Thanksgiving Craft Ideas – Thanksgiving crafts are a fun and meaningful way to bring warmth and creativity into the holiday season. One delightful project is creating gratitude trees, where each “leaf” has a note of thanks written on it—these can be displayed as a centerpiece or around the home to spread positive energy. DIY turkey decorations made from paper plates, colored paper, or even pinecones bring a playful and festive touch to tablescapes.
Mason jar luminaries with fall leaves or painted gourds make beautiful, rustic decor that glows with autumn charm. Crafting personalized napkin rings from natural materials, like twine and dried leaves, adds a thoughtful detail to the dining table. Kids can enjoy making simple handprint turkeys or crafting felt pumpkins and acorns to decorate the family space. For those who enjoy calligraphy, custom place cards with guests’ names in elegant, fall-themed designs add an extra touch of warmth. These Thanksgiving crafts foster creativity and bring loved ones together, making the season feel even more special.
Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
Here are over 50 Thanksgiving craft ideas for all ages, with options ranging from fun and easy to elegant and creative!
For Kids
- Paper Plate Turkeys – Use paint, feathers, and googly eyes.
- Thankful Tree – Add leaves with things you’re grateful for.
- Handprint Turkey Cards – A fun, personalized Thanksgiving card.
- Turkey Hats – Made from paper or felt.
- Pinecone Turkeys – Decorate pinecones with feathers and googly eyes.
- Pumpkin Seed Art – Paint seeds and arrange them into fall shapes.
- Leaf Stamping – Use real leaves to stamp designs onto paper.
- Toilet Paper Roll Turkeys – Decorate empty rolls with feathers and eyes.
- Pumpkin Puppets – Draw faces on small pumpkins and attach to popsicle sticks.
- Acorn Painting – Roll acorns in paint on paper for a unique pattern.
- Scarecrow Craft – Make little scarecrows from sticks and fabric.
- Fingerprint Corn on the Cob – Use colorful fingerprints as kernels.
- Turkey Puppets – Create puppets with paper bags and markers.
- Fall Leaf Crowns – Attach leaves to a headband for a nature crown.
- Mason Jar Leaf Lanterns – Glue leaves to jars, add a candle.
For Teens & Adults
- Thanksgiving Wreaths – Made from leaves, pinecones, and fall flowers.
- Mason Jar Thankful Jars – Write things you’re thankful for on slips of paper.
- Gratitude Rocks – Paint rocks with messages of gratitude.
- Corn Husk Wreath – Use dried husks to make a beautiful fall wreath.
- Painted Pumpkin Centerpiece – Decorate mini pumpkins with paint pens.
- Table Place Cards – Create elegant, nature-inspired name cards.
- Thankful Garland – Hang cutouts with thankful messages on a string.
- Cinnamon Stick Candles – Attach cinnamon sticks around a candle.
- DIY Acorn Napkin Rings – Use acorns for a natural table touch.
- Wood Slice Coasters – Decorate wood slices with Thanksgiving designs.
- Pressed Leaf Art – Frame pressed leaves for seasonal decor.
- Pinecone Centerpiece – Arrange pinecones and candles in a basket.
- Gratitude Placemats – Make personalized placemats with thankful messages.
- Harvest Mason Jar Centerpiece – Fill jars with grains and flowers.
- Pumpkin Vase – Hollow out a pumpkin and use it as a flower vase.
For All Ages (Family-Friendly)
- Felt Leaf Garland – Cut and string together colorful felt leaves.
- Mini Scarecrow – Make scarecrows from popsicle sticks and fabric.
- Paper Cornucopia – Fill a paper cornucopia with paper fruits and veggies.
- Clay Leaf Bowls – Press leaves into clay for beautiful bowls.
- Fall Suncatchers – Use tissue paper and clear contact paper for a colorful suncatcher.
- Thankful Chain – Make a paper chain, adding a link for each thankful thought.
- Corn Husk Doll – Create dolls from dried corn husks.
- Nature Collage – Collect and arrange fall leaves, acorns, and sticks.
- Paper Pumpkin – Use orange paper strips to create a pumpkin shape.
- Leaf Rubbing Art – Create leaf patterns with crayons and paper.
- Beaded Indian Corn – Use colored beads to make corn shapes.
- Twig Picture Frame – Glue sticks around a frame for a rustic look.
- Acorn Wreath – Glue acorns in a circle for a door wreath.
- Thankful Jar – Collect notes of gratitude throughout November.
- Leaf Crown – Make a crown using leaves and a headband.
- Turkey Wind Catcher – Attach feathers to a paper turkey and let it blow in the wind.
- Thanksgiving Bingo – Make a themed bingo game for family fun.
- Gratitude Rocks – Paint stones with thankful messages.
- Paper Feather Garland – String together colorful paper feathers.
- Autumn Handprint Tree – Use handprints as leaves on a painted tree.
- Egg Carton Turkeys – Decorate egg carton pieces as tiny turkeys.
- Pumpkin Patch Diorama – Create a miniature pumpkin patch with clay.
- Wood Block Pumpkins – Paint small wood blocks like pumpkins.
- Harvest Banner – Create a banner with Thanksgiving phrases.
- Beaded Napkin Rings – Add beads to wire for festive napkin rings.
- Felt Leaf Coasters – Make coasters from felt shaped like leaves.
- Painted Rock Pumpkins – Paint rocks as mini pumpkins for decoration.
These crafts add a cozy, personal touch to Thanksgiving celebrations!
Preschool Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
Here are over 50 fun and simple Thanksgiving craft ideas for preschoolers. These crafts are designed to be easy, colorful, and safe for young children!
Turkey Crafts
- Paper Plate Turkey – Paint a plate brown, add feathers, googly eyes, and a beak.
- Handprint Turkey – Trace handprints on colorful paper and arrange as feathers.
- Feather Turkey Headband – Glue paper feathers onto a headband.
- Pinecone Turkey – Use a pinecone as the body, add feathers and googly eyes.
- Fork-Painted Turkey Feathers – Use a fork to paint feathers on a paper turkey.
- Clothespin Turkey – Attach paper feathers and a face to a clothespin.
- Cupcake Liner Turkey – Create a turkey face using a cupcake liner and paper details.
- Toilet Paper Roll Turkey – Decorate an empty roll with feathers and a face.
- Pompom Turkey – Make a turkey using a pompom as the body with paper features.
- Footprint Turkey – Paint a child’s foot to make a print as the turkey body.
Thanksgiving Food Crafts
- Paper Cornucopia – Create a paper cornucopia with fruits and veggies inside.
- Popcorn Corn on the Cob – Glue popcorn on a corn shape for texture.
- Painted Pasta Indian Corn – Use colored pasta glued to a corn shape.
- Apple Stamping – Cut an apple in half to stamp “apple” prints.
- Pumpkin Seed Art – Paint pumpkin seeds and glue them onto paper for designs.
Leaf Crafts
- Leaf Rubbing – Place paper over leaves and rub crayons to reveal leaf shapes.
- Leaf Crown – Make a crown using real or paper leaves.
- Leaf Garland – String together colorful leaves on a yarn or string.
- Painted Leaf Stamps – Use leaves as stamps with paint on paper.
- Tissue Paper Leaf Suncatchers – Layer tissue paper in fall colors to make a suncatcher.
Thankfulness Crafts
- Thankful Tree – Have children write (or help write) things they’re thankful for on paper leaves.
- Thankful Handprint Chain – Write something they’re thankful for on each link of a paper chain.
- Thankful Placemat – Decorate a placemat with drawings of things they’re grateful for.
- Thankful Rocks – Paint rocks with things they’re thankful for.
- Thankful Turkey Feathers – Write one thankful word on each feather of a paper turkey.
Fall-Themed Crafts
- Acorn Faces – Draw or paint faces on acorns.
- Fall Leaf Collage – Glue collected fall leaves onto paper for a nature collage.
- Scarecrow Puppet – Make a scarecrow from a paper bag and decorate with a face and straw.
- Pinecone Painting – Dip pinecones in paint and roll them on paper for unique patterns.
- Harvest Crown – Glue on pictures of harvest vegetables or draw them on a paper crown.
Fun with Colors and Shapes
- Pumpkin Stamps – Use a half potato or apple to stamp orange pumpkins.
- Shape Turkeys – Make turkeys using circles, ovals, and triangles.
- Fall Colors Collage – Use red, yellow, orange, and brown tissue paper to make a colorful collage.
- Patterned Pumpkin – Create patterns on a paper pumpkin with different colors and shapes.
- Acorn Necklace – String painted pasta or beads to look like acorns.
Nature Crafts
- Twig Painting – Collect small sticks and paint them in fall colors.
- Nature Collage – Use leaves, twigs, and pinecones to make a nature collage.
- Seed Art – Use various seeds glued to paper for a textured artwork.
- Nature Bracelet – Wrap a strip of tape (sticky side out) around the wrist and attach small leaves and seeds.
- Rock Turkey – Glue paper feathers and a face onto a rock to make a turkey.
Sensory Play Crafts
- Pumpkin Playdough – Make homemade orange playdough and let kids shape mini pumpkins.
- Turkey Sensory Bag – Fill a clear bag with colored pom-poms and googly eyes for a sensory “turkey” activity.
- Corn Kernel Sensory Bin – Fill a bin with dried corn kernels for scooping and pouring.
- Fall Scented Paint – Use spices like cinnamon in paint for a Thanksgiving smell.
- Feather Sensory Bin – Fill a bin with feathers for a soft, sensory experience.
Fine Motor Crafts
- Button Pumpkin – Glue buttons on a pumpkin outline for a colorful texture.
- Turkey Lacing Card – Make a turkey outline for children to lace yarn through.
- Corn Lacing Card – Cut out a corn shape and let children “lace” with yarn.
- Bead Indian Corn – Thread colored beads onto a pipe cleaner to look like corn.
- Feather Sorting – Provide different colored feathers for sorting and organizing.
Story & Playtime Crafts
- Thanksgiving Story Stones – Paint story prompts on stones for storytelling.
- Paper Bag Pilgrim Hat – Create a simple hat from a brown paper bag for role-play.
- Pumpkin Faces – Draw different emotions on pumpkin cutouts for a fun activity.
- Felt Thanksgiving Dinner Set – Cut out “food” items from felt for a pretend Thanksgiving meal.
- Turkey Finger Puppets – Make tiny turkeys with felt and googly eyes for finger play.
These Thanksgiving craft ideas are perfect for preschoolers, blending creativity, learning, and fine motor skills with the spirit of the season!
Hi, I’m Maggie Culp, the founder of PartyVibesFun.com, based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, United States! With a passion for creating unforgettable celebrations, I specialize in turning any event into a fun and vibrant experience. From birthday parties to themed gatherings, I’m here to help you bring your party ideas to life with ease and excitement. Whether you’re looking for unique games, creative themes, or party planning tips, I’m dedicated to making sure every moment of your event is filled with joy. Let’s create memories together and make your next party the talk of the town!