Kid Thanksgiving
Craft Ideas
Below you will find Kid Thanksgiving craft ideas to help them explore the holiday. Keep in mind that this theme page is really aimed at younger children, up to about age 5. Don't be fooled into thinking that these projects and activities are too simple for this age group. Young children thrive on simplicity - it gives them the opportunity to work independently, to understand the task at hand, and to "own" their work. Immersing them in projects and activities that center around a particular theme (in this case Thanksgiving) allows them to gain a greater understanding of the theme and internalize it.
There are many projects and activites listed here. Don't think that you have to do them all. You can pick just a few things to do if you want, then move on to another theme. On the other hand, you can choose to spend several days on this theme and do all the projects. In addition, you can incorporate some of your own ideas into this theme to truly make it your own. This is just a guide to get you started.
Words Associated with Thanksgiving
Talk with your child about Thanksgiving, what it means, why we celebrate it, etc. You can even do this by reading a Thanksgiving book to them. A few excellent choices are
Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons, It's a Family Thanksgiving!, and
Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
turkey
corn
pilgrim
thankful |
cornucopia
pumpkin pie
leaves
mince meat |
harvest
nuts
fall
autumn |
indians
gobble
feast
stuffing |
Kid Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
Hands and Feet Turkey
Would any Thanksgiving be complete without a turkey made out of your child's hands and feet? Here's how we did it using cut-outs my children's hands and feet.
Supplies: Construction paper in brown, tan, orange, red, yellow and white, scissors, gluestick, and wiggle eyes (optional).
Directions: Trace the child's hands and feet: trace two feet (with shoes on) on brown construction paper; trace two hands on tan construction paper; trace two hands on red construction paper; trace two hands on orange construction paper; trace one hand on yellow construction paper. Then cut out all the pieces. You'll have to do this for very young children. Next, put the two feet tracings together to make the turkey body and head, matching the heels together, and spreading the bottoms apart. Glue in place. Cut two feet out of the orange scraps, and cut a diamond shape for the beak. Draw the eyes on white paper and cut them out, or use wiggle eyes. Make the wattle out of red construction paper. Glue them onto the body. Glue the red, orange, and yellow construction paper hands behind the brown body to make the tail. Position the two tan hands to either side to make the turkey's wings and glue them in place. Don't forget to put the date on the back so you can dig it out for next year and see how much your child has grown.
Indian Head Band
There are so many variations on this project, but kids love just any type of head band. You can omit the feathers altogether and use construction paper cut into feather shapes, you can use glitter, sequins, etc. to embellish the headbands, you can go hog-wild and create a chief's head dress. It all depends on how much work you want to do for a project that they will probably tear up before the day is through. Keep in mind that this is a good opportunity to talk to your children about the role that Indians played in the first Thanksgiving.
Supplies: Brown construction paper, glue, feathers.
Directions: Cut the brown paper into strips for the head band. Measure your child's head for fit and staple or glue it in place. Glue feathers onto the band so that they stick up. Very easy kid thanksgiving craft idea!
Pinecone Turkey
There are a lot of variations on this Kid Thanksgiving craft idea project. Some are pretty elaborate. This one is simple so that young children can do them by themselves (supervised of course). If you want to try a more difficult version, perform a search for "pinecone turkey" on one of the search engines.
Supplies: One large pinecone, feathers, brown and orange pipe cleaner, wiggle eyes, orange construction paper (or felt), glue, scissors.
Directions: When you choose your pinecone, try to find one that will sit flat (or you can make feet for it). The pinecone is the body of the turkey. Glue some feathers for the tail. Twist a pipe cleaner around the pointed end of the pinecone and roll up the other end for the head. Glue on wiggle eyes. Cut a small diamond out of the orange construction paper and fold in half to create the beak and glue it on the head.
Thanksgiving Puzzle
This is one of the easiest kid Thanksgiving craft ideas that you're ever going to find, and your kids will LOVE it! Best of all, you can use this idea for any subject or holiday.
Supplies: Puzzle blank
, printable picture (see the printables section), markers or crayons.
Directions: Print your picture on a puzzle blank. Give it to your child to color with markers. Break it apart and see if they can put it back together. See I told you it was easy!
Soap Turkey
This is an interesting variation on the standard pinecone turkey. Wouldn't this be nice as a holiday bathroom decoration?
Supplies: Brown, orange, red, yellow, blue, white, and green construction paper, stapler, scissors, glue, yarn or orange pipe cleaners, bar of Ivory soap, toothpicks (or straight pins).
Directions: Buy a new bar of soap and round off the corners to make it a little more turkey shaped. The bottom should be flat. This is the body of the Turkey. Cut wing and tail feathers from colored paper. Glue them to toothpicks. When the glue is dry, stick the toothpick feathers into the turkeys body for wings and a tail.
Cut two turkey head shapes from colored paper. Glue them together with a toothpick neck between. Stick the neck into the proper place on the soap body.
I saw this project years ago when I was a kid and it was done with straight pins. The pins were poked throught the feathers and into the soap, eliminating the need for any gluing. You can also use more feathers if you use pins instead of toothpicks because they are thinner and won't break the soap apart. If you do use pins, watch the kids closely!
Thankful Book
The idea is to make a Thanksgiving keepsake for your child. You can make this as elaborate or simple as you want. You don't even have to "make" the book. You could purchase a small scrapbook
, Thanksgiving stickers
, etc. and make this a really simple project. I like the scrapbook idea because I know it will last forever.
Supplies: A holiday picture, crayons, several sheets of paper, stapler, pen or marker.
Directions: Print out a holiday picture and let your child color it. On the sheets of paper, ask your child what they are thankful for (you may have to help them get started or give them examples to get the ball rolling). Write down each thing they are thankful for on a separate piece of paper. Assemble all the sheets with the picture on top and staple it along the side like a book. You can even take this further by having them draw pictures of what they are thankful for, etc.
Handprint Turkey Placemat
This is a great project for young children. You can use paint or washable stamp pads
for this project, and what ever kind of paper that is appropriate for the paint. Paint your child's palm and thumb brown. Then paint each finger a different color and press their hand onto a piece of paper. Add a beak, gobbler, eye ( a wiggly glue on eye is great), and feet. This makes a cute front page for a card or you can cover is with contact paper or laminate it to make a great Thanksgiving Dinner Placemat.
Pumpkin Candle Holder
You can use those small pumpkins, apples, oranges, small gourds, etc. for this project. Using an apple corer or a sharp knife, cut out a hole in the top of mini pumpkins. Insert candle(s). If you make the hole too big, use some wax paper around the bottome of the candle to take up the slack. Tealight candles work well for this because they are cheap, not heavy, won't tip over the pumpkin, and have a small flame. Kids can help with this project by putting the candles in and helping to pick out the pumpkins. Remember safety first when you light them and keep them out of reach of the kids.
"How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is resentful, negative—or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people."-- Sir John Templeton
Little KidTM Crafts
Foam Pinecone Turkey - This is a really easy craft for children of all ages to do, and it's also pretty cute. After all, what would a Thanksgiving with children be without some kind of pinecone turkey? This one is a little bit different than most that you see for the holiday.
Leaf Turkeys - You'll need to collect a lot of fall leaves for this project. Here's what to do... Draw a large turkey on construction paper. Be sure to draw in the face. Now glue fall leaves onto the turkey where the feathers should be. This is a quick and easy craft and the kids love it!
Autumn Votive Candle - This simple votive candle idea makes a nice little gift or a creative way to use some of the leaves you collect during an Autumn nature walk. You could also create a few to sit on your dinner table during your Thanksgiving Dinner to add a little something special to the setting.
Easy Fall Centerpiece - You won't believe how easy it is to create this Fall centerpiece. Even little kids can do this one! It looks great on a holiday table or as an Autumn decoration around the house, and it's made of mostly recycled materials!
"Handy" Turkey Placemat - This is a great project for young children. Trace around the child's hand (If they can't do it themselves) with the fingers spread out on a large piece of construction paper. The fingers are the turkey's feathers, and the thumb is the head. Add a beak and legs. Now let the child color the turkey. Encourage them to create a background where the turkey is standing as well. Now you have a super simple placemat for Thanksgiving. This is a great way to keep little hands busy while you're cooking! We make them every year and the kids really look forward to this little tradition.
Salad Spinner Turkeys - A salad spinner is a great way to make spin art and you can take the technique a step further to create Thanksgiving decorations.
More Challenging Crafts
Walnut Turkey Pins - These little pins are a great way to use something unusual -- a walnut half -- to make a holiday pin. They make nice gifts and they are also a nice project to do with groups of kids like scouts or in a classroom.
Gourd Turkey - At the first Thanksgiving, turkey was actually a side dish, taking second billing to venison. But set this pretty bird center table and it's guaranteed to steal the show.
Clay Pot Turkey - This little turkey is quite simple to make. The cost is minimal and he makes a great table decoration or hostess gift for Thanksgiving dinner!
Turkey Place Markers - What better way to welcome your guests to the table than with a flock of these big-footed fowls! They are easy for kids to put together and make great holiday favors, perfect for holding notes, recipe cards, or a favorite photo.
Beaded Napkin Rings - Make napkin rings for to dress up your for your holiday table. Match the colors to the holiday or make a set for everyday use to match your tableware.
Thanksgiving Printables
These are pretty much just color sheets with a Thanksgiving theme.
Thanksgiving Skill Building
These are printable worksheets that are designed to help your child work on age-appropriate skills.
If you are looking for some better quality skill building worksheets, you can't do better than the workbooks recommended below. I use workbooks a lot with my children. I copy the pages for them instead of letting them work directly out of the book, then we can use the pages over and over. This is especially handy if you have more than one child, but also works well even if you just have one. A child can do the same page a few weeks later and not even realize it is a repeat, especially if they had trouble with it the first time.
Thanksgiving Songs
Turkey Dinner
author unknown (sung to Frere Jacques)
Turkey dinner, turkey dinner,
Gather round, gather round,
Who will get the drumstick,
Yummy, yummy drumstick,
All sit down, all sit down.
Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffing,
Pudding pie, one foot high,
All of us were thinner, til we came to dinner,
Me, oh, my, me, oh, my!
Gobble Gobble Fat Turkeys
(sing to tune "the more we get together")
Gobble Gobble Gobble
Fat turkeys fat turkeys
Gobble Gobble Gobble
Fat turkeys are we
We're NOT for Thanksgiving
We're just here for living
Gobble Gobble Gobble
Fat turkeys are we
Turkey Dinner
(sung to tune of Frere Jacques)
We eat turkey we eat turkey
Oh so good! Oh so good!
Always on Thanksgiving
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum Yum Yum! Yum Yum Yum!
Mashed Potatoes Mashed Potatoes
Oh so good! Oh so good!
Always on Thanksgiving
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum Yum Yum! Yum Yum Yum!
Home-made biscuits Home-made biscuits
Oh so good! Oh so good!
Always on Thanksgiving
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum Yum Yum! Yum Yum Yum!
Turkey dressing Turkey dressing
Oh so good! Oh so good!
Always on Thanksgiving
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum Yum Yum! Yum Yum Yum!
Pie and ice cream Pie and ice cream
Oh so good! Oh so good!
Always on Thanksgiving
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum Yum Yum! Yum Yum Yum!
Thanksgiving Song
(sung to twinkle little star)
Thankyou thankyou very much
For everything that I can touch
Thanks alot for nature's food
And for when I'm feeling good
Thankyou thankyou very much
For moms and dads and friends and such!
and another version that can be sung:
Let's be thankful for this day
For our friends and for our play
Let's be thankful Let's be glad
For the food and things we have
Let's give thanks for you and me
For our friends and family.
Gobbly Wobbly Turkeys
(sung to 10 little Indians)
One little Two little Three little Turkeys
Wobbly Gobbly Bobbley Turkeys
Hurried scurried worried Turkeys
It's Thanksgiving Day!
Turkey in the Straw
As I was a-goin'
On down the road
With a tired team
And a heavy load
I cracked my whip
And the leader sprung
I says day-day
To the wagon tongue
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the straw
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up
A high tucka-haw
And twist 'em up a tune called
Turkey in the Straw
Went out to milk
And I didn't know how
I milked the goat
Instead of the cow
A monkey sittin'
On a pile of straw
A winkin' at
His mother-in-law
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the straw
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up
A high tucka-haw
And twist 'em up a tune called
Turkey in the Straw
I came to the river
And I couldn't get across
So I paid five dollars
For a old blind hoss
Well, he wouldn't go ahead
And he wouldn't stand still
So he went up and down
Like an old saw mill
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the straw
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up
A high tucka-haw
And twist 'em up a tune called
Turkey in the Straw
Did you ever go fishin'
On a warm summer day
When all the fish
Were swimmin' in the bay
With their hands in their pockets
And their pockets in their pants
Did you ever see a fishie
Do the Hootchy-Kootchy Dance?
Turkey in the straw
Turkey in the straw
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up
A high tucka-haw
And twist 'em up a tune called
Turkey in the Straw
Thanksgiving Recipes
Butter - This is so easy to make and your child will be amazed. Simply fill a baby food jar about halfway with whipping cream. Have your child shake it for about five minutes and watch as it turns into butter. (You may want to add a pinch of salt to make it taste better.) When the butter is done, you can spread it on your Thanksgiving buscuits (or whatever you make for Thanksgiving). This is a great recipe to do on Thanksgiving day because it makes the kids feel like they helped with dinner, and it keeps them busy while they wait.
Sugar Cone Cornucopias
Ingredients: small sugar cone, fall candy (I don't remember what they are called, but they are like candy corn, only they are in pumpkin and fall theme shapes).
Directions: Simply put the candy inside the sugar cone.
Rice Krispies Drumsticks
I don't know anyone who doesn't like rice krispies treats.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
or 4 cups miniature marshmallows, 6 cups rice krispies cereal, 1 jar Peanut butter, 1 box cocoa krispies
Directions: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt margarine and marshmallows on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Add rice krispies cereal, stirring until well coated. When slightly cooled, shape cereal mixture into drumstick shapes using buttered hands. Place on waxed paper or a surface coated with cooking spray. Allow to cool. Spread peanut butter over top of each drumstick, dip in cocoa krispies.
Turkey Bread
Ingredients: 1 round bread loaf, 1 oval French roll, 2 carrots, 1 red pepper, 2 raisins, 1 zucchini, 1 summer squash, Skewers and toothpicks.
Directions: Cut the top off the round loaf and slice the resulting oval in half (these halves will become the bird's wings). Use toothpicks to attach a half to each side. Then hollow out the center for dip.
To make the head, cut an "X" in the roll and insert a carrot tip for the nose. To make the wattle, cut red pepper to hang around the carrot nose. Use toothpicks to attach the head and raisin eyes.
To make the "feathers," slice the zucchini, summer squash and remaining carrot lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slabs.
Push bamboo skewers through the middle of these slabs. To make them look feathery, use a small knife to cut jagged edges and carve lines on the surface. Stick the "feathers" into the turkey's tail. Put your favorite dip inside.
Dugout Canoes
I got the original idea for these from Family Fun Parties, but I've altered it to better match my family. They used creamed corn as the filling and put in carrot slices for the seats. In my version, you can put in any veggie that works for your family, or you can put in some kind of dip to make personal dipping canoes. Either way, the kids love these!
Ingredients: 2 red or green peppers (for the oars), 4 medium-sized zucchini, your favorite veggie or dip.
Directions: Cut "oars" out of the peppers and place with the carrots in a bowl of cold water to keep fresh. To make the canoes, fill a large stockpot with water and heat to boiling. Meanwhile, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and gently scoop out the insides. Plunge the zucchini "canoes" in the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes, or until tender (be careful not to overcook).
Thanksgiving Books
Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons
It's a Family Thanksgiving!
Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young
The Very First Thanksgiving Day
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims
Thanksgiving Play
Duck, Duck, Turkey: Play just like Duck, Duck, Goose. Players sit in a circle. One player is on the outside of the circle. This player is It. It taps each one on the head, saying, "Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck..." When It says "Turkey", the tapped player must get up and chase the It, who runs around the circle and tries to sit in the empty spot. If the tagged person catches It, the first player is still It. If It gets to the empty spot without being tagged, the second player is now It.
Picking Pumpkins: Hide mini candy pumpkins (wrapped) indoors or out. Each player gets a bag and hunts for the hidden pumpkins. Each player gets to keep all the pumpkins he or she has picked!
Other Craft Resources
Thanksgiving Napkin Rings, Chenille Stem Turkey, Thanksgiving Finger Puppets, Indian Corn Napkin Rings, Thanksgiving Place Cards, Toilet Paper Tube Pilgrim and Indian, Paper Bag Turkeys
Or Search Amazon for More Resources...
