Easy Halloween Craft for Kids - Potato Stamps, Pumpkins, and Pinterest!

I’m channeling my inner Pinterest mom today to bring you that one time I got super crafty with my kids for an easy Halloween craft with potatoes and paint. I know crafting is not my blogging shtick, but as a proud mom blogger it just feels right.

At our house we get our art on with coloring books and paints. At daycare and preschool my kids are crafting it up on the daily with glue, scissors, and feathers. Jack is also really into a book I have on Picasso.

But despite their extensive exposure to the arts, it’s not all that often that the kids’ crafts I pin on Pinterest are actually brought to life. And that’s fine. To each her own.

But I really don’t like mashed potatoes. So we did this craft.

What the Craft?

You’re probably sitting there with one of three questions.

Who doesn’t like mashed potatoes?
What do mashed potatoes have to do with a kid’s Halloween potato stamp craft?
Why are people asking those questions? I didn’t read the intro paragraph and I’m really just looking for the pictures.

If you are asking number three just scroll down a little to the How To section. If you have burning potato questions go onto the next section titled If Hating Mashed Potatoes Is Wrong I Don’t Want To Be Right.

If Hating Mashed Potatoes Is Wrong I Don’t Want To Be Right

It’s not even that I don’t like mashed potatoes. It’s that they make me gag just thinking about them. Call it a texture thing, call it a flavor thing, tell me I just need to add more butter. You’re not going to change my mind on this. It’s a principle at this point and I’m standing by it.

The problem is that my kids both really love mashed potatoes. Plus Glen loves them probably more than he loves me. At least the hangry version of me that is annoyed about something inconsequential and wants to talk about it ad nauseam.

So once in a while I cave and we make mashed potatoes. Like maybe two or three times a year. Everyone else in my family is happy and I start trying to hide my serving under a napkin so my kids don’t call me out on not trying everything on my plate. #DoubleStandards.

A Potato Walks Into a Cabinet

So for one of our biannual mashed potato dinners I bought a bag of potatoes. I never remember how many potatoes you need for mashed potatoes so I just bought a bag and was cranky about it. Later I realized 10 potatoes was far too many unless I was hosting a mid October Thanksgiving.

We were left with many potatoes in the cabinet. I could make french fries with them I suppose, but french fries also come frozen in a bag. I could make baked potatoes with them, but honestly those aren’t much better than their mashed relatives. Instead I just planned on moving them around the cabinet until they were forgotten and started growing those weird little extra heads.

But then I saw this Halloween potato stamp craft on Pinterest. The crafty mom had cut a potato in half, carved out a Jack O’ Lantern face in the potato and the kids used it as a stamp with orange paint.

That’s adorable. And I don’t need to eat potatoes. Let’s do this.

How To: Easy Halloween Potato Stamp Craft

So here we go, the instructions!

Items Needed:

Potato

Orange Paint

White Paper

A small sharp knife

A keen eye on your children as you help them wield the knife

Instructions:

Cut the potato in half. Don’t wash it. Save water.

If you have a two year old who doesn’t care about holding the knife, then ask her what shape eyes, nose, and mouth she wants on her Jack O’ Lantern stamp while she stands there patiently watching.

If you have a three year old who REALLY wants to hold the knife, kung fu grip his hand while you help him carve out the eyes, nose, and mouth. Keep any other children at a safe distance. For example, in another person’s house.

Pat the potato pumpkin face dry with a paper towel. Honestly, I don’t know if this is necessary, it just felt like I needed more steps.

Put a circle of orange paint on a plastic plate.

Have the kids stamp their potato pumpkin face in the paint and press onto white paper.

Pump(kin) Up the Jam

The best part of this Halloween potato stamp craft was that I got to use my potatoes for something besides eating. The second best part of this craft was that the kids were totally into it for a solid 30 minutes between the carving and stamping. The third best part of this craft was that I got to pat myself on the back for actually doing something I saw on Pinterest.

So cheers to you, crafty mom. I bet you had already thought of this and your pumpkin stamps are proudly displayed on the fridge. I salute you, and I kindly request any other craft ideas that don’t require many steps. You’re a great mom.

Halloween Potato Stamp Craft for Kids - Minimal materials, minimal steps, maximum cuteness! — Jack working on his technique. And keeping his tripod close by just in case he needed to take some photos of his work at an artsy angle.

Cheers to you also, non crafty mom. You can totally pull off this craft if you want to. But if you don’t want to, then go ahead, hard pass. It’s fine. You’re a great mom.