Thanksgiving crafts for kids can be made with a variety of everyday items, including paper plates, cups and bags. To choose the best craft ideas, pick projects that are age-appropriate and can be made using materials within your budget. Many projects are even suitable as gifts for dinner guests or for display on the family Thanksgiving Day table, offering children a chance to show off their artistic talents.
Choosing the best Thanksgiving crafts for kids begins by determining the age and abilities of the children who will be completing the crafts. It is important to choose projects that fall within a child's skill set, such as using scissors, manipulating paper and applying glue. The best craft projects will utilize a child's existing skills and possibly introduce a new one, such as using a hole punch or cutting slits in construction paper to make turkey feathers. A craft project that is too far below a child's skill level may bore the child, while projects too advanced or featuring too many new skills to master at once may frustrate or discourage the child from participating.
When choosing the best Thanksgiving crafts for kids, consider the theme of the holiday and the symbols that are representative of those themes. Children often relate pilgrims and turkeys with the Thanksgiving holiday, so making a craft featuring these symbols will help bring meaning to the project. For younger children, making a turkey place mat, pilgrim placecard holder or turkey centerpiece are good options. For older children, consider more advanced crafts, such as making a turkey planter that doubles as a centerpiece, a turkey pinata or a pilgrim shelf sitter.
The best Thanksgiving crafts for kids are those that can be used or displayed at Thanksgiving dinner. Centerpiece options kids can create include a tissue paper turkey or a gourd turkey. Name cards, napkin rings and holiday baskets can all be made with Thanksgiving themes. If you are having guests for dinner, consider having your children make crafts that will be given as gifts to take home as mementos of the evening. These can include a personalized sugar-cone cornucopia, photo napkin rings and paper turkey pins.
Edible crafts are another option to consider when choosing the best Thanksgiving crafts for kids. Consider sweet creations, such as marshmallow pilgrim hats, edible Indian corn and candy corn cookies. Food crafts created by children can be served with the meal or used as take-home gifts for guests.