines of the paper using one of the small tools. Hazel recommends what she calls “the dotting technique.” She pokes holes along her template with a toothpick and then uses a carving tool to cut along the line marked by the small holes.

You can find some fun free Peanuts templates here.

Printable Coloring Pages

If you can’t find the right printable template, you might try looking for a coloring page that inspires you. This year Indi found an image that she liked and put a filter on it to make it black and white. Doing this helps to see where to carve. She leaves the dark places in orange, peels the pumpkin skin on the middle tones, and carves away the highlights.

If you try this, I’d love to hear how it works for you! And if you have your own pumpkin carving traditions and tips, I would love to hear those, too. My mom just told me that my late grandfather used to love to carve and paint pumpkins. I never remembered hearing this, but it’s incredible to think about how these fun and simple traditions and their memories live on for years and even decades.