Directed drawing + writing · Holidays
Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern Directed Drawing and Writing Worksheet
A free directed drawing worksheet with a writing page in three levels: kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd–3rd grade. Kids draw the Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern in six easy steps, then write about their pumpkin with words made for this drawing.
The 1st grade writing page. Each PDF is two pages: the six drawing steps, then the writing page.
Download the worksheets
Kindergarten
A big drawing box, the sentence “My pumpkin is orange.” to trace, a five-word picture bank and one line to finish “My pumpkin is ____.”
K PDF1st grade
A drawing box for the Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern in a scene, an eight-word bank and three sentence starters on primary lines.
1st PDF2nd–3rd grade
A small sketch box, six strong words, a First, Next, Then, Last plan and ruled lines for the story “A Holiday with My Pumpkin.”
2nd–3rd PDF- Grades
- K–3
- Time
- 25–40 minutes
- Category
- Holidays
- From the book
- How to Draw: Spooky Stuff for Halloween
Draw the Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern step by step
Page one of every PDF shows the Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern in six steps. The full drawing is a light gray guide in every box, and each step adds new black lines, so kids always know where the next line goes. The drawing comes from How to Draw: Spooky Stuff for Halloween by Kevin Coulston.
What kids write
Kindergarten
Trace “My pumpkin is orange.” then finish “My pumpkin is ____.” with a word from the bank.
- orange
- round
- spooky
- happy
- big
1st grade
Finish three sentences:
- My pumpkin’s name is ____.
- On the holiday, it likes to ____.
- It is ____.
Word bank:
- pumpkin
- stem
- grin
- candle
- glow
- porch
- night
- carve
2nd and 3rd grade
Write the story “A Holiday with My Pumpkin.” Write a story about your pumpkin on its favorite holiday. Kids plan it with First, Next, Then and Last and use at least two strong words:
- glowing
- grinning
- carved
- spooky
- flickering
- enormous
“I can” checklists
Kindergarten
- I drew all 6 steps
- I traced the sentence
- I wrote a word
- I colored it
1st grade
- I started with a capital letter
- I left finger spaces
- I ended with a period
- My words match my drawing
2nd–3rd grade
- My first sentence tells who and where
- I used First, Next, Then and Last
- I used two strong words
- My ending wraps it up
Teaching tips
- Draw the steps together first, then let kids add color and a background that shows where their pumpkin lives.
- Read the word bank aloud before kids write, and act out one or two of the words.
- Pair a kindergartner with an older buddy: one draws, both tell the story, the buddy writes it down.
- Print double-sided so the steps are on the back. Kids flip the page when they want to check a step.
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
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