26 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids That Double as Holiday Decor (2026)
Updated: 1 day ago
Looking for easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids? These 26 simple turkey, gratitude and fall nature crafts are perfect for keeping kids busy the week of Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026, and most use supplies you already have at home.
Crafting together is one of the easiest ways to slow down during a busy holiday week. Many of these projects double as table decor, place cards and keepsakes, so the kids get to show off their creations when the whole family sits down to eat.
Key Takeaways
How many crafts: 26 easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids
Best for toddlers: Handprint turkeys, apple stamp turkeys and leaf rubbings
Best table decor: Turkey napkin rings, the thankful tablecloth and handprint placemats
Best keepsakes: Salt dough leaves, gratitude jar and thankful tree
Thanksgiving 2026: Thursday, November 26
Turkey Crafts for Kids
Turkeys are the stars of Thanksgiving crafting, and these projects range from 10-minute toddler crafts to keepsakes you'll pull out every November.
1. Popsicle Stick Turkeys
What You'll Need: Craft sticks, washable paint, a small brown pom-pom or paper circle, googly eyes, orange and red paper, and glue.
How-To: Paint five or six craft sticks in fall colors and let them dry. Glue them together in a fan shape, then add a brown circle body, googly eyes, a paper beak and a red wattle in the middle.
Parent Tip: Add a magnet to the back and your turkey becomes a fridge decoration that lasts all season.
2. Paper Plate Turkeys
What You'll Need: Paper plates, colored paper, googly eyes, glue and markers.
How-To: Cut feathers from colored paper and glue them around the back edge of a paper plate. Color the center brown, then add eyes, an orange triangle beak and a red wattle.
Parent Tip: Trace your child's hands on the colored paper and use the cutouts as feathers for a sweet keepsake version.
3. Pinecone Turkeys
What You'll Need: Pinecones, craft feathers or paper feathers, googly eyes, felt or paper scraps and glue.
How-To: Tuck feathers into the back of the pinecone to make a tail. Glue on googly eyes, a small beak and a red wattle at the narrow end.
Parent Tip: Go on a pinecone hunt at a local park first. Kids love collecting their own supplies.
4. Handprint Turkey Placemats
What You'll Need: Large sheets of paper or card stock, washable paint, brushes and markers.
How-To: Paint your child's palm brown and each finger a different color, then press it onto the paper. Add eyes, a beak, legs and the child's name and age.
Parent Tip: Ask a copy shop to laminate the placemats so you can use them again every year.
5. Paper Bag Turkey Puppets
What You'll Need: Paper lunch bags, construction paper, googly eyes, markers and glue.
How-To: Use the folded bottom of the bag as the turkey's face. Add eyes, a beak and a wattle, then glue paper feathers to the back of the bag.
Parent Tip: Once the puppets are done, let the kids put on a Thanksgiving puppet show while dinner finishes.
6. Coffee Filter Turkeys
What You'll Need: Coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle with water, construction paper, googly eyes and glue.
How-To: Color a coffee filter with markers and mist it lightly with water so the colors bleed together. Once dry, glue on a paper turkey body, eyes, beak and wattle.
Parent Tip: Put the filters on a baking sheet while spraying. It keeps the table clean and dries the filters flat.
7. Turkey Napkin Rings
What You'll Need: Toilet paper rolls, colored construction paper, scissors, glue and markers.
How-To: Cut cardboard rolls into 1-inch rings. Glue paper feathers to the back and a turkey face to the front, then slide a folded napkin through each ring.
Parent Tip: Have kids write each guest's name on a feather so the napkin rings double as place cards.
8. Apple Stamp Turkeys
What You'll Need: An apple cut in half, washable paint, paper, googly eyes and markers.
How-To: Dip the cut side of the apple in brown paint and stamp it on paper for the body. Add colorful fingerprint feathers around the top, then draw on legs, a beak and eyes.
Parent Tip: A grown-up should cut the apple. Pat it dry with a paper towel before painting so the print comes out crisp.
9. Fork-Painted Turkeys
What You'll Need: Plastic forks, washable paint, paper, googly eyes and markers.
How-To: Dip a plastic fork in paint and press it onto paper in a fan shape to make feathery tail marks. Add a brown body, googly eyes and a beak in the center.
Parent Tip: Use a separate fork for each color so the paint doesn't get muddy.
10. Cupcake Liner Turkeys
What You'll Need: Colorful cupcake liners, brown paper, googly eyes, glue and markers.
How-To: Flatten two or three cupcake liners and layer them for a ruffled tail. Glue a brown paper circle body on top and add eyes, a beak and a wattle.
Parent Tip: Patterned liners in fall colors make extra-fancy feathers with zero extra effort.
11. Toilet Paper Roll Turkeys
What You'll Need: Toilet paper rolls, construction paper, googly eyes, markers and glue.
How-To: Wrap a cardboard roll in brown paper, then add a fan of paper feathers to the back and a face to the front. Make a whole family of turkeys in different sizes.
Parent Tip: Cut some rolls shorter to make baby turkeys. Kids love making a turkey for each person in the family.
12. Turkey Headbands
What You'll Need: Strips of construction paper, paper feathers, a stapler or tape, markers and stickers.
How-To: Measure a paper strip around your child's head and secure it. Decorate the front with a turkey face and glue a fan of feathers to the back.
Parent Tip: Have kids wear their headbands to dinner. They make adorable photos and a built-in game of turkey tag later.
Gratitude Crafts for Thanksgiving
These crafts help kids think about what they're thankful for, and they make meaningful decorations for your home or the Thanksgiving table.
13. Paper Chain Countdown to Thanksgiving
What You'll Need: Strips of construction paper in fall colors, markers and a stapler or glue stick.
How-To: Make one paper link for each day until Thanksgiving, and write something you're thankful for on each strip. Tear off one link each day until the big day arrives.
Parent Tip: Start the chain on November 1 and you'll have 26 links to count down to Thanksgiving 2026.
14. Thankful Leaves Garland
What You'll Need: Colored construction paper, scissors, a hole punch, string and markers.
How-To: Cut out leaf shapes and have each family member write something they're grateful for on a leaf. Punch holes and string the leaves into a garland.
Parent Tip: Hang the garland over the dinner table and read a few leaves aloud before you eat.
15. Gratitude Pumpkin
What You'll Need: A pumpkin or mini pumpkin, permanent markers or paint pens and stickers.
How-To: Each day leading up to Thanksgiving, have family members write something they're thankful for on the pumpkin until it's covered.
Parent Tip: Choose a white pumpkin if you can find one. The writing really stands out.
16. Gratitude Jar
What You'll Need: A clear jar, colored paper, scissors and markers.
How-To: Cut paper into small slips or leaf shapes. Each day, family members write something they're thankful for and drop it in the jar. Read them aloud on Thanksgiving Day.
Parent Tip: Save the notes year after year. Reading old ones together becomes a sweet family tradition.
17. Thanksgiving Thankful Tree
What You'll Need: A few small branches, a vase or jar, construction paper, scissors, string and markers.
How-To: Place the branches in a vase. Cut out paper leaves, write what you're thankful for on each one, and hang them from the branches with string.
Parent Tip: Keep extra leaves and a marker next to the tree so guests can add their own on Thanksgiving Day.
18. Thankful Turkey Tablecloth
What You'll Need: A roll of butcher paper or kraft paper, crayons, markers and stickers.
How-To: Cover the kids' table with butcher paper and let them draw turkeys, leaves and pictures of things they're thankful for. Add guests' names around the edges as place settings.
Parent Tip: Ask every guest to add something to the tablecloth before they leave, then save it as a family keepsake.
Fall Nature and Harvest Crafts
Take advantage of crisp autumn days and head outside for supplies. These nature-inspired crafts use leaves, seeds and pumpkins for festive, earthy decorations.
19. Paper Leaf Crowns
What You'll Need: A strip of brown paper, real or paper leaves, glue or tape and a stapler.
How-To: Fit a paper strip around your child's head and secure it. Glue leaves all around the band for a harvest crown fit for the Thanksgiving table.
Parent Tip: Real leaves curl as they dry, so press them in a heavy book overnight before gluing.
20. Leaf Painting With Nature Stamps
What You'll Need: Real leaves, washable paint, brushes and paper.
How-To: Brush paint onto the vein side of a leaf and press it onto paper to make a print. Layer different colors and sizes for a fall forest scene.
Parent Tip: Turn the finished prints into Thanksgiving cards for grandparents.
21. Pumpkin Seed Mosaic
What You'll Need: Clean, dried pumpkin seeds, washable paint, card stock and glue.
How-To: Paint pumpkin seeds in fall colors and let them dry. Draw a simple turkey, pumpkin or leaf outline and fill it in with glue and seeds.
Parent Tip: Shake seeds and paint together in a zip-top bag to color a whole batch at once.
22. Corn Husk Wreath
What You'll Need: Dried corn husks, a foam or cardboard wreath form, glue and ribbon.
How-To: Glue dried corn husks around the wreath form in an overlapping circle. Finish with a ribbon bow at the top and hang it on your front door.
Parent Tip: Soak the corn husks in warm water for a few minutes first. They bend more easily and won't crack.
23. Pumpkin Spice Playdough
What You'll Need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice and orange food coloring.
How-To: Mix everything in a pot over low heat, stirring until a dough forms. Let it cool, then knead until smooth and pull out the leaf and pumpkin cookie cutters.
Parent Tip: A grown-up should handle the stovetop part. Store the dough in an airtight container and it will stay soft for weeks.
24. Leaf Rubbing Placemats
What You'll Need: Real leaves, paper, crayons with the wrappers removed and clear contact paper (optional).
How-To: Place leaves under a sheet of paper, vein side up, and rub the side of a crayon over the top until the leaf pattern appears. Cover with contact paper to make placemats.
Parent Tip: Tape the paper down at the corners so it doesn't slide around while little ones rub.
25. Salt Dough Leaf Keepsakes
What You'll Need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water, leaf cookie cutters, a straw and paint.
How-To: Mix the dough, roll it out and cut leaf shapes. Poke a hole with a straw, bake at 200 degrees for about two hours until hard, then paint and hang with ribbon.
Parent Tip: Press your child's thumbprint into each leaf before baking and write the year on the back.
26. Walnut Shell Mayflower Boats
What You'll Need: Walnut shell halves, play dough or clay, toothpicks, small paper squares and markers.
How-To: Press a small ball of play dough into each walnut shell. Decorate a paper square as a sail, thread it onto a toothpick and stick it in the dough.
Parent Tip: Float the boats in a bowl of water and talk about the Mayflower's journey across the ocean.
Tips for Thanksgiving Crafting With Kids
Set up a craft station: Cover the table with butcher paper and put supplies in muffin tins so everything stays in one place.
Choose washable everything: Washable paint and markers make cleanup easy, especially on the kids' table.
Match the craft to the age: Toddlers do best with painting and stamping, while big kids can handle cutting and gluing on their own.
Plan for drying time: Start paint and salt dough projects a day or two before Thanksgiving.
Want more ways to keep kids busy on Thanksgiving week? Print our free Thanksgiving printables for kids, or try our Thanksgiving games for the whole family.
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Takeaway
Thanksgiving crafts give kids a fun way to help get ready for the big day, and many of them end up on the dinner table as decorations everyone can admire. From popsicle stick turkeys to gratitude jars and walnut shell boats, there's a project here for every age and attention span.
Set out a few supplies, pick two or three favorites and let the creativity flow. Happy Thanksgiving crafting from all of us at FUN WITH KIDS IN LA®!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids?
Paper plate turkeys, handprint turkeys, coffee filter turkeys and paper bag puppets are some of the easiest Thanksgiving crafts for kids. They use simple supplies like paper plates, washable paint, markers and glue, and most take less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
What Thanksgiving crafts are good for toddlers?
Toddlers do best with crafts that involve painting and stamping, like handprint turkey placemats, apple stamp turkeys, fork-painted turkeys and leaf rubbings. Use washable paint, skip small parts they could swallow and expect plenty of happy mess.
What Thanksgiving crafts can kids make for the dinner table?
Turkey napkin rings, handprint placemats, a thankful turkey tablecloth, paper leaf crowns and gratitude pumpkins all make great table decor. Kids can write guests' names on feathers or leaves so their crafts double as place cards.
What gratitude crafts can kids make for Thanksgiving?
Try a thankful tree, a gratitude jar, a thankful leaves garland or a paper chain countdown. Each one invites kids to write or draw something they're thankful for, and they make meaningful decorations to share on Thanksgiving Day.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November. If you'd like to start a gratitude countdown craft, begin on November 1 to have 26 days of thankful notes.
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