25 Cute Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and you’ll give thanks for these fun Thanksgiving crafts that will keep your little turkeys busy all month long. You’ll find loads of budget-friendly crafts made with simple materials you have around the house like paper plates, construction paper, and toilet paper rolls. Not only will the children get some creative time in, but crafting helps kids develop concentration, problem-solving and fine motor skills.
Ready to get started? Here are 25 of the cutest turkeys, Pilgrims, pumpkins, and more to get your home or classroom ready for Turkey Day.
Printable Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
When time is limited, printable crafts come in handy. All you need are a few basic supplies like crayons, colored paper, scissors, and glue to complete them. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving crafts that you can print and start on immediately!
1. Shape Turkey Craft
Our free shape turkey craft is a great way to get little ones excited about learning their shapes in the fall. Kids will get plenty of scissor practice while assembling their turkeys, and then they can practice counting with the worksheets provided.
2. Thanksgiving Hats
Strut into Thanksgiving rocking a cute printable Thanksgiving hat! You can set up this no-prep activity in just minutes. All you need are crayons, scissors, and a stapler to secure the band in a circle. There are two different designs — one featuring a turkey and the other featuring a scene with Pilgrims and Native Americans.
3. Thanksgiving Name Craft
Help preschoolers learn how to spell their names with this adorable Pilgrim-themed Thanksgiving name craft. Write the letters of the child’s name on pieces of black paper, which kids can then glue to the boy or girl pilgrim of their choice.
4. Pete the Cat Thanksgiving Craft
Pete the Cat is one groovy cat — especially when he’s dressed in pilgrim attire. This Pete the Cat Thanksgiving craft is the perfect activity after reading The First Thanksgiving. Children will learn about story sequence by putting the events in order.
5. Turkey Hats
Dress up like a turkey this thanksgiving with our cute Turkey Hats that are super easy to put together. Use the feathers to spell out kids’ names or to write things that the children are thankful for this year.
6. Preschool Pilgrim Craft
These cute and easy preschool Pilgrim craft and Native American crafts are as simple as print, cut, and assemble. Kids can easily swap out hair colors to make their Thanksgiving crafts look like them!
7. Thanksgiving Fortune Teller
Whether you call it a fortune teller or a cootie catcher, kids have such fun playing with these paper crafts. Provide one for each setting at the kids’ table to keep them entertained while Thanksgiving dinner is being prepared. They’re also handy for classroom parties. Grab the printable template from The Country Chic Cottage.
Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
Check out the projects below for even more inspiration. You’ll find festive Thanksgiving crafts for kids of all ages. Pumpkins, turkeys, Pilgrims, and more — everything you need for a fall crafting extravaganza!
8. Toilet Paper Roll Native American Craft
This adorable Native American craft is the perfect way to start off your Thanksgiving projects this year. Grab the template to make all the pieces you need quickly, from the hair and faces to the colorful triangles on the clothing.
9. Paper Plate Pilgrims
Cute as a Fox has the cutest Pilgrim paper plate craft ever. The materials for this easy craft are super simple: some flesh colored paint, googly eyes, construction paper, pipe cleaners, and of course, some paper plates. Make a boy or a girl (or both)! While this craft doesn’t come with a template, you can easily cut out the pieces and trace them to create your own templates. That’ll make classroom crafting much easier.
10. Paper Plate Turkeys
Here’s an easy paper plate turkey craft from Red Ted Art that’ll look super cute on your classroom bulletin board. A painted paper plate serves as the turkey’s body, while the feathers are made with painted paper cones. Isn’t it lovely how the warm colors peek out of the inside of the cones? Add googly eyes, a beak, and some cute pipe cleaner feet to finish your little gobbler.
11. Coffee Filter Turkey Craft
It doesn’t get much simpler than these cute little coffee filter turkeys made with clothespins, construction paper, and a few other basic craft materials. First, you’ll color the coffee filters with watercolor markers and spritz with water until the colors spread and blend together. Once they’re dry, fold them to make beautiful tail feathers, and add the turkey’s face. Turn them into fun magnets for the fridge by adding strips of magnetic tape to the back!
12. Mayflower Craft
Kids Activities Blog has a great Thanksgiving craft idea for preschoolers — Mayflower boat art. This fun craft combines paper plates, paper straws, construction paper, and paint to make an interesting nautical scene with the Mayflower sailing over the rough seas, carrying the Pilgrims to North America.
13. Corn Cob Painting
Explore texture and color with this fun corn cob painting idea from Natural Beach Living! The kids will have a blast creating all kinds of unique patterns on their papers or canvases. Painting with different materials is a terrific way to get kids thinking outside the box.
14. Toilet Paper Roll Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
Show gratitude this Thanksgiving season with this cute turkey craft made with toilet paper rolls, construction paper, googly eyes, and paint. Our favorite part of this craft is writing what you’re thankful for on the turkey’s feathers. Alternatively, you can spell out someone’s name on the feathers and use the turkeys as a substitute for place cards in your table settings.
15. Pine Cone Turkey
Go for a nature walk to gather pine cones to make creative pine cone turkeys for your Thanksgiving mantel. The tutorial from DIY Candy shows how to turn pine cones, construction paper, googly eyes, and craft feathers into fun and festive turkeys to add to your fall décor.
16. Tissue Paper Pumpkin Craft
Get plenty of fine motor practice with this tissue paper pumpkin from Arty Crafty Kids. Use the handy pumpkin printable to simplify filling in the pumpkin with scrunched tissue paper. These jack-o-lanterns will look adorable on a shelf along with your favorite Thanksgiving books or Halloween decorations.
17. Turkey Puppets
Handmade Charlotte has the cutest turkey finger puppets that are perfect for storytelling! They’re made entirely out of craft foam and held together with glue, so they’re simple enough for your toddlers and preschoolers to help with. Plus, cutting out all the shapes in the foam is great for fine motor practice!
18. Paper Bag Pilgrim Craft
Retell the story of Thanksgiving with a pair of totally adorable Pilgrim paper bag puppets. Our Kid Things has the templates you need to make the bonnet and apron for the girl pilgrim, but all the other pieces are easy peasy.
19. Turkey Salt Painting
Feeling artsy? Try out a new art technique like salt painting! Exploring new textures is always fun for preschoolers, and they’ll have a blast making this turkey salt painting from Natural Beach Living. Draw a turkey, trace it with glue, apply salt, and paint. How easy and fun is that?
20. Pumpkin Pie Craft
Your toddlers and preschoolers can make these simple popsicle stick pumpkin pies from About a Mom in minutes! Paint the craft sticks, add orange construction paper for the center of the pie, and a fluffy cotton ball for the ‘whipped cream.’ This is such a fun craft for Fall.
21. Turkey Windsocks
Make a Thanksgiving decoration for your porch or breezeway! Happiness is Homemade has the cutest idea for turkey windsocks made with recycled metal cans an ribbon in gorgeous fall colors. They’ll look beautiful and festive fluttering in the breeze.
22. Handprint Turkey Craft
Preserve those precious little handprints with a cute handprint turkey craft from Simple Everyday Mom. The handprints become the turkey’s colorful tail feathers — isn’t that clever? A pair of siblings can work together on this project, or each child can create two sets of handprints for it.
23. Pom Pom Turkeys
Make fluffy pom pom turkeys that you can put on your Thanksgiving table or mantel this season. Use pre-made pom poms or make your own, as you see here, using brown yarn. Add googly eyes, craft feathers and a beak and beard made out of felt to finish your turkeys. Follow the tutorial at Growing Up Gabel to make your own.
24. Footprint Turkey Thanksgiving Wreath
Here’s a neat idea for your baby’s first Thanksgiving, but it’s cute for toddlers and preschoolers to make, too. Non-Toy Gifts shows how to make a footprint turkey wreath out of a paper plate using your child’s footprint, some paint, and scissors. How fun!
25. Paper Bag Turkeys
If you’re looking for a cute centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table this Fall you won’t want to miss this paper bag turkey from Katherine Rosman. These turkeys will look adorable on a shelf along with your favorite Thanksgiving books or Thanksgiving decorations.
More Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
If you enjoyed these cute Thanksgiving crafts for kids, check out some of our favorite Thanksgiving activities, too. They’re perfect for the classroom or your homeschool!
