Thanksgiving crafts for kids: turkeys, wreaths and table decorations

Thanksgiving is a time for family, food and gratitude, and kids love to help decorate. These Thanksgiving crafts are easy, colorful and use simple supplies like paper plates, handprints and leaves. Many of them make lovely table decorations or keepsakes, and several help children think about what they are thankful for.

Easy turkey crafts for kids

Turkeys are the star of Thanksgiving crafting. Here are our favorite versions.

1. Handprint turkey. Paint a child's palm brown and fingers in red, orange, yellow and green. Press onto paper and add a beak, wattle and legs.
2. Paper plate turkey. Paint a plate brown, glue colored paper feathers around the back and add eyes and a beak.
3. Toilet roll turkey. Wrap a roll in brown paper and add a fan of paper feathers on the back.
4. Pine cone turkey. Push colored felt or paper feathers between the scales of a pine cone.
5. Leaf turkey. Use real fall leaves as feathers on a paper turkey body.
6. Coloring page turkey. Color the thankful turkey page and cut it out to stand on the table.

Thankful crafts

These crafts help children think about gratitude, which is at the heart of the holiday.

• Thankful tree. Draw or build a bare tree branch. Each family member writes something they are thankful for on a paper leaf and adds it to the tree.
• Gratitude turkey. Each feather on a paper turkey says one thing the child is thankful for.
• Thankful wreath. Color the thankful leaf wreath page and write a thankful word on each leaf.
• Thank-you cards. Make cards for teachers, neighbors and grandparents.
• Gratitude jar. Decorate a jar and fill it with notes during November.

For more ideas, read our guide on how to teach gratitude.

Thanksgiving table decorations

Children love seeing their work on the table when the family sits down to eat.

• Place cards. Fold card in half, write each guest's name and decorate with a leaf or turkey.
• Leaf placemats. Arrange leaves on paper and cover with clear contact paper.
• Paper napkin rings. Cut toilet rolls into rings and decorate with leaves.
• Mini pumpkin centerpiece. Paint small pumpkins and arrange them with pine cones.
• Corn garland. String paper corn cobs colored in yellow, orange and brown.
• Kids' table coloring. Cover the children's table with paper and add a basket of Thanksgiving coloring pages and crayons.

Easy Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers

Keep toddler crafts to one or two steps: handprint turkeys, sticking paper feathers on a plate, tearing orange and brown paper for a collage, and coloring big pictures. Do the cutting in advance and let them do the sticking and painting.

Thanksgiving crafts for older kids

Older children can make more detailed projects: a 3D turkey from card, woven paper placemats, a Thanksgiving comic strip, or a family "thankful book" with a page for each person. They can also help younger siblings with their crafts, which is a lovely way to practise patience and kindness.

Thanksgiving learning activities

Crafts are a natural way to practise skills.

• Counting feathers. How many feathers does the turkey have? Add more and count again.
• Patterns. Make a feather pattern: red, orange, red, orange.
• Writing. Write a list of things you are thankful for, or label the parts of the turkey.
• Thanksgiving worksheets. Our Thanksgiving worksheets include counting, addition and reading sheets with fall pictures.
• History. Talk about harvest celebrations and how families give thanks around the world.

Planning a Thanksgiving craft afternoon

Set up a craft table the day before the holiday, when children are often off school and excited. Choose two crafts: one for the table (like place cards) and one keepsake (like the handprint turkey). Prepare paper feathers, leaves and shapes in advance, put down a tablecloth and keep wipes nearby. Let the decorations dry overnight so they are ready for the big day.

Fall crafts that suit Thanksgiving

Many fall crafts work well in November too: leaf rubbings, acorn crafts, pumpkin painting and pine cone animals. See our fall crafts for kids and the fall coloring pages for more ideas.

Free Thanksgiving printables

Our Thanksgiving coloring pages include turkeys, pies and harvest scenes, all free to print on US Letter or A4. Pair them with pumpkin pages and fall pages for a full table of crafts.

Thanksgiving activities beyond crafts

Crafts are a great start, but Thanksgiving is also full of chances for children to help and join in.

• Kitchen helpers. Children can wash vegetables, stir batter, mash potatoes and decorate pies with pastry leaves.
• Table setting. Let children set the table with their place cards and napkin rings.
• Gratitude round. Before the meal, each person shares one thing they are thankful for.
• Family interviews. Children ask grandparents about Thanksgiving when they were young and draw a picture of the story.
• After-dinner games. Charades, a family walk, a puzzle or a turkey-themed bingo.
• Kids' coloring corner. A small table with crayons and printed pages keeps younger guests happy while the adults talk.

Keeping the day calm for little ones

Big family days can be overwhelming for young children. Keep a quiet corner with books and coloring pages, stick to nap times if you can, and give children a job so they feel part of the day. A short walk outside before the meal helps everyone settle.

Write the date on the back of every handprint turkey and keep one each year. Children love comparing the size of their hands as they grow, and the collection becomes a family tradition of its own.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest Thanksgiving craft for kids?

The handprint turkey. It needs only paint and paper, takes a few minutes and makes a lovely keepsake when you write the child's name and the year on it.

What crafts can kids make for the Thanksgiving table?

Place cards, leaf placemats, napkin rings, painted mini pumpkins and a paper corn garland are all easy and look great on the table.

How can crafts teach kids about gratitude?

Thankful trees, gratitude turkeys and thank-you cards ask children to think about and name the people and things they appreciate, which is the heart of the holiday.