Five Little Pumpkins – Free Rhyme Booklet
Fall is the perfect time for rhymes, pumpkins, and a little hands-on learning fun! If you’re looking for a simple and engaging way to build early literacy skills this season, you’ll love this Five Little Pumpkins printable rhyme booklet. This classic Halloween rhyme helps children practice counting, rhyming, and reading fluency—all while enjoying a beloved fall favorite. Grab your free printable booklet below and get ready for some pumpkin fun in your classroom or at home!
Why Use a Rhyme Booklet in Preschool and Kindergarten
Using this Five Little Pumpkins rhyme booklet is a fun and meaningful way to build early literacy skills in the classroom.
Rhymes like this one help children hear and recognize sound patterns, which supports phonological awareness…a key foundation for reading success.
As students read and repeat the verses, they’re also developing print awareness, one-to-one correspondence, and expressive fluency. Additionally, the counting theme provides a touch of early math practice.
Whether used during circle time, small groups, or independent reading, this booklet keeps learning playful and seasonal—making it a perfect addition to your fall lesson plans.
What’s Included in This Free Booklet
This booklet includes the classic poem, Five Little Pumpkins.
For those of you who have never heard the poem, here is how it goes:
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But we don’t care.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”
Ooooooooo went the wind and out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
The booklet is 9 pages long with adorable clip art!
I created a color version and a black & white version of the booklet. The black & white version would be great for kids to color! The pumpkin graphics are slightly different in this version because I couldn’t find the same black & white clip art. It’s still cute!
How to Use This Booklet with Kids
- Print & prep: Download, choose color or black-and-white (or the 2-per-page mini), and print on copy paper., Then cut the pages in half and staple on the left side.
- Warm-up: Preview the rhyme’s vocabulary, count 1–5 together, and teach the classic fingerplay so kids can act it out.
- First read (model): Do a quick picture walk, then read aloud while tracking print with your finger; invite students to mimic the fingerplay motions.
- Second read (participation): Try echo or choral reading; pause for predictions and emphasize rhyming words; have students count the pumpkins on each page.
- Independent practice: Students color, trace/write their names, and (optional) circle numbers or highlight rhyming pairs—great for a literacy center.
- Extend & assess: Retell with stick puppets or felt pumpkins, place booklets in book boxes, send a copy home for family reading, and listen to individual reads for a quick fluency/phonological awareness check.
Free Download
You can go ahead and download the free printable by filling out the form below. The printable will be sent to your email address.
Optional Booklet
I understand that some of us prefer a non-Halloween version, so I created a version of the poem that replaces the word “witches” with leaves.” You’ll find that option in the included download!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Feel free to print enough copies for your class.
This booklet is designed for preschool, pre-K, and kindergarten children—roughly ages 3 to 6. It can also be used for early readers or students needing rhyming practice.
Scroll to the end of this post and click the “Download” button. The PDF will be sent to your email, and you can then download and print it.
Yes, this printable is free for personal, classroom, or homeschool use. Commercial redistribution is not permitted.
Hope you enjoy using this free booklet! I’d love to hear how you use it with your classroom or child.
May I please have the Halloween booklet
Here it is! https://teachingmama.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/5-Little-Pumpkins-Booklets.pdf
We have been singing this song all month long. Thank you for the free booklet. Again thanks
Great book
I would love to do these with my Kinder. I would love the freebie booklet.
Hi! This is beautiful work. Where’s is the link to the 5 little pumpkins book in black and white?
Thanks! It is found at the bottom portion of the printable – https://teachingmama.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/5-Little-Pumpkins-Booklets.pdf
That’s what I am wondering as well.
Here it is: https://teachingmama.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/5-Little-Pumpkins-Booklets.pdf
Scroll to the bottom of the document to see the black and white version.
This was one of the favorites every fall with my preschool classes. I had forgotten all about it. Now that I am a grandma with 3 of my grandkids across the country, I am always trying to think of things to do with them remotely on our video chats. I saw this and remembered how much the kids loved it and immediately decided to download the booklet and send it to California. Then after they have received it, I can do the poem with them on the next video chat.
Thanks for bringing this favorite back to the front of my mind.
Thank you very much for this booklet. This rhyme is one of my favourites. Creative pages with graphics of the pumpkins etc.
This is absolutely adorable! This booklet is also great for practicing rhyming and ordinal numbers. Printed one for my first grade son. I think he will really like this.
I love this book but printing color copies for my whole class would be too expensive. Ive been looking for the poem to send home with my kids. Could you make a black and white version for the ids to color?
I really wish I had that option! I don’t and the original file got erased from my computer on accident so I can’t change it. I hope to make a black and white version next year. You can try printing it in greyscale, but I know it’s not the best option. Thanks for understanding!