The arrival of fall equals cooler weather and the need for indoor activities! Whether you’re a teacher looking for classroom projects, a homeschool parent, or a crafty babysitter, this list of Thanksgiving crafts will keep the little hands in your house busy. We also found projects that display their creativity and allow you to teach a little U.S. history while crafting together. As always, feel free to take our ideas and put your own spin on them with the art supplies you have available.
Come visit the Frontier!
We are open for the fall season! Bring out the whole family for a day of wholesome fun complete with a visit to our U-pick pumpkin patch, some fun farm games, and an education tour of our frontier and Indian village! Our farm offers your family the opportunity to eat, play, and learn in a fun environment. We even do field trips for public and homeschool groups! The farm is only open during October, so book your spot today!
Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
1. Thankful Cross
Thanksgiving is a chance to practice gratitude right? Many early Americans were religious exiles of sorts. God and religion were a major part of daily life and part of the reason they immigrated to set up this government. Why not make a thankful cross to celebrate that heritage and what you are grateful for?
Materials:
- Brown card stock or craft foam
- Black fine-tip marker
- Bubble or banner and leaf foam stickers
- Hole punch
- String or ribbon
If you don’t want to take the DIY route, grab this kit from Oriental Trading!
Process:
- Discuss the original purpose of Thanksgiving and ask the kids what they are thankful for.
- Cut a cross out of the card stock.
- Have older children or a family member write what they are thankful for on the fall leaves stickers. (You could also cut leaves out of construction paper and use glue sticks to apply.)
- Let them apply to the cross as they please to make a unique art piece.
- Attach string and display!
Learning Objective:
This Thankful Cross project is an easy way to learn about the religious history of the time and discuss the first Thanksgiving. Here is a great article from Nat Geo Kids to help with the content!
2. Oreo Turkeys
Got hungry kids? Give them a sugar high and then send them home with this adorable Oreo and candy corn edible craft. Thanksgiving crafts are way better when they involve chocolate cookies!
Materials:
- Oreos or off-brand substitute
- Candy corn
- Edible googly eyes
- Red gel food coloring
- Butterscotch chips
- White chocolate
- Popsicle sticks or toothpicks
Process:
- Provide each child with an area, two eyes, four candy corn, and a butterscotch chip.
- Melt a small amount of white chocolate in a bowl. The children will use a popsicle stick or toothpick to dot the chocolate on the Oreo as glue for the eyes and beak.
- Children will insert the pointed end of the candy corn into the top of the Oreo, using the creme as glue.
- Help them decorate their Oreo—gluing on the eyes, a butterscotch chip for the beak, and a swirl of red gel for the garbler.
Learning Objective:
This preschool Thanksgiving craft is a chance to practice counting and colors. You can also talk about healthy food choices and choosing sweet treats sparingly.
3. Beaded Corn Cob Craft
Having a harvest-themed party or Thanksgiving gathering at your place? Let the kiddos create the decorations! These adorable corn cobs are inexpensive and one of the easiest Thanksgiving crafts on the list.
Materials:
- Pipe cleaners
- Yellow, white, orange, and brown pony beads
Find the kit on Oriental Trading!
Process:
- Twist together 3 pipe cleaners at their center.
- You now effectively have 6 stems.
- Thread 14 beads onto each stem.
- Bring the bare ends of the stems together at the top and twist to secure.
- Fluff the beads and stems into the shape of a corn cob.
Learning Objective:
This Thanksgiving craft helps with fine motor skills in the threading and handling of pony beads and twisting of pipe cleaners. Children can also work on color sorting.
4. Pilgrim Hat Pencil Holder
We love functional Thanksgiving crafts. These pencil or cray holders are great for organization with a holiday flair!
Materials:
- Black paper cups
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Buttons, ribbons, or stickers for decoration
Process:
- Cut out a circle for the base and a strip for the hatband from colored paper.
- Glue the cup upside-down on the circle to form a hat.
- Decorate the hatband and buckle.
Let’s DIY It All has a great tutorial if you need a little help.
Learning Objective:
Learn about the Pilgrims’ journey and early American history. You could even pair this craft with “dress like a pilgrim” day!
5. Corn Mosaic Art
Children will use dried corn kernels to create colorful mosaic designs, exploring patterns and Native American history.
Materials:
- Construction paper
- Dried corn kernels (various colors) or beans and seeds.
- Glue
Process:
- Choose a few designs to pre-draw on the construction paper. You could use a Native American feathered headdress, a pumpkin, a turkey, or a pilgrim.
- Draw a simple outline on construction paper. If you can’t draw, use printable coloring pages instead. We recommend gluing it to construction paper or card stock for more stability.
- Apply glue within the design and stick the corn kernels to create a mosaic.
Learning Objective:
This craft helps develop pattern recognition and fine motor skills while learning about Native American agricultural practices.
6. Thankful Place Mats
A spectacular Thanksgiving menu is made even better when your kids create personalized place mats featuring things they’re thankful for. These can be laminated for durability. If you really want to get creative, you can make these Turkey DIY place cards to go with!
Materials:
- Large construction paper or cardstock
- Markers, crayons, or paint
- Glue, glitter, stickers
- Laminator or self-adhesive clear cover (optional)
Process:
- Decorate the paper with drawings or embellishments and words representing what you’re thankful for.
- Optionally, laminate the place mat to preserve it.
Learning Objective:
Holiday crafts like this one can help reinforce gratitude and creative expression, with the opportunity to discuss family and community. It also helps with planning and spatial awareness. If you want to get fancy, you could even teach the proper way to set a formal table.
7. Paper Bag Turkey Puppet
This craft turns a brown paper bag into a fun turkey puppet, letting kids explore storytelling and fine motor skills.
Materials:
- Brown paper bags
- Construction paper (various colors)
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
- Markers or crayons
Process:
- Glue googly eyes to the flap of the bag for the turkey’s face.
- Cut out a beak, wattle, and feathers from construction paper.
- Attach the beak and wattle to the face, and glue the feathers to the back of the bag.
Learning Objective:
Encourage creative storytelling, improve fine motor skills, and discuss the significance of the turkey as a Thanksgiving symbol.
8. Footprint Turkey Craft
This craft involves using children’s footprints to create the body of a turkey, allowing kids to engage with art while learning about animal anatomy and textures.
Materials:
- Brown paint
- Construction paper (various colors)
- Markers or crayons
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
Process:
- Paint the bottom of the child’s foot with brown paint and press it onto the paper to create the turkey’s body.
- Once dry, cut out and attach colorful paper feathers behind the footprint.
- Draw or glue on eyes, a beak, and a wattle.
Learning Objective:
Learn about shapes and textures while understanding the anatomy of a turkey and improving hand-eye coordination.
9. Indian Corn Painting
This fun, painted piece mimics the appearance of Indian corn using bubble wrap and paint, encouraging creativity and pattern recognition. Kids stay occupied for a while popping the extra bubble wrap too…BONUS!
Materials:
- Bubble wrap
- Washable Paint (fall colors)
- Construction paper
Process:
- Paint bubble wrap with the child’s chosen colors.
- Press the bubble wrap onto the paper to create the corn effect.
- Leave it as a painting, or if you want to create a 3-D effect, you can cut out the painting and mold it into a sculpture of your own device, like the corn cobs above (see image).
Learning Objective:
This simple, inexpensive picture is not only fun to make but also explores textures, patterns, and agricultural significance of corn.
10. Thanksgiving Popsicle Stick Scarecrow
When it comes to Thanksgiving activities, is there anything more classic than a popsicle stick craft? We think not! Create a cute stick scarecrow, helping kids understand the role of scarecrows in harvest and farming.
Materials:
- Popsicle sticks
- Construction paper
- Markers or paint
- Glue
- Googly eyes
- Yarn (for hair)
Process:
- Glue several popsicle sticks side by side to form the scarecrow’s face.
- Paint or color the popsicle sticks, glue googly eyes, yarn hair, and a paper hat to complete the scarecrow.
- Draw a nose, mouth, and any extra decorations on the face.
Learning Objective:
Learn about scarecrows’ role in farming and harvest traditions while enhancing creativity and motor skills. This YouTube video from Homeschool Pop does a great job explaining the history and importance of scarecrows!
11. Mayflower Model
It wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving crafts list without the Mayflower! Build a miniature model of the Mayflower to teach kids about the Pilgrims’ journey to America.
Craft Tip: If you want a two-for-one deal, you can create your ship model in October as a pirate ship. Then, take down the skull-and-bones banners and load up the pilgrims to transform it into the Mayflower come Thanksgiving!
Materials:
- Paper plate
- Wooden dowels
- White glue
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Pencil
- Markers or colored pencils Any white-colored paper
- Brown and black tempera or poster paint
- Toilet paper roll or modeling clay
- Paintbrush
- Pilgrim coloring page
Process:
- Cut out the paper plate in half to serve as the two sides of the ship hull.
- Place the plates together and align them carefully. Cut off the curved bottoms to create a flat ship bottom.
- Position the plates facing each other, bowing outward, and staple or glue together.
- Paint the ship and let it dry.
- Cut three rectangles from the white paper
- Make a pair of holes in each rectangle about 1/2 inch from opposite edges.
- Place the dowel rods through the two holes to create a sail.
- Glue or tape your dowel rod masts to the inside of your ship.
- Color and cut out your pilgrims. Glue them to the toilet paper roll, and place in the ship.
Learning Objective:
Learn about the Pilgrims’ voyage, early American history, and basic engineering concepts.
12. Pinecone Turkey
This craft uses a pinecone as the turkey’s body, with colorful feathers and paper decorations, to create the most adorable turkey sculptures.
Materials:
- Pinecones
- Construction paper (various colors) or craft feathers
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
- Small pom-pom (for the turkey’s head)
Process:
- Attach googly eyes and a small pom-pom to the front of the pinecone for the turkey’s head.
- Cut out feather shapes from construction paper, or use craft feathers, and glue them to the back of the pinecone as the tail.
- Add a beak and wattle using paper.
Learning Objective:
You can also make a wine cork turkey with this same process, but for small children, we like the added benefit of forest exploration! On a guided walk to collect pine cones, you can learn about the reproductive process of plants and see how many forest animals you can count. The activity itself teaches the anatomy of turkeys while improving fine motor skills through cutting, gluing, and arranging.
Unfamiliar with the reproductive life of gymnosperms? This video from The Kid Should See This can help!
Thanksgiving Crafts Supplies
While you certainly can DIY your way to some adorable Thanksgiving crafts, if you aren’t the kind of teacher or caregiver that has pipe cleaners and toilet paper rolls lying around, don’t worry. Several fun websites provide ready-to-go kits, complete with all supplies and instructions to make your crafting project a breeze. Oriental Trading is a good one. There’s of course Hobby Lobby and Amazon, but I love the adorable woodland creatures and mushroom house kits from Paper Source!
Time to Start Crafting!
That’s all folks! You’ve now got 12 adorable Thanksgiving crafts to keep your littles busy all month long. Remember, crafting is about experimentation and creativity. Your projects most likely won’t look like the inspiration, perfectly honed by an adult professional. Instead, the googly eyes will be spaced on the stomach and head of the turkey. The feather will be upside down, and your pilgrims may have green faces (which could be appropriate for a sea journey, come to think of it).
Anyway, the point is… let it be. Children are learning to express themselves, which is just as important as learning to follow directions, so try to strike a good balance between the two. As their hands are busy, their minds will be soaking the information you present, and hopefully, their hearts will swell with gratitude as well. One can hope!
Happy Thanksgiving Ya’ll!
For more fall activities, check out our newest blog on the 2024 fall events in Arkansas, and remember to come see us for one of our family festival days on October 19th or 26th at our U-Pick Pumpkin Patch and Frontier Farm! We’ll see you on the Frontier!