It’s Thanksgiving… time to give thanks, eat lots of food and make crafts! Check out these five fun Thanksgiving Day crafts that will keep the kids busy while you’re cookin’ in the kitchen.
Turkey napkin holders
When it’s time to gobble down a hearty Thanksgiving meal, your guests will love sitting down to the table dressed up by your littlest crafters. For simple turkey napkin holders, pre-cut turkey head, feet and wattle shapes from red, yellow and brown construction paper.
Cut empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls into 2-inch thick “rings,” then glue fall-colored construction paper around them, trim excess paper as needed. Set out googly eyes, small colorful feathers and glue sticks and let the kids go to town on their most creative turkeys. To finish the turkey’s “feathers,” fold a napkin accordion style, pull it through the ring and fan it out.
Pinecone turkey
Turn pinecones into decorative Thanksgiving Day decorations by adding a few simple items your child already has in her craft bin — construction paper, googly eyes, glue, brown pom balls and fall-colored pipe cleaners.
For the turkey’s head, cut out a beak (hello, a triangle!) from the yellow construction paper and a wattle from the red. Glue them to the small end of the pinecone along with the two brown pom balls, each glued with a googly eye. For the feet, wrap an orange or yellow pipe cleaner around the center of the pinecone and twist it tight underneath. Separate the two ends and bend them into feet. Finally, twist pipe cleaners around the back of the pinecone and twist them into loops for the turkey’s tail feather fan.
Read about an edible craft that begins with a pinecone >>
Turkey headband
Start with 3-inch thick strips of poster board such as orange, red, brown and green. Measure the circumference of your child’s head and cut the strips of poster board accordingly. Then pre-cut turkey heads, feet and wattles.
Set out glue sticks, feathers, googly eyes, crayons, etc. When the children are finished with their projects, staple the ends of the poster board strip together and let them model their creations.
Teepee centerpieces
With little more than a few pieces of brown construction paper and some items from your backyard, your kids can create teepee centerpieces to adorn your Thanksgiving Day table. Step one — send your kids outside to collect leaves, small sticks and random bird feathers. Form the construction paper into cone shapes with small opening at the top and wide opening at the bottom, then glue the inside of the “seam” where the ends of the paper overlap.
Allow to dry, and then trim paper to make a level “base” if needed. Let your kids go wild gluing their backyard finds to the outside of the teepee. Glue the small sticks so they are sticking out of the top of the teepee.
Woven paper placemats
Woven paper placemats are a simple craft for kids of all ages that can be reused again and again if you laminate them or cover them with clear contact paper. Start by cutting lots of strips of construction paper (brown, red, orange and yellow) into half-inch wide strips — about nine strips that are 12 inches or longer and 12 strips that are 9 inches or longer.
Place the long strips horizontally and weave the short strips vertically through the horizontal strips. Fold and tape the excess pieces underneath.
More Thanksgiving day crafts for kids
Family craft: Hand print turkeys
Foam turkey Thanksgiving craft for kids
5 Ways to keep kids busy on Thanksgiving
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