Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids: 30 Easy Turkey, Leaf and Gratitude Crafts

There is a reason the handprint turkey never goes out of style: it is easy, a little messy, and it becomes a keepsake the moment it dries.

This roundup of Thanksgiving crafts for kids covers everything from classic turkey crafts to gratitude projects, nature crafts with fall leaves and pinecones, and simple table decorations kids can make for the big meal.

Every idea uses basic supplies you likely have at home. You will also find an age-by-age table so you can pick crafts that fit toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids, plus safety tips for the littlest crafters.

Before You Start: A Simple Craft Kit

Most Thanksgiving crafts for kids use the same short list of supplies. Put them in one bin and you can pull out a craft in two minutes all November.

• Paper plates, construction paper in fall colors, and brown paper bags
• Washable paint, crayons, markers, and glue sticks
• Child-safe scissors, tape, and a hole punch
• Pinecones, leaves, acorn caps, and twigs from a nature walk
• Googly eyes, pom-poms, and craft sticks (for kids past the mouthing stage)

Look for paints and markers labeled with the Art and Creative Materials Institute’s AP seal, which means they have been evaluated as non-toxic. Keep googly eyes, pom-poms, beads, and dried corn away from children under 3, since small pieces are a choking hazard.

Turkey Crafts for Kids

Turkeys are the star of Thanksgiving crafts, and there is a version for every age.

• Handprint turkey: Paint your child’s palm brown and fingers in red, orange, yellow, and green, then press onto paper. Add an eye and a little orange beak. Date it; these become keepsakes.
• Paper plate turkey: Paint a paper plate brown, glue paper feathers around the back edge, and add a head cut from construction paper.
• Pinecone turkey: Glue paper or felt feathers into the back of a pinecone and add a small paper head. Lovely as a place-card holder.
• Paper bag turkey puppet: Draw a turkey face on the bottom flap of a lunch bag and add feathers to the back. Great for a puppet show after dinner.
• Toilet paper roll turkey: Wrap a cardboard tube in brown paper, then fan out feather cutouts behind it.
• Footprint turkey: Like the handprint version, but the foot becomes the body and handprints become feathers. Easy for babies with a helper.
• “Disguise a turkey”: Print a plain turkey outline and let kids disguise it as a superhero, a chef, or a pumpkin so it can “escape” dinner. A favorite in elementary classrooms.

Gratitude Crafts

Gratitude crafts double as table decorations and keepsakes. They also give kids a concrete way to think about what they are thankful for.

• Thankful tree: Make a trunk from a brown paper bag, then add paper leaves that each list one thing someone is thankful for.
• Gratitude paper chain: Each strip lists a person, pet, or thing your child loves. Add one link a day in November.
• Thankful turkey: Every feather on a construction-paper turkey gets something your child is thankful for.
• Gratitude jar: Decorate a jar with ribbon and paper leaves, then fill it with slips of paper over the month.
• Thank-you cards: Fold cardstock, add leaf prints, and send them to grandparents, teachers, or neighbors.

Nature Crafts With Fall Leaves and Pinecones

A walk to collect materials is half the fun. Look for dry leaves in different colors, small pinecones, acorn caps, and twigs.

• Leaf rubbings: Place a leaf under thin paper and rub the side of an unwrapped crayon over it to reveal the veins.
• Leaf crown: Staple leaves onto a strip of paper sized to your child’s head.
• Leaf suncatcher: Press leaves between two sheets of clear contact paper and hang in a window.
• Acorn cap paint palettes: Older kids can paint tiny acorn caps to make a garland or a harvest wreath.
• Pinecone bird feeder: Spread sunflower seed butter on a pinecone, roll it in birdseed, and hang it outside.

Thanksgiving Table Crafts Kids Can Make

Giving kids a job decorating the table makes them feel part of the day, and guests love it.

• Place cards: Fold small cards, write each guest’s name, and decorate with stickers, stamps, or a mini leaf.
• Placemats: Draw on large paper, add a thankful list, and seal with clear packing tape.
• Napkin rings: Cut paper towel tubes into rings and wrap them with paper leaves.
• Centerpiece: Fill a mason jar with pinecones, small gourds, and the thankful slips from the gratitude jar.
• Kids’ table cover: Cover the kids’ table with butcher paper and put out crayons. Instant entertainment.

Thanksgiving Crafts by Age

Crafts to Skip (and What to Do Instead)

A lot of older Thanksgiving craft ideas involve paper “Indian” headdresses or costumes. Those crafts turn real, living Native cultures into a costume, and many educators now avoid them. It is easy to replace them with harvest, turkey, leaf, and gratitude crafts. For older kids, a better activity is reading a book by a Native author about the Wampanoag or about the harvest and talking about it together.

Also skip anything with small dried beans, popcorn kernels, or beads for children under 3, and any craft that uses a hot glue gun without close adult help.

Making It Fun, Not Perfect

Young children get the most out of art when the focus is on the process: squishing paint, choosing colors, and deciding where feathers go. It does not need to look like the photo. Resist the urge to fix it. The slightly wonky turkey with seven eyes is the one you will want to keep.

If you need more ideas for the long weekend, see our Thanksgiving activities for kids, indoor activities for kids, and sensory activities for toddlers.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Thanksgiving activities for kids
• Indoor activities for kids
• Sensory activities for toddlers
• Toddler activities

Craft Safety Reminders

Supervise children under 3 closely with any craft materials. Small parts like googly eyes, pom-poms, buttons, beads, and dried corn are choking hazards, and young children still explore by mouthing. Use washable, non-toxic supplies, keep scissors child-safe, and handle hot glue yourself. If a child swallows a small object and has trouble breathing, coughing, or drooling, call 911.

Frequently Asked Questions