You need to roast a turkey, mash fifty pounds of potatoes, and keep your toddler out of the dishwasher. Thanksgiving day chaos hits hard. Keeping children entertained while dinner cooks takes real planning.
We put together this list of simple, low-mess craft projects. These activities buy you cooking time while keeping tiny hands busy. Nothing beats a quiet house while the pie bakes. Grab your glue sticks and construction paper so your kids can start crafting.
1. Classic handprint turkey keepsake
A child’s handprint captures a quick moment in their growth. This activity turns a paper hand outline into a bright turkey body with colorful feather fingers. Parents often keep these crafts in storage boxes for years to remember how small their children once were.
Materials you will need:
- Brown, red, yellow, and orange washable tempera paint
- Heavy white cardstock paper
- Googly eyes and yellow felt scraps
Paint your child’s palm brown and cover each finger in a different fall shade. Press their hand firmly onto the cardstock to make the main shape. After the paint dries, your child can glue on a small orange felt beak and googly eyes. If you want more simple projects for young children, check our collection of preschool crafts for year-round fun.
2. Backyard pinecone turkeys
Pair a short trip into the yard with an afternoon craft. Send your kids outside to gather large pinecones from the lawn. The rough texture of the pinecone forms a sturdy body for a small turkey craft.
Tuck bright feathers into the gaps between the rear pinecone scales. Secure each feather with a small drop of craft glue. Glue a wooden craft bead to the front for the turkey head, then add a felt beak and red wattle.
These crafts work well as place card holders for your Thanksgiving dinner. Guests always enjoy seeing personalized craft pieces at their seats.
3. Upcycled toilet paper roll pilgrims
Save your empty cardboard tubes. You can turn plain paper rolls into historic figures using leftover paper scraps. This low-cost project gives kids toys they can play with through the afternoon.
Wrap the lower section of each tube in black construction paper. Cut out white paper collars, square belt buckles, and black hats, then paste them in place. Children can draw facial features on the roll with markers.
Set up a storytelling spot on your rug. The kids can put on a puppet show while you finish roasting the turkey in the kitchen.
4. Family gratitude tree
November offers a great opportunity to teach kids about appreciation. This gratitude tree works as a daily family activity and sits right in the middle of your dining table.
Gather sturdy fallen branches outside and place them in a glass vase. Cut out paper leaves from colored cardstock. Punch a small hole at the top of each leaf, then thread twine through the hole.
Ask your children to write one item they appreciate on a leaf each night before Thanksgiving. Hang these note leaves on the branches to build a full tree of family thoughts.
5. Paper plate turkey hats
Kids love wearing projects they make themselves. These paper turkey hats keep children laughing as they run through the house.
Cut a paper plate in half and let your child paint it with autumn colors. Cut two thick strips of brown paper, then staple the ends together to fit your child’s head. Glue the painted paper plate to the back of the headband to create the fan of tail feathers.
Attach a paper turkey face to the front of the band. Tip: Take a photo of the kids in their hats right before dinner starts.
6. Mason jar fall leaf lanterns
These leaf lanterns bring soft autumn light into your home. The project looks complex, but it uses common craft supplies from your pantry and art drawer.
Brush a layer of decoupage glue, such as Mod Podge, onto the outside of a clean mason jar. Press real pressed leaves or cloth autumn leaves directly onto the wet glue. Spread a second coat of glue over the leaves and let the jar dry.
Set a battery-operated LED tea light inside the jar. If you want more seasonal projects, read our list of 15 pumpkin DIY crafts to update your fall home decor.
7. Cinnamon stick scented turkeys
This project relies on scent as well as color. Cinnamon sticks give off a warm spice smell that fills your kitchen like a bakery.
Tie three large cinnamon sticks together with twine, or glue them with a hot glue gun (an adult should handle hot glue). Glue craft maple leaves behind the cinnamon bundle to build the turkey tail. Attach two googly eyes and a small felt beak to the front stick.
Place these pieces on window sills or tie them around the kitchen. They fill the air with a clean holiday smell while decorating your space.
8. Bubble wrap printed corn cobs
If your kids enjoy popping bubble wrap, use that material for a quick printmaking project. The round bubbles match the texture of flint corn.
Cut scrap cardboard into long corn cob shapes. Spread yellow, orange, red, and brown acrylic paint across a sheet of bubble wrap. Press the painted wrap onto the cardboard cutouts to leave a kernel print.
After the paint dries, staple green raffia ribbons or real corn husks to the top of each cob. Toddlers enjoy pressing the paint layers together to make patterns.
9. Tie-dye coffee filter turkeys
This art project double-checks basic color mixing. Thin coffee filters absorb water quickly, creating soft color transitions when hung in a window.
Have your child draw on a round paper coffee filter with washable markers. Place the filter on a tray and spray it with a light mist of water. The ink spreads across the wet paper, creating a blended pattern.
When the paper dries, glue a brown construction paper turkey body to the center. Activity guides from Crayola note that marker-blending projects help young children develop fine motor control and color awareness.
10. Upcycled egg carton turkeys
Recycle paper cartons for this craft. Cardboard egg cups have a rounded shape that works as a sturdy body for small turkey figures.
Cut single cups from a clean egg carton. Let your child paint each cup with brown tempera paint, then place the cups upside down on the table to dry.
Cut a small slit into the back of the cup and slide three or four craft feathers inside with a drop of glue. Attach googly eyes and a small paper beak to the front. You can line up the finished figures along a shelf.
11. Feathered thankful turkey jar
Use this project to capture family memories through the month. The decorated jar holds daily notes of appreciation from everyone in your house.
Wrap a clean jar or plastic container in brown paper. Glue craft feathers along the top edge, then cut a slit in the container lid for paper slips.
Place paper strips and pens near the jar. Encourage everyone to write notes during November. On Thanksgiving Day, open the jar and read the notes aloud at dinner.
12. Apple stamped turkeys
Stamping with cut fruit lets kids create crisp shapes without detailed brushwork. An apple half makes a smooth stamp for a turkey body.
Slice an apple down the middle. Have your child dip the flat cut side into red, yellow, or orange paint. Press the apple firmly onto thick paper to make the body circle.
Use fingertips or paint pens to add feather marks along the top edge of the shape. This project works well after a trip to an apple orchard.
13. Cozy yarn-wrapped turkeys
Wrapping yarn helps children develop finger strength and hand coordination. The thick yarn creates a soft, clean finish on cardboard cutouts.
Cut a turkey shape from heavy cardboard. Tie a piece of brown, orange, or yellow yarn around the center of the cutout. Have your child wrap yarn across the cardboard until the thread covers the surface.
Push craft feathers under the back yarn loops to hold them place without glue. Slide felt face pieces under the front strands to finish the head.
14. Paper plate slice of pumpkin pie
Kids can make their own fake paper dessert while you bake real pies in the oven. This project turns plain plates into painted slices of pie.
Cut a paper plate into triangular wedges. Ask your child to paint the center area orange while painting the rounded outer edge brown for the crust. Glue a white cotton ball in the center for a dollop of whipped cream.
Dust a pinch of ground cinnamon onto the wet paint while it dries so the paper smells like real spices.
15. Paper bag turkey puppets
Paper bag puppets remain a favorite because they assemble quickly and cost very little. Children can use them for play as soon as the glue dries.
Lay a brown paper lunch bag flat with the folded bottom flap on top. Glue paper eyes, a beak, and a red wattle onto that bottom flap for the face. Glue paper feathers to the back of the bag.
Slip a hand inside the bag to work the bottom flap like a mouth. Kids enjoy running short puppet shows for family members before dinner.
16. Popsicle stick scarecrows
Scarecrows make great fall decorations alongside turkeys. Building figures from wood craft sticks lets kids practice alignment and layout work.
Glue seven small craft sticks side-by-side onto a piece of cardboard. Paint the top section dark brown or black for the hat, then paint the lower section a skin tone. Glue one stick diagonally across the upper line to mark the brim.
Add googly eyes, an orange painted nose, and a marker mouth. Glue bits of raffia under the hat brim for straw hair.
17. Salt dough leaf imprints
Salt dough is an inexpensive material you can mix quickly in the kitchen. Pressing leaves into dough preserves the veins and shape of fall foliage.
Mix two cups of flour, one cup of salt, and one cup of water to make a smooth dough. Roll the dough into flat round discs. Press fallen leaves firmly into the surface, then peel them off to leave clear marks.
Bake the discs at 250°F (120°C) for two hours until they harden completely. After the discs cool, your children can paint the impressions. Crafting guides at HGTV note that sealing salt dough with clear varnish prevents ornaments from cracking over time.
18. Beaded pipe cleaner Indian corn
Stringing beads onto pipe cleaners helps young kids practice hand control. This mess-free project keeps children seated happily at the table while dinner finishes.
Twist three tan or brown pipe cleaners together at the center so they form six spokes. Have your child slide plastic pony beads (yellow, orange, brown, maroon) onto each spoke.
Bend the beaded arms upward and join the top ends together to shape a corn cob. Tie a strip of raffia ribbon around the top node to finish the craft.
When Thanksgiving ends, move directly into December activities with our list of 27 Christmas crafts for kids.
Keep the holiday memories flowing
Crafting with your kids centers on shared time rather than perfect results. Pinecone turkeys and apple stamps bring laughter into the house during a busy week. Expect extra glue on the table and turkeys with five eyes.
Store your favorite finished pieces in a memory box to enjoy next autumn. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving crafting with your children.