5 Painless (and Pretty) Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

These easy Thanksgiving craft projects for kids will let children unleash their inner artists — and free you to prep Thanksgiving dinner.

By: Blythe Copeland

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Photo By: iStock

Photo By: Events to Celebrate

Photo By: The Moffatt Girls

Photo By: iStock

Fun Thanksgiving Crafts for the Whole Family

Let your kids embrace their creative sides with these hands-on Thanksgiving craft projects, from handprint turkeys to paper corn wreaths. You don't need any special supplies — just paper, paint, and felt — and the addition of real leaves and pinecones gives little ones the chance to get outside and collect their own materials for a custom spin on their project.

And while they're busy creating fall crafts, you'll be able to prep for Thanksgiving, write holiday cards, or cross something off your to-do list. Try these five easy crafts that you'll be happy to put on the fridge — or your Thanksgiving table.

Though you may need to assist with the finishing steps of this project — arranging and attaching the corn into a circle — kids will love turning plain paper into painted corncobs. Melissa at 1 Pure Heart created this look by dipping bubble wrap in yellow, brown, and orange paint and pressing it onto blank paper; you could also use Legos or a real corncob to recreate the mini circles.

Have older kids turn those pinecones littering your yard into the basis of this cute felt turkey craft. The printable (with a $5 membership) pattern from Lia Griffith gives you a template for making heads, feathers, and feet in any color of felt you choose; add craft eyes and hot glue it all together for a decorative project you can use as part of your Thanksgiving place setting (and not just at the kids' table).

Add a kid-made touch to your Thanksgiving mantle with this easy, DIY wreath from Events to Celebrate. The first step: Send them outside to collect leaves in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Then cut the center out of a paper plate to create a wreath shape, and glue the leaves onto the remaining circle, layering them for added texture and color.

This easy craft from The Moffatt Girls does double duty as a gratitude exercise, too -- perfect for Thanksgiving. Cut orange paper into strips (or have older kids help with this step), and then encourage your little ones to think of some favorite things to list on each strip (Mom and Dad, a stuffed animal, Legos, and pizza all count!). Layer the strips and staple at the top with a paper leaf listing the child's name and year to create a paper pumpkin memento you can bring out every November.

This classic turkey craft is both a fun seasonal craft and a reminder for the future of how tiny those little hands once were. The idea is simple -- paint the palm of your child's hand brown and each finger and the thumb a different color, then press onto a blank surface and use a pen to add feet, eyes, and a beak. But you can put your own spin on the project in nearly endless ways: Instead of paper, put the print on a t-shirt, plate, canvas, or picture frame. And if your little one won't sit still for a painted palm, trace an outline of his hand instead and cut out several to look like feathers for a paper turkey.