Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

If you want to make Thanksgiving crafts in the classroom or at home, to decorate the walls or the table, this collection of Thanksgiving crafts for kids is sure to give you some ideas.

Because the Pilgrims came to America on a boat, you might want to make a Mayflower craft. Crafts by Amanda has a cute Mayflower made out of a cereal box, and you can add things you’re thankful for to the sails or to the little cut out pilgrims in the boat. Or make a moving boat (with the help of a craft stick) with the printable from Kids Craft Room.

Of course you probably really want some turkey crafts, and there are so many fun ways to make them.

The mix and match printables from Messy Little Monster allow you to make different turkeys with different styles of feathers, noses, feet and more. You can even add your child’s face to the turkey. These would be super cute to make as place holders for the holiday table, or to decorate the classroom around Thanksgiving.

Twitchetts has a great DIY for a different kind of construction paper turkey made with loops for the feathers. You can also take a basic turkey shape and make feathers out of just about anything, from handprints (Crafts by Amanda) to buttons (Crafts by Ria). Or use a pine cone as the base of your turkey and decorate it with feathers, ribbon or whatever else you like. Get the instructions from Fireflies and Mud Pies.

You’ll definitely want to make some turkey headbands with paper feathers like these from Only Passionate Curiosity. Kids will have lots of fun decorating them and wearing them around the house or classroom.

And maybe my favorite is the little wobbly turkey printable from Hattifant. These come in two different sizes to print and color, and you’ll just have to click over there to see what makes them wobble. So clever!

Next Plan Idea:

Thanksgiving Language Arts Printables

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply