Easy Thanksgiving Crafts and Activities for Kids

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Of course, 2020 has been a challenging year for a lot of us and so it is important now, more than ever, to focus on family and giving thanks for all the positive things in our lives. The concept of the holiday for younger children can be explored through many easy Thanksgiving crafts, activities, books and recipes.

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts:

Thanksgiving Turkey Fingerprint Cards:

Celebrate the holiday by making handmade cards for family and friends. This easy Thanksgiving craft requires very few materials and is fun for little fingers!

Materials: white card folded in half, poster paint (red, yellow and brown), black marker

Directions:

1. Start by writing a Thanksgiving message on the front of the card.
2. Start the finger-painting with brown paint in an oval shape to form the body of the turkey.
3. Once that is dry, form a semicircle of yellow paint above the brown oval to create the first layer of feathers.
4. Once that is dry, form a semicircle of red paint above the yellow to create a second layer of feathers.
5. Draw a face and feet onto the brown part of the turkey.
6. Decorate inside and give to family and friends!

Thanksgiving Weaved Placemats

Make personalised placemats for all your guests and practise fine motor skills at the same time! If you laminate these placemats, they can be used for years to come.

Materials: coloured paper (brown, red, yellow, orange), ruler, pencil, scissors, glue, Thanksgiving themed name labels

Directions:

1. Start by drawing lines on the brown coloured paper – starting 2cm from the edges and spacing out the lines by 3cm.
2. Fold the paper in half, start cutting each line from the folded side and cut until 2cm from the edge.
3. Cut strips of paper 3cm wide from the yellow, red and orange paper.
4. Begin weaving these strips of paper into the brown paper, alternating colours.
5. Glue the ends of the weaved pieces to the brown paper.
6. Print Thanksgiving themed name labels and write the name of the guest.
7. If possible, laminate the placemats and decorate your Thanksgiving table! I use the Scotch Thermal Laminator and it fast and easy to use.

Easy Thanksgiving Learning Activities:

Thanksgiving I Spy:

I Spy activities are a great way to encourage concentration skills. This Thanksgiving I Spy  activity promotes active concentration, counting and basic reading.

For this activity:

1. First children count how many of each Thanksgiving pictures there are in the box.
2. Reading the instructions at the bottom will tell them which colour to circle each picture.
3. Then they need to write down the number of each picture on the page.
4. Finally, as an extra challenge, they can match the words to the pictures in the bottom right hand box.
5. This one page covers so many skills!

Thanksgiving Colour by Number:

Color by number requires basic hand-eye coordination skills, and specific concentration while children coordinate the number on the page with what colour they actually need to use.

For this activity:

1. Use this Thanksgiving Colour By Number printable to practise hand-eye coordination skills, concentration skills.
2. Children learn to hold the marker, crayon, or coloured pencil while controlling its movement.
3. There is a further reading challenge at the bottom to match the name and colour.

Best Thanksgiving Books for Kids:

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Natasha Wing wrote this book in “Twas the Night Before Christmas” style, and has brought the excitement, hustle-bustle, and fun of Thanksgiving to life in the pages of this story. Rhyming sentences and colourful images feature food being prepared, families arriving, children playing and a dramatic ending will keep children listening to the end. This is a great read for children under 6 focusing on the fun of the holiday.

Bear Says Thanks

This is a heartwarming story about a bear who wants to invite his friends to his cave for a special meal, but when he looks in his cupboard, he discovers that it is empty. Each of his friends brings something to contribute to the meal but the bear is sad because he has nothing to offer them. They reassure him that he has stories that he can tell them and that they are happy to be with him. This is a great lesson about the nature of friendship and the concept of thankfulness that is especially appropriate at Thanksgiving.

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes for Kids

Easy Apple Pie

Ingredients: 

-granulated sugar, only 3 tablespoons for the whole pie!

-thinly sliced apples, it’ll take about 6 – 8 medium apples

-just a bit of butter and cinnamon 

-pie crust 

-granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Mix sliced apples, granulated sugar, butter and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
2. Roll out and place an uncooked pie crust in the bottom of a deep 20cm x 20cm (9-inch) pie plate. Puncture the bottom with small fork marks. Cover the uncooked pie crust with a piece of parchment paper.
3. Pour dry beans of any type on top of parchment paper to keep the crust from bubbling. Bake the crust in an oven preheated to 200°C / 400°F for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let the pie shell cool.
4. Place the apple mixture in the pie shell. Place small pieces of butter on top of apple mixture.
5. Top with second pie crust, crimp the edges, and then cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent. 
6. Mix the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl and then brush the top with water and sprinkle with sugar before baking. 
7. Bake at 230°C / 450°F for the first 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C / 350°F and continue cooking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

Ingredients:

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts, Activities for Kids

Finding ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with young children is important. The concept of thankfulness and gratitude is one that we should encourage in our children. Hopefully these easy Thanksgiving crafts, activities, recipes and books will help to educate and encourage a sense of giving thanks in our little ones!