Gather what you have
Start with supplies already in your cupboard. No paid kit, special machine or account is required for this project.
Let’s make it
Make the standing shape
Fold a sheet of paper in half like a greeting card. Draw a wide pumpkin with its top touching the folded edge. An adult cuts around the sides and bottom, leaving part of the top fold intact so the two pumpkin faces stay joined.
Give it a little personality
Keep the card closed while you draw the front. Try sleepy eyes, a surprised mouth, freckles or stripes. Draw decorations instead of adding small loose pieces. A green paper stem can be glued to the front without covering the hinge.
Help it stand
Open the two halves slightly to make a tent. If it tips, trim a small flat edge across the bottom of both halves. A wider pumpkin and a smaller opening will usually be easier to balance; try one before cutting a whole village.
Build the neighborhood
Make two or three more pumpkins in different widths. Fold small cards for a library, bakery or pumpkin school. Let everyone choose a name for their resident and invent one thing that happens in town.
Play, then put it away
Move the paper residents through a short story. A pumpkin might lose its hat or invite the neighbors to a picnic. Flatten the cards afterward and store them in an envelope for another day.
Make it your own
Use cream, blush and gold-colored paper for a softer autumn display, or draw pumpkins on ordinary folded cards instead of cutting around them.
Keep a little memory
Write the pumpkin's name and one sentence from its adventure on the back.
A note for the grown-up
Adults handle scissors. Keep paper displays away from heat, flames and walkways; these pumpkins do not hold candles or lights.
Adapt supplies and participation to the people joining you. Watching, drawing, dictating an answer or passing are all welcome. Time estimates are planning suggestions, not measured setup promises.