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Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids

Updated on November 2, 2014
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Busiest Season

Just as the Halloween crafts and costumes are put away it is time to start planning for turkeys,Pilgrims and Indians. The last months of the year are the busiest.Shopping, cooking, entertaining and other holiday plans can leave us short on time.

Here is a collection of Thanksgiving crafts for kids that are simple and inexpensive to prepare for. They go beyond the usual pine cone and paper plate turkey and are designed to look as though plenty of thought and time were involved in your projects.

These projects are great for the classroom and for home. It seems the Thanksgiving break has grown in recent years. What use to be Thursday and Friday has grown to at least include Wednesday with some districts giving the kids a whole week. This allows time for children at home to be involved in preparing for the holiday meal and table décor. They will be proud to see their creations shared at such an important meal.


Sorting Beans For Turkey Feathers
Sorting Beans For Turkey Feathers | Source
Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
Thanksgiving Turkey Craft | Source

Turkey Math

With this craft young children can practice two important math and science skills-classification and patterning.

Materials needed:

  • 8 bean soup mix
  • paper plates
  • craft glue
  • turkey body pattern
  • crayons or markers


Each group of two to five children will need a bag of eight bean soup mix. Guide children in sorting the beans.

Meanwhile help each child cut out a turkey pattern from cardstock paper that includes head, body and feet. Provide very young students (PreK-Kindergarten) with a pre- cut pattern). Have children color the head and feet sections.Guide the children in gluing brown beans on the turkey's body.

Provide each child with half of a paper plate. Guide students in creating patterns across the paper plate to represent colorful feathers.

Other Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

Make Indian corn napkin rings, harvest sun-catchers and a turkey snack from fruit. Find out how at mycreativepalette.

Cranberry Relish Gifts
Cranberry Relish Gifts | Source
Easy Cranberry Relish
Easy Cranberry Relish | Source
Turkey Tableware and Napkin Holder
Turkey Tableware and Napkin Holder | Source
Turkey Place Card Holder
Turkey Place Card Holder | Source

Cranberry Relish Gifts

It's just not Thanksgiving Dinner without cranberries! Cranberry relish is fun and easy to make.There are dozens of different cranberry relish recipes. All that is needed burner and a saucepan. For children at home help them prepare the relish before any other kitchen preparations begin.

Cranberry Relish:

  • 3 cups fresh whole cranberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
  • 1/2 cup water

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop, about 5 minutes.Let cool and serve. This may be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week before serving. Makes 2 cups.After the relish has cooled put into clean baby food jars. Glue a circle of felt or pretty fabric and add a ribbon around the jar. The jars of relish can become favors for your dinner guests to take home, or add a gift tag and let your child give them as gifts. Hint: Decorate in red and green and use this idea for Christmas gifts.

Tableware and Napkin Holder

To make a really cute tableware and napkin holder collect empty paper towel cardboard rolls before hand. You will need one empty paper towel roll holder for each of two guests. These are especially good to make with kids at home. If you do this with a class room of students have them to bring them in and start a few days early.

Materials:

  • empty paper towel rolls
  • brown tempera or acrylic paint
  • paint brushes
  • craft glue
  • colored construction paper
  • googly eyes
  • Styrofoam balls
  • craft foam
  • wooden pop-sickle stick

Cut the paper towel roll holders in half. Have the children paint them brown. As they are drying prepare the feathers and head.

Feathers: cut 6 inch by 5 inch rectangle from colored construction paper. Fold into fans, accordion style. Glue them together to form a half circle. Paper clip the tips together.

Head: an adult cuts slits in the Styrofoam for the carnuckle (top of head) and wattle (hangs down the neck). Cut carnucke and wattle from red craft foam and attach into the slits. Glue on googly eyes. Fold an orange construction paper triangle in half and glue on for the beak. Glue pop-sickle stick inside the paper towel roll for attaching the head. Attach all the parts using craft glue. Insert tableware and napkin inside. The tines of the fork can represent the turkey's feet.


Place card holders

Some people like to use place cards at holiday tables, a useful idea for larger crowds. Use the days that the kids are out before the big day to let them make one of these unique place card holders. School children can help bring in items needed for these. All the items are inexpensive and easy to come by. If the Starlight mint is used unwrapped then it can become an after dinner mint for your guest!



The Turkey's Head is a Starlight Mint  Leave in Wrapper For After Dinner Mint
The Turkey's Head is a Starlight Mint Leave in Wrapper For After Dinner Mint | Source
Turkey Place Card Holder
Turkey Place Card Holder | Source

Coffee Filter Feathers

For this place card holder you will need: coffee filters, food color, wooden clothes pins, googly eyes,Starlight mints, candy corn, brown paint, craft glue,medicine dropper.

How to assemble: Paint the wooden clothes pins brown. Fold the paper coffee filter in half. Use the medicine dropper to drop food color in spots on the coffee filter. Glue a Starlight mint on the brown clothes pin to represent the turkey's head. Glue on small googly eyes and candy corn for the beak and eyes. Place card can be inserted into the clothes pin.

Tooth Pick Turkey

For this place card holder you will need: A wine cork, colored tooth picks, Starlight mint, googly eyes, red construction paper, candy corn.

Glue the Starlight mint on to one end of the cork. Add googly eyes, candy corn for eyes and beak. Add a red carnuckle and wattle from the construction paper. Stick in lots of colored tooth picks for the feathers. Add a tripod of tooth picks on the bottom so the turkey can stand. The place card can be inserted into the feathers.

The Big Day

As the time in the kitchen gets busier, here is a great idea for keeping children happy and involved. Let them slice fresh colorful fruit to help create an edible table decoration. Rainbow fruit kabobs and chocolate dip in turkey fashion will be a hit with guests of all ages.

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