Pass The Pumpkin Game: A Fun Party Game For Kids
Looking for a fun Halloween game that gets everyone laughing and involved? This Pass the Pumpkin Game is a simple, interactive Halloween party game that kids will love!
Players listen closely as a fun Halloween poem gives clues about who should receive the pumpkin next. From witches and mummies to trick-or-treaters and jack-o’-lanterns, each line brings a new surprise as the pumpkin travels around the circle.
This free printable Halloween game is perfect for:
- Halloween classroom parties
- Family Halloween gatherings
- Fall festivals
- Church Halloween events
- Neighborhood parties
- Youth groups
Kids will love watching the pumpkin make its way around the room while they listen carefully for each new clue!
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Contents
How To Play The Pass The Pumpkin Game
Materials Needed:
- A group of 4 or more people
- Free printable Pass The Pumpkin game (download it below)
- A small pumpkin to pass
- A narrator or participant willing to read the game
1. Have participants sit or stand in a circle.
2. Choose someone to start with the pumpkin.
3. The narrator reads each Halloween rhyme while players follow the directions. Each line tells players who should receive the pumpkin next.
For example, players may pass the pumpkin to someone:
- Wearing a certain color
- With a specific feature (like glasses or brown hair)
- Sitting in a certain spot
- With a letter in their name
- Chosen by the group
4. Keep reading the poem until all the clues have been completed.
5. Whoever is holding the pumpkin at the end wins!
Pro Tip: Every group is different! If no one matches a clue, simply pass the pumpkin to anyone you choose and continue the game. The narrator can also adjust the clues to better fit the group. For example, if no one has an “H” in their name, change it to a different letter that someone does have.
Pass The Pumpkin Game Prize Ideas
A Halloween treat is always a fun reward, but you can also choose a small non-candy prize for the final pumpkin-holder.
Try one of these ideas:
- A small pumpkin
- Temporary tattoo sheets
- Kids coupons
- Halloween Bouncing Balls
- Halloween Squishies
- Glow sticks for trick or treating
- Slime
- a new Halloween book
- Halloween pencils
Pro Tip: For classrooms or larger groups, consider giving everyone a small treat and letting the pumpkin holder receive a special prize.
Explore more wildly entertaining Halloween games!
Free Pass The Pumpkin Game Printable
Ready to play?
Grab the free printable Pass the Pumpkin Halloween Game and bring some spooky fun to your next party!
While you have these supplies out, play this Halloween Left Right Game, too!
More Pass The Pumpkin Game Ideas
The classic Pass the Pumpkin game is always a hit, but there are lots of fun ways to change it up for different ages, groups, and party settings.
Pass the Pumpkin With Halloween Challenges
Make the game extra silly by adding a challenge whenever the pumpkin stops.
The person holding the pumpkin can:
- Make their best monster sound
- Walk like a mummy
- Pretend to stir a witch’s potion
- Tell a Halloween joke
- Name three Halloween candies
- Do their best vampire laugh
Pass the Pumpkin Prize Game
Wrap a small Halloween prize in several layers of paper. Players pass the prize while the poem is read, and the person holding it removes one layer.
Keep playing until someone unwraps the final surprise!
Pass the Pumpkin Trivia Game
Add a little Halloween learning by having the person holding the pumpkin answer a spooky trivia question before passing it along.
Pass the Pumpkin With Music
Turn Pass the Pumpkin into a Halloween version of Hot Potato!
Have everyone sit in a circle and pass the pumpkin while a fun Halloween playlist plays. When the music stops, the person holding the pumpkin wins a prize, answers a Halloween question, or completes a silly challenge.
Pass the Pumpkin for Younger Kids
For preschoolers and younger children, keep it simple:
- Use a soft stuffed pumpkin or plush toy.
- Play short rounds.
- Let everyone be a winner by giving each child a small Halloween treat or sticker.
No matter which version you choose, Pass the Pumpkin is an easy Halloween game that gets everyone laughing and participating!
More Fun Halloween Games For Kids
Don’t miss these other great things to do!
- Finish the Halloween Phrase
- Halloween Candy Match-Up- Coming Soon
- Finish The Halloween Song Lyrics Game
- Halloween Phobia Match-Up Game
Grab the Halloween Games Pack
The costumes are on, the candy bowl is full, and everyone is looking for something fun to do. The Halloween Games Pack includes multiple printable Halloween party games that are ready to download and play in minutes. Simply print, pass them out, and let the spooky competition begin!
What’s Next?
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