Have Messy Fun

If you’re carving the pumpkin - and baby’s too young to help - start by helping him hold it and touch the grooves, and describe it verbally to him - so he’s learning language at the same time. And after you’ve cut into it, you can let him touch the insides. If he’s up to it, after you’ve loosened the meat and seeds of the pumpkin, let your little one help scoop out mush with a baby spoon.

Paint a Pumpkin

Carving can be such a commitment – and so messy! If you’re not up for it, let your toddler use kid-friendly paint, finger paint, thick washable markers, or even stickers to create a jack-o’-lantern. Another option: cut triangles and appropriate shapes out of black construction paper and help your little one glue them on the pumpkin with a glue stick or white kids' glue. When the pumpkin is finished, use it as a centerpiece. (Variation: Wooden cutouts of pumpkins are fun to decorate - and they’re cheap and easy to find at craft shops.)

Get Symbolic

Use cookie cutters to trace Halloween symbols (bats, pumpkins, black cats, moons, witches, witches’ hats) on poster board, then cut them out and have your baby decorate them with crayons, markers, stickers or (for older toddlers) glitter glue. Use orange and black for a traditional look or mix things up and create a colorful witch's hat or a rainbow bat. Hang the result on the door or from the ceiling. Another option is to create a Halloween mobile for your baby’s crib. Just make sure she can’t pull it down.

Rock a Collage

Magazines are packed with images of witches and friendly monsters around Halloween. Why not cut them out and create a collage? It seems simple, but toddlers love this. Affix the pictures to a piece of cardboard - or a pumpkin! - with a glue stick or safe white glue that you or your little one can brush on with a Popsicle stick or kids’ paintbrush.

Make Paper Plate Monsters

Draw a face on a paper plate and have your toddler do the rest. Let her color it and glue on mini-pompoms or whatever else you can find (make sure it's not a choking hazard). Make legs with pipe cleaners, construction paper (fold it accordion-style for a fun effect) or ribbon. Hang the monsters in the windows or from the ceiling.

Roll-a-Rama

If your baby is too young to hold a paintbrush or a pencil, use a stencil or Halloween shape, tape it to a larger piece of paper and have him roll paint over it with a kid-size roller. Halloween stencils are available at craft, dollar and drugstores, or you can create your own. When he’s done, peel off the stencil, let the artwork dry and hang it up.