Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
Fun, Easy, Creative Thanksgiving Activities for Children
Inexpensive, easy, creative Thanksgiving craft ideas for children to enjoy on this American holiday
Thanksgiving is the busiest American holiday of the year- because everyone celebrates it! What are some easy, creative, inexpensive kids’ crafts you can have available for the gathering of children on this Thanksgiving holiday?
Thanksgiving Craft: Handprint Turkeys
This craft is easy, inexpensive, and fun for kids of various ages. You simply need construction paper or craft foam, markers, and some feathers and glitter for pizzazz. Have kids trace their handprint (older kids can help younger ones), make a face on the ‘thumb’ for the turkey face, and decorate the ‘fingers’ as turkey feathers. If you use larger size craft foam, these will make the perfect placemats for next year’s Thanksgiving celebration!
Thanksgiving Craft: Tree of Thanks
You’ll need a piece of poster board, and leaf shapes cut out in various sizes and colors (kids can trace real leaves), glue, and brown craft foam. Have a parent or older child make a ‘trunk’ out of brown craft foam. Kids can attach real ‘branches’ made out of sticks, too. Pass out a leaves and magic markers to all the Thanksgiving dinner guests and have them write something for which they are thankful. Kids can then attach the leaves to the branches in a colorful assortment. Hang the poster board up in the dining room and family and friends will have fun reading the Tree of Thanks during the celebration.
Thanksgiving Craft: Pilgrim Placecards
Oriental Trading has a kit specifically for this Thanksgiving Craft - but if you and your kids are especially creative, you can probably even produce these cute name placecards on your own. If you pick out cute pilgrim boy and girl designs from Microsoft Clip Art, you can print them, cut them out and attach them to folded pieces of construction paper. Cut the squares so the pilgrims are on one side and there is room to put the guests’ names. Have the kids write the names on the placecards - it will be cute to see the guests names in child-like handwriting.
Thanksgiving Craft: Fall Leaves Placemat
This one is great because you can send the kids outside! You’ll only need a roll of plastic book covering material. Give the children each a brown paper bag or basket for collecting leaves. Encourage them to select leaves that are not really crumply. Cut a placemat-sized sheet of the plastic, and have kids arrange their leaves. Then simply cut another sheet off the plastic roll and cover the leaves, flattening them. This Thanksgiving craft would work with construction paper leaves as well - and each child should include in the craft a paper leaf with his/her name and the year.
Let’s be thankful for the time we are able to spend doing Thanksgiving crafts with children!
Click here for Christmas craft ideas.
Read about some great Thanksgiving holiday movies to watch during the holiday and some creative, homemade Thanksgiving centerpieces. Find out some creative ways to prepare your Thanksgiving turkey.
Read about how Martha Stewart creates a perfect Thanksgiving.
