Thanksgiving is almost here, and you’ve probably been working on your holiday to-do list, from planning a menu, to shopping, to decorating. But there’s one more thing to prepare before Turkey Day arrives—Thanksgiving activities for the kids! With so much cooking, cleaning, and prep work to pull off a holiday feast, it’s always helpful to have some kids activities ready to go. That way they can entertain themselves and have fun, and you can get some pester-free concentration time to work. Win-win!
Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
Board games, puzzles, yard games and toys, roller skating, and of course movies and TV are good ways to keep kids occupied, but why not add some creativity to the mix? These easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids can be adapted for a variety of ages, and are sure to keep your little turkeys engrossed for a while.
Place Cards and Centerpieces
There are tons of cute, affordable ideas for Thanksgiving table crafts that kids can make, and the best part is that they get to help “set the stage” for Thanksgiving. Check out these cute Thanksgiving place card and place setting crafts:
- Thumbprint turkey place cards
- Napkin origami or origami place cards
- Fall leaf turkeys made from real leaves and clothes pins
- Potato print leaves on butcher paper for placemats
- Decorated napkin rings
If you have older kids or teens, get them to help the younger kids with the crafts, or task them with creating a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Let them “shop” the rest of the house for candles, vases, etc. to create a tablescape, and hunt outside for branches, leaves, flowers, acorns, and other objects that can become decor.
Fall Wreaths
Another great Thanksgiving craft is making wreaths to hang on the door or in a window. There are tons of wreath craft tutorials out there for all different ages and skill levels, like this clever turkey wreath from a paper plate, or this pretty papercraft Thanksgiving wreath.
Gifts for Family and Friends
As we all know, the “official” holiday shopping season starts the day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday. Let the kids get a head start with some handmade gift projects! This collection of kids’ crafts has tons of good ideas, from bookmarks to suncatchers.
Make Space for Creativity
Of course, in order for these Thanksgiving crafts to help keep the kiddos out from underfoot, you’ll need to give them their own space—preferably NOT in the kitchen or dining room—where they can create. It doesn’t have to be much, just a card table, some chairs, and a tarp or dropcloth to protect the floor. Add a wipeable vinyl tablecloth, and voila! You can set up your DIY kid’s art studio in your driveway, garage, basement, deck, bonus room, patio, or wherever else you can think of! Just make sure it’s safe for the kids and remember to check on them every so often if they’re out of sight.
Happy crafting—and Happy Thanksgiving!
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