Free family-friendly Halloween pumpkin carving templates

Halloween doesn’t have to be ghosts, ghouls and monsters that scare young children. Parents who want to make jack-o’-lanterns with their children can pick family-friendly pumpkin carving templates that won’t scare children. Look for the animal, Christian and Toy Story themes for carving stencils.

Using Carving Stencils

Free printable stencils range from the elaborate to the simplistic. Parents who are looking for family-friendly pumpkin carving templates should consider their own skill level at pumpkin carving before choosing pumpkin templates. The best pumpkin carving templates for beginners include more straight lines than curved lines and use simple designs. Keep in mind using pumpkin carving tools achieves the best results.

When carving more advanced pumpkin templates, the Pumpkin Lady recommends carving the smallest sections first. Begin in the center of the pattern and work toward the outer edge. To give the design more stability while working, wait until the entire pumpkin carving is finished before pushing out the carved sections.

Family-Friendly Pumpkin Templates

To keep Halloween decorations family-friendly, select a theme for the jack-o’-lanterns. There are free printable stencils for many different Halloween themes like cats, bats, stars and moons or smiling jack-o’-lanterns. For example, Reader’s Digest offers free printable pumpkin carving patterns with pictures of silly faces, a cat arching its back and the moon with stars. The Pumpkin Masters website has a free printable stencil that is a bat and moon combined, although the other pumpkin templates are scarier themes.

Christian Jack-o-Lantern Themes

Christian families may want to choose pumpkin carving stencils with religious themes. Families looking for Christian jack-o’-lantern themes can check out the stencils on PumpkinGlow.com. This website offers Christian, patriotic and other untraditional “un-Halloween” decorations. PumpkinGlow.com has printable carving templates featuring Jesus, doves, Noah’s ark and other Christian symbols.

Other ideas for Christian families who want to carve jack-o’-lanterns include using pumpkin templates of angels and doves like those found on the Pumpkin Lady website. The Pumpkin Lady has free printable stencils as well as pumpkin templates for sale. Free templates from past years include a peace dove and angel. Another option is to carve letters on individual pumpkins to spell out a Christian message. Letter and number templates are available to use to create Christian messages like, “He is Lord,” and “Give Thanks to the Lord.”

Toy Story Pumpkin Carving Stencils

P arents may want to make Halloween decorations with Toy Story characters. Pumpkin Masters makes a Toy Story Pumpkin Carving Kit with stencils of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bullseye and Jessie. The set sells for $9.95 at Masterpiece Pumpkins and other online retailers. The Pumpkin Lady offers a free printable carving stencil of Tux, the penguin.

Jack-o’-lanterns don’t have to be scary to be fun Halloween decorations. Parents who want family-friendly carved pumpkins can use pumpkin carving stencils to make jack-o’-lanterns. Child-friendly themes include cats, bats and stars and moons. Christian families can carve pumpkins with Jesus, doves, angels or religious messages. Use Toy Story pumpkin carving stencils to introduce young children to the Toy Story characters before the movie returns to theaters.

Traditional Scary Pumpkin Carving Design Ideas

Here are some ideas for creating a traditional spooky pumpkin. Consider the Halloween pumpkin carving designs below, then look for the perfect pumpkin stencil using the links below.

Scary Pumpkin Carving Design – Spooky Vampire, Skeleton, Spider, Ghost, Goblin

For a traditionally spooky pumpkin carving design, consider the following themes:

Bat – Make sure the eyes are evil-looking or the bat might look rather tame!
Ghost – These Halloween favorites typically invoke a spooky mood; just make sure not to put a smile on its face for a scary look.
Goblin – A creature with bumps or scales always looks frightening.
Leafless tree with pointy branches – A lonesome tree that looks like a witch lives nearby is a haunting sight.
Skeleton – There’s nothing friendly about a skeleton.
Skull – No matter what the expression is on its face, a skull is always an ominous choice.
Spider – This insect creeps most people out and makes for a good choice when lots of kids are expected to stop by. They will surely not want to come near this scary jack-o-lantern.
Vampire biting a woman’s neck – This design would be sexy and dangerous at the same time.
Witch behind a cauldron – Give the witch a pointy hat, flowing clothes, and a fiery cauldron.

Traditional Halloween Pumpkin – Classic Scary Jack-O-Lantern Face

A classic scary pumpkin face can be very frightening. For maximum horror, make sure the teeth are jagged and the mouth is open wide. Nothing’s scarier than a pumpkin that looks like it will eat anyone who comes nearby!

Use Scary Jack-O-Lanterns for Adults, Friendly Pumpkin Designs for Kids

Some of the scary pumpkin carving designs above are too frightening for young children. For a traditional Halloween theme without the scary factor, consider the following non-scary or goofy designs:

Cat – It’s difficult to make a cat look very scary; even bristled hair can only be so frightening.
Pirate ship – Although a pirate ship may invoke an ominous feeling, it’s a fairly tame design to use on a jack-o-lantern.
Goofy pumpkin face – A jolly jack-o-lantern is easy to make. Just put a smile on its face.
Happy ghost – A ghost or ghoul can be happy if it’s smiling.

Only the youngest children would be scared of these pumpkin carvings. These are great for children to help carve because they won’t be frightened of the designs.

Download Free Printable Pumpkin Carving Patterns, Pumpkin Stencils for Halloween

With the themes above in mind, the next step is to draw the pumpkin design by hand or obtain a pumpkin stencil. There’s no need to purchase a pumpkin stencil – thousands of printable patterns are available for download online.