Holidays & Entertaining Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Crafts 25 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Instagram Sarah Martens is the senior food and recipes editor at Better Homes & Gardens overseeing all food content on the site. She is a writer, recipe developer, and editor with more than a decade of expertise in publishing. She got her start writing a food blog and firmly believes it’s not a party without a cheese plate. When she’s not thinking about what she's going to eat next, you’ll find her attempting (and regretting) art projects with her kids, scouring the internet for the perfect pair of loafers, or working to perfect her grandmother’s all-butter pie crust recipe. She holds a B.A. in public relations and marketing from Drake University. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on July 29, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy of Alice and Lois Celebrate the holiday with Thanksgiving crafts for kids. They'll love to lend a helping hand when it comes to decorating the table with handmade Thanksgiving crafts. These easy-to-make Thanksgiving traditions keep the spirit of the season front and center for children of all ages (and help hungry kids stay occupied until dinner is on the table). With place cards, centerpieces, decor, and more, these easy crafts for kids will get your home ready for the big day. 01 of 25 "Thanks" Garland Get the free garland Andy Lyons Dress any mantel or doorway with this quick and easy Thanksgiving craft for kids. Just cut leaves from our free template, then glue to ribbon or string along with store-bought glitter letters. 02 of 25 DIY Busy Bags Alice and Lois Keep kids entertained before, during, and after dinner with these adorable drawstring goodie bags. Have your Thanksgiving helpers paint designs onto small muslin bags using acrylic paint, then fill with small toys like crayons, a deck of cards, or stickers and place on the kids' table before dinner. While you're preparing the meal or chatting with guests, the kids have plenty of goodies to keep them occupied. 03 of 25 DIY Thanksgiving Pie Boxes Package up a sweet slice of Thanksgiving with this easy craft for kids. Made with our free template and construction paper ($5, Walmart), these DIY pie boxes are easy to assemble and perfect for sending home Thanksgiving leftovers. 04 of 25 Family Gratitude Jar Courtesy of Alice and Lois This adorable thankfulness jar is the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family. Download and print the free printables and attach to a Mason jar. Pass out paper cards and pens, and have members of your family write down what they're thankful for. Then, at Thanksgiving dinner, take turns reading the cards aloud for a meaningful way to remember life's blessings. 05 of 25 Cootie Catcher Kids' Game Get the free game Marty Baldwin Remember playing this as a kid? We've remade it, Thanksgiving-style. Instead of a fortune, receive a holiday-related question or suggestion. This is the perfect family craft to keep little ones entertained before the big meal. 06 of 25 Gratitude Tree Display Courtesy of Alice and Lois Share thankfulness with your kids this year by crafting this cute gratitude tree. Build a miniature "tree" by putting a small branch into a vase. Ask your kids to write down what they're thankful for on paper leaves and tie to the branch for a meaningful Thanksgiving decoration. 07 of 25 Thanksgiving Calendar Marty Baldwin Thanksgiving is a great time to celebrate what you and your kids are grateful for, and an easy way to do so is with a do-it-yourself daily thanks calendar. Attach mini craft envelopes to a painted piece of foam-core and place it in an inexpensive picture frame. Each day, have each family member write a note detailing what they are thankful for. Place in that day's envelope, then open the envelopes during Thanksgiving dinner. This family craft makes a special yearly Thanksgiving tradition. 08 of 25 Fall Leaf Crown Dana Gallagher Thanksgiving craft ideas for kids don't have to be complicated! Showcase the beauty of fall foliage with this fun take on the flower crown. To make, measure a 1-inch-wide ribbon around the child's head, and add 20 inches extra to tie it. Cut the ribbon and hot-glue dried leaves in a crown shape to the ribbon. Cut the bottom of the leaves flush with the ribbon and dress up your Thanksgiving littles. 09 of 25 Downloadable Place Mats Get the free place mats Marty Baldwin Looking for an easy Thanksgiving craft for kids? Just hit print. These activity-filled printable Thanksgiving place mats feature a bracket-style vote-off of holiday favorites. Have the table shout out their favorite for each head-to-head. The winning food advances! 10 of 25 Marshmallow Treat Turkey Dessert View Recipe Hannah Bigot This delicious dessert doubles as a fun Thanksgiving craft idea. Prep the base of these marshmallow treats ahead and let each child decorate their own little turkeys. Set out bowls of supplies like candy corn, candy eyes, and candy-coated chocolate pieces. 11 of 25 Cupcake Liner Turkeys Ryan Liebe These turkey crafts are oh-so-easy to make! Use a mix of white and patterned cupcake liners to form the turkey's body, adding cut paper embellishments to finish off the paper bird. This cute Thanksgiving craft also doubles as a quick place card idea! 12 of 25 Printable Thanksgiving Place Mats Get the FREE printable place mats Adam Albright Place mat crafts make Thanksgiving Day dinners much less stressful! Print our free template and let each child decorate their own. It keeps them busy during dinner prep and gives them something to show off after dinner's over. 13 of 25 Thanksgiving Bingo Get the free Bingo sheets Marty Baldwin Same Bingo rules, new Thanksgiving game twist. Print this easy Thanksgiving game and use candies or nuts for the kids to mark their spots. 14 of 25 Turkey Place Mat Kathryn Gamble Lozier A great way to lure kids to their seats while Thanksgiving dinner is being prepared is to offer them a fun activity. To make this fun Thanksgiving craft, cut out two circles from construction paper for the body and head, and accent with paper to create the eyes, beak, and feet. Ask each child to create feathers and other details from paper scraps, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and other small crafts items. Then use the decorated turkeys as charming place mats. 15 of 25 Pilgrim Hat Place Cards Marty Baldwin This family craft will star on your Thanksgiving table. Get to work with the kiddos painting plain terracotta pots to look like pilgrim hats. Add colorful embellishments and finish with a hand-written name. Personalize it even more by letting each child decorate their own with paint markers. 16 of 25 Gratitude Place Mat Get the FREE printable place mat Carson Downing Thanksgiving traditions start with you. For a feel-good activity, have each child decorate these gratitude place mats. They can share what they're thankful for during dinner and take home a thoughtful keepsake. Print these place mat crafts and set them at each place setting. 17 of 25 Thanksgiving Coloring Pages Get the FREE Thanksgiving coloring pages Adam Albright Looking for easy crafts for kids that won't break the bank? Print a set of these free coloring sheets, set out crayons, and you're all set. This family craft is perfect for keeping Thanksgiving guests entertained during the hectic meal prep. 18 of 25 Pom-Pom Acorns Ryan Liebe This Thanksgiving craft idea starts with nature. Keep the kids out of the kitchen by having them search for acorn tops outside. Then add multicolor pom-poms to the tops to make this easy and festive fall craft. Use these as decorations on the table, or get creative by gluing them to ribbons for an acorn necklace or a multicolor garland. 19 of 25 Mayflower Napkin Clip Get the free pattern Marty Baldwin This cute pilgrim-theme Thanksgiving craft for kids will help them keep the history of the holiday in mind. Print the pattern and assemble as shown. Transform the paper craft into a napkin clip by adhering a clothespin (clip side down) to the back of the crafts-stick mast. Clip the paper Mayflower to a bright blue cloth napkin to give the appearance that the ship is sailing. 20 of 25 Glove "Talking" Turkey Kathryn Gamble Lozier The turkey on the table doesn't have to be the only bird present at Thanksgiving. Try making a turkey craft! Use markers to decorate white work gloves with turkey-feather designs. Cut out pieces of felt for the wings and beak. Glue the felt pieces and a button eye on the glove. Too many little ones to provide gloves for everyone? You can use the same technique on white paper turkeys! 21 of 25 Pilgrim Hat Place Card Get the free pattern Jay Wilde This place card is an easy pilgrim craft for kids that offers adults the perfect opportunity to discuss the history of Thanksgiving. To make it, download and print the pattern. Cut a curved slit in the base of the hat and insert the top to give it dimension. Outline the hatband and buckle using a black pen, and use a silver gel pen to define the curve at the top of the hat. Use the black pen to write each guest's name. 22 of 25 Wreath of Thanks Get the free pattern Marty Baldwin This Thanksgiving craft for kids is the perfect way to be thankful. Wrap a simple foam wreath ($5, Michaels) with brown linen. Fray edges for a rustic tone and secure the linen ends to the back of the wreath with glue or a pin. Print out the leaf patterns on decorative paper. Add each family member's name to a leaf using a printer, rub-on letters from the crafts store, or a marker. Cut out the leaves. Ask the kids to write words of thanks, and attach each leaf to the wreath with a decorative pin or a dab of crafts glue. 23 of 25 Turkey Place Card Get the free pattern Jay Wilde Kids will love making this simple and cute Thanksgiving craft. Download and print the pattern and cut out and assemble as shown. Use dimensional foam for a 3-D effect, and cut with decorative-edge scissors to create feathers with texture. This easy Thanksgiving craft for kids makes the perfect place card when you add the name of each guest on the turkey's banner. 24 of 25 Paper Turkey Crayon Holder Alexandra Grablewski Thanksgiving arts and crafts starts with paper and glue. Turn cut paper shapes and a festive paper cup into a cute-as-can-be crayon container for the kids table! Glue cut feathers to the back of the paper cup, and add a circular face to complete the bird. Cover the kids table with kraft paper and add a few of these cups to keep the kids busy for hours. 25 of 25 Thanksgiving Costumes Aaron Dyer Creative Thanksgiving craft ideas aren't limited to hands-on activities. Encourage your littlest guests to dress up in honor of the holiday. Paper pilgrim attire is all it takes to start the fun! Simply cut shapes to fit each child's head and have them assemble their own creations. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit