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35+ Whimsical Ideas for a Little Pumpkin Party

September 8, 2022 by Leslie Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. To learn more, please read our disclosure and privacy policy

Whether you’re planning a baby shower, birthday, or a simple get together with friends, a little pumpkin party theme is perfect for your fall celebrations. And if you want to make your party stand out from the rest, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve packed over 35 ideas into one awesome list to help you plan the perfect party, including everything from decorations, to food, to favors. So grab your party planner and your favorite pen, and get ready to get inspired.

Collage of pumpkin themed food and decor with text overlay the best little pumpkin party ideas.

Contents hide
When to Host a Pumpkin Themed Party
Where to Host Your Pumpkin Party
Free Party Planner
35+ Whimsical Little Pumpkin Party Ideas

When to Host a Pumpkin Themed Party

While fall doesn’t officially start until late September, you can host a pumpkin themed party anytime from early September through late November. Here are a few celebrations where this theme would work seamlessly:

  • Baby showers
  • First birthday parties
  • Class parties
  • Toddler play dates

Party Planning Tip: You’ll often find faux pumpkins and pumpkin decorations in stores by mid August, but if you’re holding out for real pumpkins, it’s best to wait until mid-September for your party.

Where to Host Your Pumpkin Party

My favorite place to host a party is always at home, but if that’s not an option, you might want to consider these spots:

  • Find a local farm or orchard that rents out space for parties
  • Check your county and state parks for rental options
  • Rent a room or pavilion at your church

Don’t forget, fall is also prime hurricane season, so if you’re anywhere along the east coast, make sure to have an indoor backup plan.

Free Party Planner

Mockup of a free party planner showing how it can be printed or used electronically.

To make your party planning even easier, I’ve got a free printable party planner you can download. It’s specifically designed for on-the-go people who need a simple system. Use it on your phone, or print it out to help keep track of their time as well as their budget.

Grab your free copy at the end of this post.

35+ Whimsical Little Pumpkin Party Ideas

Pumpkin Party Decorations

From DIY projects to store-bought items, we've got everything you need to create affordable and festive pumpkin party decorations.

Just remember, if you DIY, get started early so you won't be stressed at the last minute.

A cupcake with a green wrapper and a three dimensional pumpkin shaped cupcake topper.

DIY Pumpkin Cupcake Toppers

Photo Credit: www.thecountrychiccottage.net

One of the easiest to decorate for a pumpkin themed party is by making these adorable pumpkin cupcake toppers. Not only are they easy to make, but they add a sweet, personal touch that you can customize to match your party perfectly

Pumpkin decor made with yarn and cinnamon sticks.

DIY Yarn Pumpkins

Photo Credit: artscrackers.com

Yarn Skein Pumpkins make adorable, simple decorations—no sewing or gluing. needed!

Paper strips turned into a pumpkin.

Paper Pumpkin Craft

Photo Credit: mommyevolution.com

Welcome your own little pumpkin with this easy to make adorable paper pumpkin decoration!

Fabric pumpkins scattered on a table.

DIY Fabric Pumpkins

Photo Credit: organized31.com

These cute fabric pumpkins are so easy to make, you don't even need to sew if you don't want to. Best of all, they're lightweight, and are safer decoration for little kids, since they're made completely out of soft materials.

A floral centerpiece with a mini white pumpkin as the vase.

Mini Pumpkin Floral Vase

Photo Credit: sustainmycrafthabit.com

A Mini Pumpkin Floral Vase is a great way to spruce up your table for any fall celebration, whether it's a baby shower or first birthday party. Not only is it simple to make, but it's also a very affordable way to add some fall flair to your decor.

Three painted and decorated mason jars on a dark surface.

Painted Pumpkin Mason Jars

Photo Credit: thesoccermomblog.com

Mason Jar Pumpkins make a cute, rustic addition to any baby shower or birthday party. Use them as a centerpiece, or to hold utensils, candy, or other party items. Plus, they can be reused year after year.

Three wood blocks painted orange with leaf and stem toppers.

DIY Wooden Pumpkins

Photo Credit: www.drugstoredivas.net

These cute pumpkins are easy enough to make in an afternoon, and can stay on your dining table as a fall centerpiece all season long.

A pumpkin painted pink and decorated to look like an ice cream cone.

Ice Cream Cone Pumpkin

Photo Credit: www.frugalcouponliving.com

Looking for a fun and whimsical way to greet your guests at the front door? Why not make a giant pink ice cream cone made with a pumpkin at the top? Your guests will be talking about it for years to come!

Faux pumpkins painted in a variety of pink shades.

Painted Pumpkins

Photo Credit: www.loveloveloveblog.com

Buck traditional colors for your party and go with some pastel painted pumpkins instead! No one will miss orange and green with these charming pumpkins all over your party.

A round sign with the words Hello Pumpkin in orange vinyl.

Homemade Hello Pumpkin Sign

Photo Credit: www.seasonedsprinkles.com

An adorable hello pumpkin craft is perfect to welcome a new addition in a fall themed shower. Use it as a photo prop, as a wreath on your front door, or simply sitting around looking cute among all the other decor.

Pumpkin Party Food

From pumpkin pie truffles to cheese cracker pumpkin pies bites, these sweet and savory recipes are both adorable and delicious.

Looking for more variety? Check out our list of popular fall appetizers if you want more ideas, too!

Image for Clementine Pumpkins

Clementine Pumpkins

Looking for Halloween snack ideas that the kids will LOVE? We're sharing two versions of clementine pumpkins that are the perfect fruit snacks for toddlers, little kids, and big kids alike.

Image for Pumpkin Pie Truffles with Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Pie Truffles with Cream Cheese

Yum! These easy pumpkin pie truffles with cream cheese are a perfectly sweet fall treat everyone in your family will love.

Cupcakes with white frosting and gum paste pumpkins on top.

Easy Pumpkin Cupcake Toppers

Photo Credit: rosebakes.com

These Easy Pumpkin Cupcake Toppers with a Surprising "Stem" are so easy to make. You can make the pumpkin with fondant or modeling chocolate and the stem is the fun addition of a fragrant whole clove.

A wedge of cheese cut and decorated to look like a mini slice of pumpkin pie.

Cheese & Cracker Pumpkin Pie Bites

Photo Credit: 4sonrus.com

How cute are these? Mini cheese and crackers that look just like tiny pieces of pumpkin pie...such a fun savory appetizer for a fall party.

Orange sherbet punch in cups decorated to look like jack o lanterns.

Orange Sherbet Punch

Photo Credit: acountrygirlslife.com

This quick and easy orange sherbet punch recipe is perfect for your little pumpkin party! Just a few inexpensive ingredients come together to make this pumpkin themed party drink.

Chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting, fondant leaves, and pretzel sticks to look like pumpkins.

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes

Photo Credit: rufflesandrainboots.com

You don't have to be a master baker to make these adorable pumpkin cupcakes. In fact, the cupcakes you see here were made with the help of the kids...so you know they're easy enough for anyone to help out.

Mini bundt cakes with pretzel stems, and green and orange frosting.

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Shaped Mini Bundt Cakes

Photo Credit: xoxobella.com

Whether you add one of these mini pumpkin shaped bundt cakes to each place setting, or stack them up on a tiered tray, they're sure to be a show stopper.

Candy pumpkins on a white plate.

Cinderella's Magical Pumpkin Pinatas

Photo Credit: www.cookiedoughandovenmitt.com

Alternatively, you can use your mini bundt pan to create these cute pumpkin shaped candies with a tasty surprise inside.

(It would be an adorable way to do a gender reveal too!)

Two cheese balls made to look like pumpkins sitting on a cutting board.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Photo Credit: noshingwiththenolands.com

The pumpkin cheese ball is an amazingly versatile recipe and a great show stopper on your cheese tray.

Sugar cookies for a baby shower with a little pumpkin party theme.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Photo Credit: buttercreamparties.com

Sugar cookies are pretty much guaranteed to be a hit...especially when they're as adorable as these little pumpkin themed cookies.

Marshmallows decorated with orange sprinkles and candy to look like pumpkins.

Sugared Marshmallow Pumpkins

Photo Credit: thriftyjinxy.com

These cute sugared marshmallow pumpkins are so easy to make even the kids can help!

A cookie pop on a stick that looks like a pumpkin.

Cookie Dough Pumpkin Pops

Photo Credit: www.myjoyfilledlife.com

Your guests will gobble up these cookie dough pumpkin pops! Best of all, it's gluten-free too, making it a great choice for guests with special dietary needs.

Pretzels coated in orange and green candy melts.

Easy Pumpkin Pretzels

Photo Credit: thesoccermomblog.com

A little sweet, a little salty, and perfectly adorable for your fall pumpkin themed parties, mini pumpkin pretzels only take 3 ingredients and about an hour to finish one batch.

Pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats.

Rice Krispie Pumpkins

Photo Credit: www.amummytoo.co.uk

Every kids favorite treat gets a pumpkin themed update with a little bit of food coloring, some frosting, and a pretzel stem.

Looking for more recipes with pumpkin as the star ingredient? Don't miss these 45 amazing pumpkin spice recipes. It has ideas for every meal from brunch through dessert!

Pumpkin Party Games and Crafts

Make sure your guests have plenty of fun with some pumpkin party games and activities.

From easy printables to fun crafts like pumpkin artwork, there's something here for everyone. So grab your supplies and get ready to have some fun!

Jack-o-lanterns made from cardboard.

Jack-O-Lantern Cardboard Pumpkins

Photo Credit: barleyandbirch.com

Use recycled cardboard or cereal boxes to create a build-your-own jack-o'-lantern activity for kids at your party.

Three balls of play dough stacked on a cutting board with cinnamon sticks and a pumpkin nearby.

Edible Pumpkin Play Dough

Photo Credit: raisingwhasians.com

Made with real pumpkin and spices, this simple play dough is safe for kids of all ages, and is allergy friendly too!

A woman's hand holding a mini yarn pumpkin used as a tic tac toe marker.

Mini Yarn Pumpkins

Photo Credit: temeculablogs.com

Yarn pumpkins can be made just for fun or make a tic tac toe board and use them as markers! Easy craft for Halloween or any fall get together.

Toddler artwork made by using a fist bump.

Fist Bump Pumpkin Art

Photo Credit: thriftyjinxy.com

Why not create a little artwork with the kids at your party and turn their fist bump into the cutest little pumpkin patch!

Printable baby shower or gender reveal games with a fall theme.

Printable Fall Theme Gender Reveal Games

Photo Credit: www.etsy.com

There's no easier way to get things started than with printable game, and this set of baby shower/gender reveal games has 16 easy options for you to choose from.

A toddler playing with a bag filled with pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Sensory Bags

Photo Credit: www.messylittlemonster.com

Celebrating a first birthday? Keep things fun and simple for the birthday boy or girl with these easy pumpkin sensory play bags. Best of all, you don't have to worry about a mess, either.

Samples of a coloring page - one sample is colored in, one sample is black and white.

Pumpkin Coloring Pages

Photo Credit: www.skiptomylou.org

With designs for everyone from toddlers to adults, these printable pumpkin coloring pages are a must.

Pumpkin Party Favors

No party is complete without the perfect party favor. And with these creative ideas, your guests are sure to be impressed.

A mini canning jar filled with orange slime and topped with decorations to look like a stem.

Pumpkin Slime Jars

Photo Credit: craftsbyamanda.com

This is the perfect way to package up simple homemade slime for your pumpkin party favors.

A clear mug filled with two types of slime that look like a pumpkin spice latte.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Slime

Photo Credit: rufflesandrainboots.com

Or you can take your slime up a notch with pumpkin spice latte slime. Scented with pumpkin spice fragrance, and using a mixture of both fluffy and stretchy slime, your guests are going to love this gift.

White chocolate hot cocoa bombs with candy pumpkins.

Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa Bomb

Photo Credit: www.kimschob.com

Hot cocoa bombs are a fun favor for every age and stage. I just love the pumpkin spice twist with this recipe, especially with the pumpkin candy sitting on top.

Brown paper gift bags personalized with children's photos inside open pumpkins.

Pumpkin Treat Bags for Preschool

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

Make these personalized photo treat bags for the little ones at your party, and you're guaranteed to be considered hostess of the year.

Inspiring Pumpkin Themed Parties

Want to see some real pumpkin parties in action? These parties are filled with gourd-geous ideas that you'll want to recreate!

A high chair and folding table are decorated with soft pastel tones for a fall themed first birthday party.

Little Pumpkin First Birthday Party

Photo Credit: www.loveloveloveblog.com

With a combination of gold tones and soft pastels, this first birthday party is both sophisticated and sweet.

A table is decorated with pumpkins, a printable banner, and fall desserts.

Fall Pumpkin Spice Party + Printables

Photo Credit: www.hauteandhealthyliving.com

Get some fun party ideas and decorate your party with free pumpkin themed printables in gorgeous watercolors.

harvest themed halloween party buffet

Harvest Halloween Party for Toddlers (So Adorable!)

This DIY Halloween party for toddlers is filled with plenty of pumpkins and other simple, family-friendly decorations and food that you can easily recreate.

Hopefully you’ve come away from these ideas not only inspired, but feeling like you can definitely handle organizing and hosting the best little pumpkin themed party.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of our free party planner at the bottom of this post. It’s specifically designed to help keep track of both your time and your budget, so you won’t feel like a stressed mess by the time your party rolls around. Trust me, it’ll be a total life saver!


Join me over at Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter,

for more fun ideas and inspiration!

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Filed Under: Blog, Halloween, Parties

About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. Living with metastatic breast cancer since 2022, she is determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

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I love helping busy moms create DIY parties that aren’t overwhelming. Here you'll find crafts, recipes, and fun printables you can use to create a celebration you’re proud of that you get to enjoy too! Read More
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Looking for a little more creativity in your life? From Play Dates to Parties is the place for you!

Hi there! I’m Leslie! I love helping busy moms create DIY parties that aren’t overwhelming. At Playdates to Parties, you'll find crafts, ready-to-use cut files, recipes, and fun printables you can use to create a celebration you’re proud of that you get to enjoy too!  {Read More}

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