Fall is the perfect time for pumpkin books and STEM activities! Pairing stories with hands-on science projects makes learning fun and memorable. Below, you’ll find a collection of both fiction and nonfiction pumpkin books with engaging activities for preschool and elementary students.
Fiction Pumpkin Books + Activities
👉 Don’t forget to grab our Printable Pumpkin Project Pack and Pumpkin Preschool Pack for even more pumpkin-themed fun and learning!
Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino
- Activity: Build a fence for 5 little pumpkins using craft sticks, LEGO, or blocks. Great preschool engineering challenge! 👉 5 Little Pumpkins STEM Activity here.
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano
Activity:
- Build a square pumpkin with LEGO bricks.
- Explore geometry with printable 3D shape nets.
The Roll Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders
- Activity: Create ramps and roll pumpkins down to explore force, motion, and speed. 👉 Rolling Pumpkins STEM activity here.
10 Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage
Activity:
- Stack mini pumpkins or substitutes (pool noodles, caps, candy pumpkins).
- Build pumpkin structures with candy pumpkins and toothpicks.
- Create a pumpkin sensory bin for preschoolers.
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
- Activity: Compare pumpkins by measuring weight and circumference. Track the growth of a pumpkin if available. 👉 Explore pumpkin math activities here.
Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
- Activity: Create a mini pumpkin patch sorting station. Sort pumpkins by size, shape, and color for math classification.
Nonfiction Pumpkin Books + Activities
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara
- Activity: Scoop seeds from different pumpkins, dry, and count. Compare varieties. 👉 See hoow to set up our How Many Seeds experiment here.
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor
- Activity: Measure pumpkins at the patch. Practice estimating radius and diameter. 👉 Explore pumpkin math activities here.
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
- Activity: Carve a pumpkin and observe decomposition. Record changes over time in a science journal. 👉 Check out our rotting Pumpkin Jack decomposing activity here.
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson
- Activity: Plant seeds in a clear cup or baggie. Sequence the pumpkin life cycle with cards or a mini book. 👉 Make a mini greenhouse for growing pumpkin seeds.
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
- Activity: Set up a pumpkin investigation tray. Cut open a pumpkin and identify the parts (stem, pulp, flesh, seeds). Label a diagram. Use the free pumpkin printable included.
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
- Activity: Compare different pumpkin varieties. Record data in a class chart.
🔎 Try this simple pumpkin STEM activity: test if small and large pumpkins sink or float.
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum
- Activity: Hold a pumpkin food taste test (pie, roasted seeds, puree). Graph class favorites. Also, use our pumpkin pie playdough mats and homemade pumpkin playdough.
Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
- Activity: Create a sequencing craft showing the life cycle of a pumpkin. 👉 Set up a pumpkin playdough life cycles project.
I Pick Fall Pumpkins by Mary Lindeen
- Activity: Go on a pumpkin patch scavenger hunt. Record observations of different pumpkin features.
Pumpkin STEM & Science Activities
Use these ideas alongside any of the books for more fall learning fun!
- Pumpkin Life Cycle Sequencing – Use cards or printables to show seed → sprout → vine → flower → pumpkin.
- Parts of a Pumpkin Exploration – Cut open a pumpkin, explore, and label the stem, skin, pulp, and seeds.
- Pumpkin Sink or Float Test – Predict whether pumpkins of different sizes will sink or float in water.
- Pumpkin Seed Estimation – Guess how many seeds are inside, then count and compare.
- Pumpkin Measurement Math – Measure circumference, diameter, and weight. Compare large vs. small.
- Pumpkin Decomposition Experiment – Watch how a carved pumpkin rots over time (Pumpkin Jack).
- Pumpkin Seed Sprouting – Plant seeds indoors and track germination.
- Pumpkin Races – Roll pumpkins down ramps and compare speed.
- Pumpkin Structures – Build towers and bridges with candy pumpkins and toothpicks.
- Pumpkin Sensory Play – Explore pumpkin pulp and seeds in a sensory bin. Make pumpkin oobleck or pumpkin slime with real pumpkin.
- Pumpkin Boats – Hollow out small pumpkins and see if they float as boats.
- Pumpkin Density Experiment – Compare how hollow vs. solid pumpkins behave in water.
- Pumpkin Sorting & Graphing – Sort pumpkins by size, color, and texture, then create graphs.
- Pumpkin Taste Test – Try pumpkin foods and chart favorites.
- Pumpkin Art Connections – Bubble wrap prints, yarn wrapping, black glue pumpkins, dot art, 3D paper pumpkins. Try stamping or printmaking with pumpkin tops!
Printable Pumpkin Activity Packs
- [Printable Pumpkin STEM Pack] – 100+ pages of science, math, engineering, and art projects for grades K–3.
- [Printable Pumpkin Preschool Pack] – 14+ pumpkin-themed activities with book lists, crafts, counting, and sensory play for preschool and Pre-K.
Explore More Fall Science
Click on the images below for more fall-themed science activities.
Free Pumpkin Book Guide
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