What you need is activities to keep the kids occupied while you’re busy in the kitchen, and activities you can do together as a family while the turkey is cooking away in the oven
But this article is going to deliver a solution. I’ve been scouring the internet for the most fun and engaging craft activities that have a clear Thanksgiving theme, and I’ll be sharing them with you here today.
I’ve tried to include crafts for people of all ages, and some of the ones for kids require minimal supervision, while others are ones that younger kids can enjoy while having quality time with older family members.
I hope you find a few you like and that you decide to try one or two out – here we go!
These Thanksgiving themed printable place mats require no supervision, and they’re perfect for keeping the kids busy while you’re still busy fixing something in the kitchen or waiting a few minutes until a dish is completely cooked.
Coloring cute pictures appeals to a wide range of ages, and you can use whatever stationary you have to hand, whether it’s crayons, colored pencils or felt tip pens.
If there’s anything that gets kids and adults laughing and enjoying themselves, it’s funny jokes.
And this print out has several jokes on it, and it’s way more fun than just a print out of jokes alone, the paper requires the correct folding, and cute colored pictures, and there are actions to carry out to get to each joke.
There’s also a black and white version, if you want to use the print-out for coloring also.
One of the most important things about the Thanksgiving holiday is taking the time to reflect on all the wonderful things you’re grateful for.
And with this fun craft project, kids can make a cute turkey by recycling an old cereal box, using easy to source materials, where they can name all the things they are thankful for on each of the turkey’s feathers.
This distinctive Thanksgiving turkey cross stitch pattern could guide a child or adult to make a cute design that could be used on either a Happy Thanksgiving card, or as a invite to a Thanksgiving get together.
You don’t need many colors of thread for a colored version, or alternatively, you could just use one color for a silhouette design.
I don’t know about you, but if there’s anything that puts me in mind of Fall, it’s the glorious scent of cinnamon.
And with this craft project, kids can get their hands on sticky, squishy slime – something kids love to stretch and fold and play with, and it also happens to be cinnamon scented, too.
You won’t need any borax, and it comes out really pretty, thanks to the glitter.
This cute, colorful Thanksgiving holiday decoration is big, bold and funny, and an excellent talking point.
What’s more, it’s fun and easy to make, and is a great activity for siblings to work on together in preparation for the family Thanksgiving celebrations.
In my view, trees are very much symbolic of fall and Thanksgiving, and with this fun activity, kids (and adults) can make their very own DIY tree, where the leaves that remain represent all the things the family is grateful for.
To make the tree, the kids get to go on a nature walk to find a few branches to use. When they get home, they can paint the branches (I would suggest using gold paint), and then there are the leaves to make too.
You can make the leaves with air-dry clay, or fabric leaves, write on them, and hang them on the little tree with yarn or ribbon.
This fun little activity requires few materials, and they’re all easy to source. You just cut out a construction paper circle the same size as the inside of a paper plate and decorate it.
Attach it with a brass fastener, then remove a “slice” of pie. Write “I’m Thankful for …” along the top and ask everyone to add responses as they rotate the “slice” around the pie.
With this super simple craft project, all you have to do is print out the various colorful parts of the turkey, and not only do the kids get to have fun putting the different pieces together, but they also have a fun, colorful crown to wear for the duration of the holiday!
Why not get the kids involved in making the Thanksgiving dessert? They’ll have great fun making these cute cupcakes, with the turkey face and feathers.
What’s more, the frosting has a delicious chocolate flavor that is sure to please the whole crowd. They also feature crunchy KitKat pieces, yummy butterscotch chips, and mini Rease’s peanut butter cups!
Now this is a cute little project that everyone can get involved in!
The idea is to first print out the Pilgrim and Native American characters in their distinctive clothing, and then everyone has a go at either drawing their own face on the characters, or drawing someone else’s face in the group.
Kids just love playing with puppets – they get to pretend to be a particular character, in this case a Thanksgiving turkey, and they can even put on a show for everybody if they already have some other puppet characters they’d like to use.
This turkey character is colorful and cute, and you don’t need a whole lot of materials to make it.
What’s Thanksgiving without some nice pumpkin flavors! And what dessert is easier for kids to make than dump cake? This recipe is super easy to make, and it helps the kids to feel involved in the Thanksgiving preparations.
It’s half cake and half pumpkin pie, is quite the crowd please, and goes great served with Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce!
How about decorating the home for the Thanksgiving holiday with some colorful themed decorations?
The kids get to choose from 8 adorable Thanksgiving themed designs, and they get to color them in themselves, with either crayon, colored pencils, or felt tip pens. Then they can help put the pieces of bunting together.
If you want a change from Thanksgiving crafts revolving around turkeys, then check out this cute orange and green pumpkin craft!
It’s budget-friendly and super easy to make, and it gets the kids thinking about all the things that they are grateful for.
All they have to do is write what they are thankful for (or do it for them if they are too young) on the orange strips, and then attach them as per the photo to make a pumpkin shape using brads.
How about having the family get together to prep the salad vegetables into the shape of a turkey as a cute, and at the same time edible, centerpiece for the dinner table?
There’s a video on the link that will show you exactly what to do, and you may find some other Thanksgiving food and drink ideas for your holiday celebrations.
I don’t know about you, but I just love fairy lights – they can make a home look so much more warm and inviting! And you can give them a fall makeover, just by attaching any nice, colorful fall leaves that you find together on a nature walk in the woods.
You could maybe have the fairy lights going up the banister, or have them laid out on the dinner table, or put them in a jar as a centerpiece for the table.
Wrap Up
I hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through my shortlist of favorite, fun Thanksgiving crafts. And more so, I hope that you’ve spotted one or two that decide to go ahead with and do.
Such a great way to keep kids occupied, and also a great way to bring people together to work on a shared project. Enjoy!
There’s nothing better than sitting down after a long, stressful day with a good craft or hobby - right?
Hi, my name is Helena Forsite and I am a self-proclaimed crafter. I love everything to do with DIYs, baking, crafting, and more!
When I was younger, fresh out of college, I developed a pretty strong anxiety disorder. I found it difficult to go to work, socialize with friends, or even get out of the house at all.
