Thanksgiving is a traditional event where family members get together. This ceremony is done to thank all the living and non-living things that support us. And here you can enjoy delicious food. It is very important to introduce such festivals to children. Through that, children get the opportunity to recognize their traditions.
We use a craft lesson to connect children with the Thanksgiving festival. That way we can give the children an opportunity to thank everyone they want. This is also a good opportunity to develop children’s creativity. By directing children to create handicrafts, we can develop many skills in children. So let’s celebrate this wonderful Thanksgiving with the kids.
Why Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids Are Important:
It is a common opportunity for children to have fun with handicrafts in primary education. This is because there are many benefits that children get from crafts activities. Therefore, to introduce this festival, we use a series of handicrafts for children. Before that, let’s examine the benefits that children can get from easy Thanksgiving handicrafts.
1. Learning About Thanksgiving Traditions:
The designs for this activity focus on Thanksgiving, allowing children to learn about the various rituals of the festival. Through these symbols, children will explore traditional aspects of the celebration. For example, they will recognize that turkeys, falling leaves, pumpkins, and delicious food represent this festival.
And you can teach the children about the decorations used for this festival. We can teach children many cultural things, such as colors, patterns, and symbols for this festival, through handicrafts. Crafting also allows children to have fun with their imaginations. Children can start making their Thanksgiving decorations by having fun with different materials, colors, and patterns. They can make anything they want, whether a festive centerpiece or a turkey out of a paper plate.
2. Fine Motor Skill Development
Children have to do various delicate activities while making crafts. That is, cutting, pasting, folding, coloring, and writing are some of them. Such delicate activities accustom children’s fingers to behave well. It helps children develop correct handwriting skills while writing.
3. Strengthening Family Bonds
This Thanksgiving is a celebration with family. Since that day is a holiday, all the family gets a chance to celebrate this festival together. It is a wonderful opportunity for all the family to spend time with their loved ones and prepare and enjoy delicious food. Also, this day allows you to thank each other in the family. So make this craft activity an opportunity to thank your residents.
Some Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids:
Next, let’s take a look at some great Thanksgiving crafts you can make with kids. These designs are very simple. And only a few very limited things are required to make these designs. Also, these simple designs that can be easily done by children are perfect for your children to use.
The most important thing is that kids can have fun with crafts. And children join these activities eagerly. So handicrafts are a wonderful activity that offers a lot to children.
1. Paper Plate Turkeys
The turkey is a symbol of the traditional Thanksgiving celebration. So let’s create this symbol using some simple materials. And through that design, we give children an opportunity to say thank you for everything they like.
Materials Needed:
- Paper plate -1
- Colored paper: brown, orange, red, white, and a few colors you like.
- •Googly eyes
- •Glue
- •scissor
- •Markers or crayons
- •Pen or Pencil
Instructions:
- Step 1: First, take a paper plate. Then paste it with brown paper. Or color it brown.
- Step 2: Paste the googly eyes on the brown paper plate. Then cut a triangular part of orange paper and paste it as a nose. Cut and paste turkey’s snood in red on it. After that, cut two legs from the orange paper and glue them under the paper plate.
- Step 3: Take some colored paper of your choice and cut the feathers of the turkey out of it. You can cut as many feathers as you like. Paste the cut-colored feathers on the back of the paper plate.
- Step 4: Write the names of the people or things you want to thank on the feathers. To do this, cut strips of white paper, write their names, and stick them on the feathers. You can also print them out and give them to the kids to attach.
- Step 5: Once the design is complete, you can display it in the classroom or at home for everyone to see.
Below is a sample image for creating this paper plate turkey.
2. Handprint Turkeys
Now let’s move on to another turkey craft design. A small hand model is required to create it. This design can also be done easily by children. Now let’s see how to create this.
Materials Needed:
- Construction paper (Red, orange, yellow, brown, white)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers or crayons
Instructions:
Step 1: Draw the shape of the child’s hand on a white sheet. Then separate it from the paper.
Step 2: Use the thumb of the handprint as the turkey’s face, the fingers as the feathers, and the palm as the body. Then, color it however you like using the colors from the handprint.
Step 3: After coloring, cut and paste the following onto the thumb: an orange beak, a red snood, and googly eyes.
Step 4: Cut and glue the turkey legs from the bottom of the palm. Cut the legs from the orange.
Step 5: Draw the edges of the middle finger feathers colored as feathers with a black marker.
Step 6: Then finally, print or write and cut out a Happy Thanksgiving greeting and a smiley face on the palm part.
Children are always so thrilled to see their handprints turned into such a nice holiday decoration, and these handprint turkeys are so easy to do!
3. Thanksgiving Wreaths
Fall is the season of Thanksgiving. Therefore, Falling Leaves are a symbol of this festival. So let’s make this design using Falling Leaves.
Materials Needed:
- Paper plates or a cardboard ring
- Fall-colored construction paper: red, orange, yellow, brown
- Glue
- Markers or crayons
- piece of the yarn
- piece of the ribbon
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut a circle from cardboard or a paper plate, removing the middle to make a ring.
Step 2: Cut 20-30 fall-colored leaves and 7 leaves of the same color and size.
Step 3: Make a bow from ribbon and glue it to the top of the ring.
Step 4: Stick the colored leaves around the ring.
Step 5: Write what you’re thankful for on the 7 matching leaves, then glue one under the bow and the others around the ring.
Step 6: Attach a string and hang it up to display.
4. Pumpkin Crafts
Pumpkins are another symbol of Thanksgiving. So let’s combine this and make another design.
Materials Needed:
- construction paper (orange, Red, black, white, yellow)
- Green pipe cleaners
- Glue
- Scissors
- Color sticks or pencil
Instructions:
Step 1: First, cut a large pumpkin shape out of orange paper.
Step 2: Take colored paper and cut out the shapes of eyes, mouth, and nose and paste them on the pumpkin.
Step 3: Then let the children draw pictures of people and things to be thankful for on the pumpkin. You can use colored sticks or pencils for that.
Step 4: Now take the green pipe cleaners and place them near the stem of the pumpkin as the pumpkin vine.
Step 5: Cut out a paper shape like a pumpkin leaf and write “GIVE THANKS” on it. Then, stick it onto the pumpkin.
Group Activities for Thanksgiving
Children may enjoy group activities just as much as solitary crafts when it comes to Thanksgiving preparation.
1. Tree of Gratitude
You can create a gratitude tree to teach children how to appreciate. Each child can write a gratitude card and stick it on a gratitude tree.
Materials:
- A template of a leafless tree.
- Construction paper – in autumn colors such as red, orange, yellow, and brown
- Papers or cards for writing
- Glue
- Scissor
- Pens/Pencils
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut out fall leaves from fall-colored paper.
Step 2: Now glue the leaves of the tree shape.
Step 3: Write the names of the people/things you are thankful for on the paper.
Step 4: Take a card or paper to write on and make a thank you card. Get colors, pencils or other necessary things for that.
Step 5: Attach the Thank You Cards to the created gratitude Tree.
This is a wonderful creation that several children can make together.
2. Thanksgiving Bingo
This wonderful game can be played with family or friends. There are bingo cards for this. What you will see in them are the symbols related to Thanksgiving. You can play for multiple rounds, with different winning patterns like four corners, a full card, or a specific shape.
Set-Up: Each player gets a bingo card with Thanksgiving-themed images (like turkeys, pumpkins, fall leaves, etc.). Provide each player with small markers (like coins, buttons, or paper pieces) to cover the spaces on their card.
Game Leader: The game leader will have a set of calling cards (matching the images on the bingo cards). Shuffle the cards and call out one image at a time.
Mark Your Card: When an image is called, players check their bingo card. If they have the matching image, they cover that space with a marker.
Winning: The first player to cover five spaces in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) shouts “Bingo!” and wins the game.
Optional: You can play for multiple rounds, with different winning patterns like four corners, a full card, or a specific shape.
