Thanksgiving brings families together for food, football, and the occasional spirited discussion about politics with a distant relative. While the adults are busy basting the turkey or pretending to understand the rules of the game, keeping the younger family members entertained can feel like its own full-contact sport. Instead of handing over a tablet, consider setting up a craft station.
It’s a fantastic way to keep little hands busy, create some genuine family keepsakes, and maybe even produce a few decorations that don’t look like a glitter bomb exploded. The following are five Thanksgiving crafts that are simple enough for kids but charming enough for adults to appreciate.
1. Handprint Turkey Cards
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The handprint turkey is a personal and sentimental craft that captures a moment in time, specifically the size of a child’s hand before it starts getting too big to hold. These cards can be used as place settings for the Thanksgiving table or sent to relatives who couldn’t make it to the feast.
The process is straightforward, requiring just a few basic supplies and a willingness to get a little bit messy. The result is a sweet, personalized memento that grandparents, in particular, will find irresistible. This craft is an excellent opportunity for children to practice their fine motor skills through tracing and cutting. It also provides a canvas for them to express gratitude.
Project Snapshot:
- Best For: Younger children (preschool and early elementary).
- Why It’s a Good Option: Creates a personalized keepsake and encourages children to reflect on gratitude.
- Materials Needed: Brown, red, orange, and yellow construction paper; a pencil; scissors; glue stick; a black marker. If you aren’t afraid of the mess, you can even use finger paint (as shown above).
- Next Steps: After the glue dries completely, have your child write the name of a Thanksgiving guest on the front of each card to use them as place cards. For a more durable keepsake, consider laminating one of the finished turkeys.
2. Painted Acorn Decorations
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Acorns are plentiful in the fall, making them a free and natural material for crafting. Painting acorns transforms these humble tree nuts into vibrant, colorful decorations that can be used in numerous ways. Children can enjoy the process of gathering the acorns from the yard, which is an activity in itself.
Once collected and cleaned, the acorns become tiny canvases for their imagination. The painted nuts can be displayed in a bowl as a centerpiece, strung together to create a festive garland, or hot-glued onto a wreath for a pop of color. Before painting, bake them (the acorns, not the children) at a low temperature. This helps to dry them out and eliminates any tiny critters that may have hitched a ride inside.
Project Snapshot
- Best For: All ages, with adult supervision for the baking step.
- Why It’s a Good Option: Utilizes natural materials and allows for a high degree of creativity.
- Materials Needed: Acorns, a baking sheet, acrylic paints, and small paintbrushes.
- Next Steps: To make a garland, an adult can carefully drill a small hole through each acorn or use a hot glue gun to attach them to a long piece of twine. A coat of clear sealant will protect the paint and give the acorns a nice sheen.
3. Paper Plate Turkey Wreath
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A turkey wreath for the front door is a welcoming and festive way to greet guests. This craft uses a simple paper plate as its base, making it an accessible and inexpensive project. It’s a perfect craft for kids with short attention spans. The wreath’s “feathers” are made from colorful construction paper, which children can cut into leaf shapes or trace their own hands to create.
The process involves plenty of cutting and gluing, which helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The centerpiece of the wreath is the turkey’s body, which can be drawn, painted, or constructed from more paper. This is where kids can get creative with the turkey’s face, adding googly eyes and a paper beak for a bit of personality.
Project Snapshot
- Best For: Preschool and elementary-aged children.
- Why It’s a Good Option: It’s a low-cost craft that results in a large, impressive decoration.
- Materials Needed: A large paper plate, construction paper in various fall colors, scissors, glue, and googly eyes.
- Next Steps: Once the wreath is complete, punch a hole at the top and thread a ribbon through it for easy hanging. Encourage kids to write what they’re thankful for on the paper feathers before gluing them on.
4. Painted Pumpkin Centerpieces
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While pumpkins are often associated with Halloween, they make wonderful decorations throughout the entire fall season. Painting pumpkins is a less messy alternative to carving and allows for a wider range of creative expression. For Thanksgiving, you can move away from spooky faces and toward more elegant or festive designs. Metallic paints, for example, can turn a simple pumpkin into a chic centerpiece for the dining table. Kids can also paint patterns, fall scenes, or even messages of thanks.
Using smaller pumpkins, often called pie pumpkins, makes this project more manageable for little hands. Provide a variety of paint colors and brush sizes to inspire different ideas. You could suggest painting a group of pumpkins in a cohesive color scheme to create a sophisticated display.
Project Snapshot
- Best For: All ages.
- Why It’s a Good Option: A no-carve, low-mess way to decorate with pumpkins that can last for weeks.
- Materials Needed: Small to medium-sized pumpkins, acrylic or craft paint, paintbrushes. Optional: metallic markers, glitter, and clear sealant.
- Next Steps: Arrange a collection of painted pumpkins of various sizes on a mantle or as a table centerpiece. For an extra touch, you can write guest names on mini pumpkins to use as place cards. Applying a clear sealant can help preserve the paint and the pumpkin itself.
5. Thanksgiving Napkin Rings
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Custom napkin rings add a thoughtful and personal touch to your Thanksgiving table setting. This craft is not only fun to make but also serves a practical purpose. There are many ways to create them, but one of the simplest methods involves using toilet paper rolls or paper towel tubes as a base.
Cut the tubes into one-inch-wide rings, and then let the kids decorate them. They can be painted, wrapped in festive ribbon, or covered in construction paper. For a more nature-inspired look, you can decorate the rings with small items gathered from the outdoors, such as tiny twigs, colorful fall leaves, or painted acorns from your other craft project. Hot gluing these elements onto the rings creates a rustic and elegant look.
Project Snapshot
- Best For: Elementary-aged children and older, with adult help for hot gluing.
- Why It’s a Good Option: A practical craft that adds a handmade touch to the Thanksgiving table.
- Materials Needed: Cardboard tubes, scissors, paint, glue, and various decorative items like ribbon, construction paper, or natural elements.
- Next Steps: Make a set of napkin rings that match your Thanksgiving table decor. After the holiday, these can be carefully stored with your other decorations to be used again next year. This is a great way to start a new family tradition.
Bringing It All Together
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Once the glue has dried and the paint is no longer tacky, it’s time to display your children’s masterpieces. Find prominent places for their creations: the wreath on the front door, the pumpkin centerpiece on the table, and the handprint cards at each place setting. Showing that you value their work builds their confidence and makes them feel like an important part of the holiday preparations.
Consider creating a small “gallery” on a mantelpiece or shelf to showcase all the crafts together. Take pictures of the kids with their artwork to remember the fun. The best part of these projects isn’t just the final product; it’s the time spent together making them.