Thanksgiving season is one of our favorite times of the year! What a great reminder to take a look around us and remember to be grateful for all that we have. Celebrating this holiday with kids is an opportunity to teach gratitude in a fun and exciting way. Check out these Thanksgiving crafts below that will help your little ones celebrate this holiday of gratitude.
Gratitude Leaf Wreath
Use this family activity to create some fall decor for your living area or playroom! Start by making or purchasing cut-out leaf shapes of craft paper and have your kids write things or people they are thankful for on the leaves. When they’re done, cut a circle out of a paper plate, and use the outer donut shape to glue the leaves, making a wreath. Another option is to use a hole puncher to create holes in all of the leaves and then string the leaves together to make a gratitude garland. With so many fun possibilities, this craft is sure to bring the family together!
Turkey Hands
Gobble gobble! This turkey craft just involves paint and cardstock. Paint your toddler’s palm one color (a light brown is ideal) and then paint each of their fingers a different color (orange, red, yellow, green, brown, etc.) Then press their hand onto a piece of cardstock and press on each of their fingers to make sure the paint transfers. When you lift up their hand, you have yourself a little hand turkey! When the paint dries, add a pair of small googly eyes and a beak, and you’re good to go!
It’s Corn!
This fun texture craft only requires paint, heavy-duty paper such as cardstock, and of course, corn! Head to your local grocery store and get a couple of full stocks of corn. Once you shuck them, have your kids paint the corn any colors they choose. Then have them roll the corn across the surface of the paper, leaving a textured pattern!
The First Supper
Celebrate the story of the first Thanksgiving meal by crafting some pilgrim and Native American “hats”! Staple a sturdy piece of paper to fit around your child’s head. Next, have them cut and glue the shapes needed for their hat out of colored craft paper, and glue them in place. For pilgrim hats, cut out a black hat shape with a buckle. For Native American hats, cut out large almond shapes of colorful paper and fringe the edges to make a feather-like look. These “feathers” can be glued around the hat to create a headdress look. Need some guidance on telling the story of this holiday? Here is a great guide.
We hope these craft ideas get you and your kiddos into the Thanksgiving spirit! Let’s take more time to think about what we’re thankful for – we sure are thankful for you!