3 Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
The objective of this holiday is to thank God for his blessing for the year’s harvest. This tradition has been maintained until today, as a reason for meeting with family and friends. And also, as the perfect event for sharing a roast turkey feast and other delicious dishes. How about starting the day with these Thanksgiving crafts for kids?
Undoubtedly, these ideas will allow you to start the family celebrations in a super special way and decorate the house for the arrival of the guests. Check them out!
Thanksgiving Day: A Brief History
Thanksgiving Day is a celebration of Christian origin and a holiday known throughout the world. It’s celebrated annually in the United States and Canada as a thank you for the blessings received during the year.
Thanksgiving in North America dates back to the time of the Protestant Reformation and the arrival of the first settlers from England.
According to historical data, it originated in Plymouth (present-day Massachusetts) and consisted of the settlers celebrating with the natives of the Wampanoag tribe for having taught them the techniques of growing corn, hunting, and fishing. Thanks to this, the colonist community was able to prosper after a time of famine and disease.
Celebrate this great day with these 3 Thanksgiving crafts for kids
According to a study published in 2020 by the José Carlos Mariátegui University (Peru), most students report liking crafts. In fact, when they make things with their hands, stress is reduced and leadership skills and other important competencies are enhanced.
In addition, crafts are a perfect way to instill values and to spend quality time with the family.
For all of these reasons, we invite you to celebrate Thanksgiving with these 3 crafts for children. Take note!
1. Pilgrims and Native Americans with rolls of toilet paper
If you want to respect the original story of the beginning of this special day, we suggest you make figures with recycled materials to decorate and set around the house.
Materials
- Toilet paper tubes.
- Flesh-colored tempera and brush
- Construction paper of different colors
- Pair of scissors
- Glue
- Felt pens
Step-by-step instructions
- To start, paint the tubes with flesh-colored tempera and let them dry.
- When making the faces, glue two small circles of white or brown construction paper for the eyes and other smaller ones for the nose.
- With a black marker, draw the iris, the mouth, the eyelashes, and the eyebrows.
- The hair, clothing, and ornaments will have to be drawn and cut on construction paper of different colors and then, glue them according to your own tastes in the cardboard tube.
2. Turkey hat with the silhouette of hands
The main dish of this day can also serve as inspiration to create a most special hat.
Materials
- Brown, red, orange, and yellow cardstock or construction paper
- Pencil
- Pair of scissors
- Scotch tape
Step-by-step instructions
- On the brown construction paper, draw and cut out the head of the turkey. It has to be in the shape of a figure eight, with a flat base.
- Next, cut out two small white circles for the eyes, an orange cardboard triangle for the beak, and red cardboard edging.
- For the crest, draw and cut out the outline of your child’s hand on cardboard in three different colors.
- Glue the three silhouettes together as if they were forming a fan and once the glue is dry, attach them to the turkey’s head.
- For the legs, you need to make two strips of orange cardboard (fold them back and forth) and two smaller pieces for the claws.
- You should also cut a thick strip of brown construction paper and glue it around the edges to make a crown. The size should be the diameter of your child’s head in order to fit properly.
- When you have everything ready, glue the head with the crest to the front of the crown and the legs to the back, so that they’re loose.
3. Pilgrim cap pencil holder
We invite you to create your own pencil holder inspired by one of the main figures of this day: The pilgrim and his characteristic hat.
Materials
- A disposable black cardboard cup
- Yellow braided rope
- Decorative paper
- A button
- Black cardboard
- Cutter
- Glue
Step-by-step instructions
- Cut the base of the cup with the utility knife and glue the widest mouth of this element to a circular piece of black cardboard.
- Next, glue a piece of braided yellow string around the surface of the cup (over the widest part, the one that you glued to the black cardboard).
- To finish, stick a button on a piece of decorative paper and attach it to the cup. It’s all set!
Learn the value of appreciation for the little things with these Thanksgiving crafts for kids
This day is unique and special and it’s the perfect occasion to teach important values to the little ones in the house. Without a doubt, it’s an ideal time to enjoy with family and friends, as well as to show love and affection.
Therefore, if you want to start in the best way, don’t hesitate to create these crafts for children in the morning to decorate and set the scene. Happy Thanksgiving Day!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Callata Cruz BR. Importancia de realizar manualidades para mejorar la concentración y disminuir el estrés en los estudiantes de la IEP. N° 70635 – Desaguadero 2020. Universidad José Carlos Mariátegui; 2020. Disponible en: http://repositorio.ujcm.edu.pe/handle/20.500.12819/938
- Princesas S y. 5 Manualidades de Acción de Gracias para niños [Internet]. Elmundo.es. [citado 18 de noviembre de 2021]. Disponible en: https://saposyprincesas.elmundo.es/ocio-en-casa/manualidades-para-ninos/manualidades-de-accion-de-gracias-para-ninos/