Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year in the United States (and is also celebrated in Canada, albeit one month earlier). However, unlike its nearby cousins of Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving crafts and traditions are not commonly spoken about.
If you are looking for fun Thanksgiving-themed crafts to do with your child or classroom, you’ve come to the right place.
In this list we’ve put together some of the best kid-friendly Thanksgiving crafts that we’ve found on the internet.
We promise that they aren’t all turkey-themed (okay, a good amount of them are).
Handprint Turkey Placement
Here is our first turkey-themed craft on the list. To make this turkey placement, you’ll just need to have your toddler dunk their hands in paint and make handprints on the paper plate. You can make these hands look like a turkey by adding a neck and head made out of construction paper.
Thanksgiving Handprint Keepsake Craft
Thanksgiving is an important time for a lot of families, so what better time to make a memory to keep for years to come? This salt dough recipe can be used to make a print of either your toddler’s hand or foot.
Cinnamon Stick Candle Holders
What could be better than a candle holder that also smells good? Not much, we don’t think. That’s why you will totally love this idea for a candle holder made from candlesticks. It will not only make your Thanksgiving spread smell good, but will also act as a wonderful conversation starter. This craft will need to be done with the supervision of an adult, and a toddler should never handle a candle with a real flame. However, it is still a great toddler-appropriate craft because it includes a sensory element (the smelling of the cinnamon sticks).
Painted Acorns
Here’s something for the living room table. These painted acorns are easy to make and look great in a small bowl! After all, when hosting a party, it isn’t exclusively about the dining room. You’ll need to help your toddler out a bit, but in general, they love painting things and should be very hard to paint acorns.
Turkey Cones
These turkey cones are cheap and easy to put together! Their cone shape makes them stand out among turkey crafts, and are easy for toddler hands to work with.
Potato Masher Stamp Corn
Toddlers love stamps, and there are some ways to make your very own stamps at home! One of the most popular ways is by using a potato masher. Potato mashers already have a special pattern, so all you have to do is cover them with paint and apply them to a paper, such as these Thanksgiving-themed construction paper corns. You may need to help your toddler make the corn cobs, but they will have a great time using the potato masher as a stamp all by themselves.
Pumpkin Apple Stamps
You can make these homemade pumpkin stamps out of an apple! They’re easy for toddlers to use and are perfectly suited to making the shape of a pumpkin. All you need to do is cut an apple in half and you’re good to go!
Coffee Filter and Clothespin Turkeys
We can’t get over how creative these coffee filters and clothespin turkeys are. You can take the time to soak the coffee filters yourself, and can then provide the filter and clothespin to your toddler for them to assemble. They will have a great time putting them together and adding googly eyes to the clothespin.
Fall Windstock
This windstock is technically fall-themed, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t also great for Thanksgiving! Your toddler will love to watch the way that these streamers flail in the wind.
Turkey Puppet
What could be better than a craft that you can play with? This turkey puppet is super fun for toddlers! All you’ll need to make it is a popsicle stick, some artificial feathers, and a bottle cap that you can paint brown (for the turkey’s head). Have all of the kids at your Thanksgiving party make their own turkey puppet and then put on a show!
Corn Painting
It may seem wrong to ruin a perfectly good cob of corn by painting, but it isn’t a bad idea if you have excess corn that would otherwise go to waste. Toddlers love painting on a variety of canvases, so why not give them the opportunity to paint on corn? Get the instructions here.
Hand Wreath
This craft is a must-do if you have a group of kids or toddlers hanging out! All you’ll need to do is trace every child’s hands and cut them out in construction paper. Get the details here.
Autumnal Mason Jars
This craft is more of a fall craft than a Thanksgiving one, but we figured that it was appropriate enough considering Thanksgiving takes place in the autumn season. You can make these beautiful mason jar candles by having your toddler paint over the stencil of a maple leaf design. You can then fill them with either a tea light or an electric light (the ones that turn on and don’t actually use a real flame).
Gratitude Pumpkin
We love a creative activity that can bring the family closer together—after all, isn’t that what crafting is all about? We love this tutorial that shows you how to make your very own “gratitude pumpkin”. All you’ll need is a pumpkin, a sharpie, and the willing ability to think about the things that you and your family are thankful for. They don’t have to be big things! Even celebrating the little things in life is a surefire way to boost a family’s overall happiness. Your toddler can say what they are grateful for, and you can write it on the pumpkin.
Tissue Paper Wreath
Here’s a great one for the kids! Instead of using a complicated Thanksgiving wreath this year, you can instead hang up a homemade wreath that is made out of tissue paper and a paper plate. It’s the kind of thing that would maybe be a bit tacky if you made it yourself, but is actually incredibly adorable when your toddler or toddlers make it!
Footprint Turkey
Yes, another turkey craft—but this one is totally adorable because it involves the use of your child’s foot! All you will need to do is stick the foot in paint and then apply it to the paper. Use play feathers to give the turkey wing texture and voila! An adorable craft idea.
Turkey Donuts
Let’s face it—sometimes, the best craft ideas are the ones that are edible. This is a fun dessert idea for toddlers and children. It involves creating a turkey out of glazed donuts, fruity cereal, and googly eyes! It’s a fun way to keep the kids occupied during the afternoon of a Thanksgiving celebration. Check it out here.
Candy Turkeys
Here is another edible craft idea! You can make adorable turkeys by using candy-covered chocolate that comes in autumn colors of brown, orange, and yellow. Put them in a little mesh bag and use pipe cleaners to make the turkey’s legs and arms! This is a great craft for your kids to make, especially if they have cousins that they can surprise with this treat at Thanksgiving dinner!
Yarn Pumpkin Garlands
This garland is a bit on the advanced side, but toddlers will love to help you hold the yarn as you make the pumpkins! This decoration can be used for both Thanksgiving and Halloween, which makes it well worth the effort. Get the details here.
Pumpkin Pie Paper Plate
There’s been a lot of craft ideas about pumpkins, but how about pumpkin pie? The next best thing to eating real pumpkin pie is making an adorable pumpkin pie craft! This tutorial will teach you a kid-friendly way to make a piece of pumpkin pie out of a small piece of paper plate.
These wonderful crafts just prove that there is more to the Thanksgiving holiday than just eating turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing (though of course, you’ll still want to do that too). Happy Thanksgiving!