Pumpkin Life Cycle Sequencing Activity – Printable and Lesson Plan

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This printable has a full lesson plan for the book Pumpkin, Pumpkin and a printable sequencing page that can be used for learning about the pumpkin life cycle alone or along with the book.

You can download the PDF here:
Pumpkin Life Cycle Sequencing Printable

Students can use this printable to create a model of the pumpkin cycle.  Here’s how:

  1. Color and cut out the life cycle stages from this printable.
  2. Make a jack-o-lantern for the last stage in the life cycle.  You can staple two paper plates together and decorate it like a jack-o-lantern.  Leave a section unstapled so the pieces can be stored inside the pumpkin.
  3. Attach a piece of yarn to the inside of the pumpkin with tape.
  4. Attach pictures to the yarn that represent each of the steps leading up to the jack-o-lantern.  The pictures are meant to be folded on the dashed line and glued to the yarn so that the picture is on one side and the word is on the other side.
  5. The “vine” can be stuffed inside the pumpkin and gradually pulled out as students retell the Pumpkin, Pumpkin story, or recite the steps of the pumpkin life cycle.   Be sure the pieces are in order so that it starts with the seed and ends with the jack-o-lantern:  Seed, sprout, plant, flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin, jack-o-lantern.
In the example pictured above, we used construction paper instead of paper plates.  We cut a pumpkin shape from 2 pieces of construction paper, then cut eyes and a nose from black construction paper.  My kindergartner wanted to draw the mouth instead of cutting paper for it.  She also added a stem cut from brown construction paper.  The orange pieces of the jack-o-lantern were stapled together with an opening on the side.When I’ve done this activity in the past, students colored the paper plates and and drew on the face.  You can also use orange paint.  I’ve also heard of orange plates being available around Halloween, so that might be an option, too, if you can find them in stores.

How are others using this printable?

I love seeing how others are using this to teach kids!  All of these links feature photos of the completed activity.

nopin preschoolalphabet preview

nopin fabulousinfirst preview

Why do these things always take longer than I originally anticipate? #slowpoke #sciencefun #atozteacherstuff

A photo posted by The Super Sparkly Teacher (@thesupersparklyteacher) on


Here’s a cute idea!  Instead of making the life cycle model, they create a little pumpkin pop-up book.  It’s upside down this way, but seems to work!  I will have to create an optional version with the plants turned around for people who want to use it this way. 🙂

About Amanda (Post) Pertl

I started A to Z Teacher Stuff in 1997 when I was getting ready for student teaching. I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood. I went on to teach preschool, kindergarten, and first grade and earned my Master's degree in Education as well. Now I'm a teacher-mom to three children.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. That’s how a pumpkin grows « Daylight Rising - November 7, 2011

    […] Today we colored a page with “p is for pumpkin” and circled the Ps we saw on the page. Then we made this pumpkin life cycle craft. […]