Thanksgiving is undeniably one of the busiest times of the year. For adults, the season is a whirlwind of planning travel itineraries, grocery shopping for the perfect turkey, and organizing a feast for friends and family. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of kitchen prep and house cleaning, it is important that the youngest members of the family don’t feel left out.
Keeping children entertained while you are basting the turkey or setting the table can be a challenge. You want them to be engaged, creative, and safe, without creating a massive mess that adds to your workload. The solution? Paper crafts.
Paper crafts are the ultimate Thanksgiving activity. They require minimal supplies—usually just construction paper, scissors, and glue—and they are easy to clean up. Plus, they offer a fantastic opportunity to teach children about gratitude and the history of the holiday.
Why Choose Paper Crafts This Thanksgiving?
Before we dive into our list of projects, let’s look at why paper crafts are the perfect choice for the holiday season:
- Budget-Friendly: You likely already have the materials in your home.
- Low Mess: No heavy paints or glitter explosions required (unless you want them!).
- Educational: They improve fine motor skills and following directions.
- Decor-Ready: Many of these crafts can double as table centerpieces or wall decorations.
Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Aside from crafting, here are a few other ways to keep the holiday spirit alive for the little ones:
- The Gratitude List: Have them write down or draw 10 things they are thankful for this year.
- Holiday Movie Marathon: Classics like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving are perfect for quiet time.
- Kitchen Helpers: Let them help with simple tasks, like washing vegetables or mashing potatoes.
- Printable Fun: Use crosswords or coloring pages to keep them occupied at the dinner table.
Now, grab your colored paper and glue sticks—let’s jump into 15 easy Thanksgiving paper crafts that kids will love!
1. Turkey Hug Bookmarks
These are absolutely adorable and practical. A “hug” bookmark is designed with long arms that fold over the page of a book, holding your place while looking like the character is hugging the book.
- How to make it: Cut a simple turkey body shape out of brown cardstock. Create long strips for arms and attach them to the body. Add colorful tail feathers to the back. When the glue dries, fold the arms inward.
- Why we love it: It encourages reading during the school break!
2. Origami Corner Bookmarks
If your children are interested in geometry or just love folding paper, corner bookmarks are a must-try project.
- How to make it: Start with a square piece of origami paper. Fold it into a basic corner pocket shape (there are many simple tutorials for this). Once you have the pocket, decorate the triangle flap to look like a turkey, a pumpkin, or a pilgrim.
- Tip: These make excellent gifts for classmates or teachers before the holiday break.
3. DIY Native American & Pilgrim Headbands
Thanksgiving is a great time to learn about history. These headbands serve as great props for a school play or a living room reenactment.
- How to make it: Measure a strip of paper around the child’s head and staple it to form a band.
- For the Native American style: Glue paper feathers standing upright or hanging down from the back. Decorate the band with geometric patterns.
- For the Pilgrim style: Create a black cylinder hat shape for boys or a white bonnet shape for girls to attach to the band.
4. The “I Am Thankful” Paper Chain
This is a classic activity that doubles as beautiful home decor.
- How to make it: Cut construction paper in fall colors (red, orange, yellow, brown) into long strips. Give a strip to each family member and ask them to write one thing they are grateful for on it. Loop the strips together, securing them with tape or staples, to form a long chain.
- Display: Drape this over the fireplace or around the doorway to welcome guests.
5. 3D Paper Strip Pumpkins
Turn flat paper into a three-dimensional centerpiece.
- How to make it: Cut about 8 to 10 strips of orange paper (approx. 1 inch wide). Punch a hole at both ends of every strip. Stack them and use a brad (paper fastener) to secure them all together at the top and bottom. Fan the strips out to form a sphere. Add a green paper leaf and a curled vine on top.
- Why we love it: It helps kids understand 3D shapes and spatial awareness.
6. Handprint Turkey Cards
Grandparents absolutely love receiving handprint art. It freezes a moment in time when their grandchild’s hands were tiny.
- How to make it: Trace the child’s hand on brown paper. The thumb becomes the turkey’s neck and head, while the fingers become the feathers. Cut it out and glue it onto a folded piece of cardstock. Let the kids color each finger a different pattern.
- Personal Touch: Write a sweet holiday message inside.
7. Paper Plate & Tissue Paper Turkey
This craft focuses on texture and color blending.
- How to make it: Take a plain white paper plate. Have the kids cut squares of tissue paper in red, yellow, and orange. Using a glue stick, cover the plate in the tissue paper (scrunched up or flat). Glue a brown paper circle in the center for the body, adding eyes and a beak.
- Best for: Toddlers and preschoolers who are working on their gluing skills.
8. Woven Paper Placemats
Keep the table clean and let the kids feel like they contributed to the table setting.
- How to make it: Take a large sheet of construction paper. Fold it in half and cut slits starting from the fold (stop about an inch from the edge). Unfold it. Take strips of a contrasting color and weave them over and under through the slits. Secure the ends with tape.
- Utility: Laminate these if you want to use them for messy eaters!
9. Paper Bag Turkey Puppets
Lunch bags aren’t just for sandwiches; they are the perfect base for puppets.
- How to make it: Use a standard brown paper lunch bag. The bottom flap of the bag (when folded flat) serves as the face. Glue eyes and a beak there. Glue large paper feathers to the back of the bag.
- Activity: Once dried, kids can put their hands inside and put on a Thanksgiving puppet show for the family.
10. Geometric Shape Turkey
This is a “sneaky” educational craft that teaches math concepts.
- How to make it: Pre-cut various shapes out of colored paper: circles (body), triangles (beaks/feathers), rectangles (legs), and squares. Ask the child to assemble a turkey using only the shapes provided.
- Learning Moment: Ask them to count how many triangles they used in their design.
11. Scissor Skills Fall Wreath
Help your child master the art of using scissors with this leafy project.
- How to make it: Cut the center out of a paper plate to create a ring. Draw leaf shapes on colored paper and have your child cut them out. Glue the leaves around the paper plate ring until it is fully covered. Add a ribbon to hang it up.
12. “Gobble” Door Hanger
Let visitors know the festivities have begun before they even enter the room.
- How to make it: Cut a rectangle of sturdy cardstock. Cut a hole near the top to fit over a doorknob. Decorate the cardstock with a turkey face and write “Gobble Gobble” or “Enter with a Grateful Heart” using markers.
13. Paper Fan Turkey
This craft utilizes the “accordion fold” technique.
- How to make it: Take a sheet of colored paper and fold it back and forth like a fan. Fold the fan in half to create a semi-circle; this acts as the tail feathers. Glue a simple bowling-pin-shaped body to the front of the fan.
- Result: These stand up on their own and look great on a mantelpiece.
14. Pilgrim Hat Place Cards
Ensure everyone knows where to sit with these themed name tags.
- How to make it: Cut a black circle and a black cylinder shape. Glue the cylinder to the circle to make a hat. Wrap a small strip of yellow paper around the base for a belt/buckle. Write the guest’s name on the brim of the hat in white or metallic marker.
15. Tear Art Autumn Tree
Tearing paper is great for strengthening hand muscles in young children.
- How to make it: Draw a bare tree trunk on a blue piece of paper. Give the kids scraps of red, orange, and yellow paper. Instead of cutting, have them tear the paper into small bits and glue them onto the tree branches to represent falling leaves.