Keeping kids entertained while cooking Thanksgiving dinner takes some planning. A table set up with simple holiday crafts keeps little hands busy and out of the kitchen. Preschoolers get to play with fun textures, colorful paper, and glue, then show off their work when family arrives.
Here are 28 easy projects that help build fine motor skills using basic art supplies from your pantry and craft bin. These activities work great at home or in a preschool classroom.
1. Classic handprint turkey
The traced handprint project remains a holiday tradition for a reason. Trace your child’s hand onto brown construction paper, then glue paper feathers along each finger. Glue a tiny orange triangle for the beak and a red wattle underneath the chin. Parents love keeping these tiny handprints as memory keepsakes. You can also tuck this craft into handmade Thanksgiving cards for grandparents.
2. Paper plate pilgrim hat
A standard paper plate and an upside-down black plastic cup make quick dress-up hats. Paint the bottom of the plate black, cut out the inner circle, and drop the black cup through the opening with glue around the rim. Add a yellow paper buckle across a black paper band. Kids can wear them straight to the dinner table.
3. Pinecone turkey craft
Start this project with a quick yard walk to gather pinecones. Push colorful craft feathers into the back scales of each pinecone to form the tail feathers. Glue googly eyes and a felt beak onto a small pom-pom, then stick the head onto the front of the cone. It combines fresh air with table craft time.
4. Fine motor feather stacking
Turn a plastic or metal kitchen colander into an activity station. Hand your toddler a bunch of craft feathers and let them push the quill ends into the holes. The National Association for the Education of Young Children notes that simple poking and grabbing exercises build essential hand strength and control. Children often sit focused on this task for twenty minutes straight.
5. Corn stalk stamp painting
Cut a sheet of bubble wrap into an ear of corn shape. Have your preschooler brush yellow, orange, and red washable paint over the raised bubbles. Press the painted sheet onto cardstock to print realistic corn kernels. Finish the print by gluing green paper husks around the base.
6. Tissue paper pumpkin suncatcher
Cut a pumpkin border out of black cardstock and place it onto a sheet of clear contact paper. Let your child cover the sticky center with torn squares of orange, red, and yellow tissue paper. Press a second sheet of contact paper over the top, trim around the black border, and tape it against a bright window.
7. Turkey footprint canvas
Coat your preschooler’s foot with brown washable paint and press it onto heavy paper or canvas. The heel creates the head, and the sole forms the body. Paint colorful feathers fanning out around the footprint using fingers or a small brush. Add the year at the bottom so you remember how small their feet used to be.
8. Paper bag turkey puppet
Brown paper lunch bags make great puppets. Have your child paint the folded bottom flap brown for the head, then glue paper feathers to the back of the bag. Add googly eyes, an orange beak, and a red felt wattle under the flap. Kids can slip their hands inside to put on a show.
9. Cinnamon scented playdough turkeys
Knead ground cinnamon into brown playdough to give it an autumn scent. Set out the dough along with googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and craft feathers. Children roll balls of dough to build the bodies and stick feathers into the back. The spicy smell fills the whole kitchen while they play.
10. Leaf printed table runner
Collect sturdy leaves from outside. Paint the vein side of each leaf with washable paint, then press the painted side firmly onto a long strip of butcher paper. If your children like outdoor materials, look through these leaf art projects for kids for more ideas. Use the finished paper strip on your Thanksgiving kids’ table.
11. Cardboard tube pilgrims
Save empty toilet paper rolls for this activity. Wrap skin-tone paper around the top third of the tube and black construction paper around the lower portion. Use markers to draw eyes and a smile, then add paper bonnets or tall black hats. These sturdy figures double as table decorations.
12. Beaded pipe cleaner Indian corn
Twist three tan pipe cleaners together at their midpoints to make a six-arm star. Have your child string yellow, orange, brown, and red pony beads onto each arm. Gather the top ends together and twist them tight to shape the ear of corn. Threading the beads gives fine motor practice.
13. Gratitude jar craft
Decorate a clean plastic jar using stickers, ribbon, and paper leaf shapes. Cut strips of paper and ask your child what makes them happy or thankful. Write their answers word-for-word on the paper strips and drop them into the jar. Read the notes aloud during Thanksgiving dinner.
14. Turkey feather number matching
Cut turkey shapes from cardboard and write a single digit from 1 to 10 on each belly. Set out wooden clothespins with craft feathers glued to their ends. Children count and clip the matching number of feather clothespins onto each turkey. It turns counting practice into a hands-on activity.
15. Egg carton turkey craft
Cut individual cups from a cardboard egg carton and paint them brown. Turn the cup upside down, glue real feathers into the back rim, and attach a small paper head to the front. Kids can use basic washables like Crayola paint to cover the cardboard. These lightweight mini turkeys rest next to dinner place cards.
16. Apple stamping pumpkin patch
Cut a raw apple straight down the middle to make a natural stamp. Dip the flat cut face into orange paint and press it repeatedly onto paper. Once the orange prints dry, draw green vines and brown stems over each shape using markers or paint pens.
17. Yarn-wrapped turkey craft
Cut a turkey silhouette out of heavy cardboard. Wrap brown yarn around the body section until it covers the cardboard completely. Slide colorful feathers underneath the wrapped yarn along the back to build the tail. Wrapping yarn builds finger strength and dexterity.
18. Thanksgiving thankful wheel
Cut a small triangular wedge out of one paper plate. Fasten that plate over a second full plate using a brass paper fastener in the center. Preschoolers draw pictures of their favorite things on the bottom plate sections. Spinning the top plate brings a new picture into view through the cut window.
19. Paper strip pumpkin craft
Cut orange construction paper into strips one inch wide. Cross four strips over each other like a wheel and glue the middle point together. Bring the loose top ends together in a curve to form a hollow paper sphere, then glue them. Twist a green pipe cleaner into a stem at the top.
20. Coffee filter turkey craft
Flatten a white paper coffee filter and let your child color it with washable markers. Lightly mist the filter with water so the marker ink bleeds into a blended pattern. After it dries, glue the colorful disc behind a brown construction paper turkey body.
21. Shape turkey craft
Cut paper shapes out of construction paper in different colors. Have your child assemble a turkey by gluing a large brown circle for the body, a smaller circle for the head, paper triangles for tail feathers, and a folded diamond for the beak. This craft reviews shape names through building.
22. Turkey sensory bin
Fill a shallow plastic tub with dried corn kernels or uncooked brown rice. Drop in plastic leaves, mini pumpkins, measuring cups, and small plastic turkeys. Preschoolers spend long stretches scooping, pouring, and sifting through the bin while dinner cooks.
23. Pumpkin pie scented slime
Combine clear liquid glue, baking soda, and contact lens solution with orange food dye and pumpkin pie spice. Stretch and knead the dough on a tray or plastic placemat. The pie spice gives the slime a warm seasonal scent during play.
24. Feather color sorting activity
Draw red, yellow, orange, and brown turkeys on separate sheets of paper. Place a bowl of mixed craft feathers in the middle of the table. Have your child select feathers and glue them onto the turkey that matches their color. This activity practices color matching and sorting skills.
25. Clay leaf impression ornaments
Roll air-dry clay into flat discs and press freshly fallen leaves firm into the top surface. Peel the leaf away to leave vein lines imprinted in the clay. Poke a hole near the top edge using a straw, let the clay dry overnight, and thread twine through for hanging.
26. Turkey headband crown
Cut a long strip of brown construction paper to fit around your child’s head, then staple the ends into a ring. Have your preschooler glue paper feathers along the inside back edge, then attach googly eyes, a beak, and a red wattle to the front. Kids can wear their crowns throughout the day.
27. Popsicle stick turkey craft
Glue five craft sticks together side-by-side to form a flat wooden panel. Paint the sticks brown, then attach googly eyes, a felt beak, and craft feathers to the top back edge. For another wooden stick project, look at these Itsy Bitsy Spider crafts. Glue a magnet to the back of the turkey to hang it on the fridge.
28. Paper plate turkey wreath
Cut out the center of a paper plate to leave a ring. Have your child glue fabric or real autumn leaves around the ring until it is covered. Glue a paper turkey head onto the bottom center. Hang the finished wreath on a door or wall.
Wrapping up your Thanksgiving craft time
Crafting with young children during the holidays does not require complex materials or expensive kits. Pick two or three of these simple projects, spread newspaper over the kitchen table, and set out the supplies. You get a break to handle dinner prep while your kids make crafts they feel proud to display.