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Thanksgiving is the perfect time to gather around the table and express gratitude for family and friends. Sharing a meal of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, people feel connected and accepted.
As Thanksgiving is a holiday that includes everyone, this is an excellent opportunity to have your kids be a part of the preparation. And with some children home from school, why not have them help with the centerpieces and table arrangements?
Decoration themes can involve integrating corn, pumpkins, and autumn hues like red and orange. Having your children or grandchildren involved in decorating and setting up the table gives them pride as they look forward to showing off their creations. Here are five creative crafts that children of all ages can make.
Apple stamps
With apples leftover from a day of picking, transform them into beautiful stamps. You can then dip the stamp into paint and create designs on napkins, placements, or just a piece of paper. Let your children’s imagination run wild by adding glitter, stickers, or even drawing a stem on the stamped apple.
For RED DAY we celebrated by making apple stamping art in our visual journals! We even used real apples for it! It tied in really well with our Apple theme and we even learned all about the core of an apple. YAY COLOUR DAYS! #dhscbe pic.twitter.com/aS92C5qo5J
— Ms. Cariolato (@DHSCariolato) September 15, 2020
Painted rocks and leaves
If you are low on supplies, head outside and have your children choose a few rocks and leaves. They can then paint them different festive colors or add their own designs. Handmade Charlotte suggests painting a letter on each rock to spell out Thanksgiving-related phrases. This can be anything from “thankful” to “family” or even “let’s eat.” Scatter the rocks across the center of the table. Asking guests to read the messages as they dig into the meal creates a bonding activity for all.
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Turkey leaf craft
Another idea that integrates nature is to create a turkey by using unique leaves as the feathers. Give your children time to gather leaves found on the ground, choosing various colors and patterns.
According to Easy Peasy and Fun, you can paste the leaves fanned out on top of each other on a piece of paper. Then allow your children to either draw from scratch or trace a turkey. The website even offers a printable turkey template.
Place the turkey on the leaves and either add this design to your placemats, menus, or even place cards. Kids can also add leaves to a pinecone to create their cute turkey.
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Candy cornucopia
This delicious idea comes from Happiness is Homemade. Help your children create cornucopias (horn-shaped baskets) with brown construction paper and tape. Inside the cornucopia, you can place any type of candy you want, even with leftovers from Halloween.
The most fitting is candy corn or candy pumpkins as they give off a fall feel and connect to the holiday. Incorporate these candy cornucopias as dessert or as a treat between courses. No matter what age, everyone at your table will enjoy them!
Pumpkin pie coasters
Spruce up your Thanksgiving drinks by adding a pumpkin pie coaster under each glass. These coasters from A Kailo Chic Life are made from orange, brown, and white-colored felt. Your children can cut the felt that is shaped into a slice of a pumpkin pie. They can even have whipped cream on top. These coasters will be a hit at every table, just tell your guests not to take a bite!
