35+ Thanksgiving Games, Activities, Printables, and Crafts That Kids Will Love

1

Use craft paints to paint the bubbles on the wrap in a variety of harvest corn colors, and let dry.

2

Cut three ears of corn from the yellow construction paper, then trace those shapes onto the back of the bubble wrap.

3

Cut out the corn shapes from the bubble wrap and glue or staple them to the construction paper.

4

Tear the brown paper bag into strips, and crumple them a bit to form the corn shucks as shown.

5

Glue or staple them to the tops of the corn, then tie the bundle together with twine to display.

1

Brainstorm with your child about what they can add to their placemat or a placemat they’re creating for a friend, such as pictures, designs, and their name. If you’d like, use our Thanksgiving color pages to color, cut out, and glue on images.

2

If you used glue or paint to create your placemat, be sure to let it dry completely. If you have access to a laminator, laminate each placemat to protect it from spills.

3

Be sure to set the Thanksgiving table with your child’s placemat!

1

Trace leaf shapes onto construction paper with a pencil, and cut them out. (Help younger kids with this step.) See tip below!

2

Punch a hole at the bottom of each leaf, and string it onto the yarn to form a garland. You can also use mini-clothespins to hand each.

3

Before hanging, write something you’re thankful for on each leaf!

1

Paint a bare tree on the paper using brown craft paint.

2

If you like, you can add sky, ground, or another background.

3

When the paint is dry, cut out leaf shapes from colorful construction paper.

4

Write something you’re thankful for on each leaf, then attach them to the tree with the glue stick.

1

Have your child string the beads onto the pipe cleaner. Repeat six times so you have six beaded pipe cleaners. We used 16 beads on each pipe cleaner.

2

Group your six beaded pipe cleaners together and twist them together at the top and bottom to prevent the beads from falling off.

3

Trim the pipe cleaner ends at the bottom of your bead corn. Be careful–the ends of the pipe cleaners may be sharp! *We suggest adults do this step when working with younger children.

4

Bend the tips of the pipe cleaners you trimmed upward and towards the middle so that the sharp points will not stick out.

5

If you’d like,  cut a piece of brown paper from a lunch or grocery bag to wrap your corn cob in.

1

Form the base of your mobile by crossing two twigs and using yarn to fasten them into an “X” shape. You can also use one longer twig to hang items from.

2

Use yarn to suspend your various nature items from the base twigs, adding more twigs as needed. 

3

Use a piece of yarn to add a hanger to the top, and display your Thanksgiving mobile!

1

If you’d like, dye the corn kernels different colors by filling each jar with ½ cup vinegar and ½ cup water.

2

Add food coloring to each jar, and stir to combine, then pour about ⅔ cup of dried corn into each jar. Stir to ensure all kernels are covered, and let sit overnight.

3

Drain and rinse each of the jars through the sieve, and lay out the kernels on paper towels to dry completely.

4

Now for the fun part! Let kids experiment to create their own mosaic patterns, then glue them in place on the paper.

1

Find step-by-step instruction for this Egg Carton Turkey craft here.

2

You can also watch a video of this craft being created.

1

Collect a few rocks from your backyard.

2

Cover a table with newspaper or a disposable tablecloth. Set out paints, paint brushes, and a few bowls of water for rinsing off the paint brushes.

3

Have everyone decorate their rock to show something they’re grateful for that year.

4

Let the rocks dry, and display them in a bowl or use them as place settings the following year.

1

Cut strips of construction paper lengthwise as follows: yellow, 2 inches wide; orange, 3 inches wide; gold, 4 inches wide; red, 5 inches wide.

2

Cut two strips of each color, and glue the ends of each pair of strips together to make one longer strip in each color.

3

Accordion fold the strips and shape them into fans, gluing them in place one behind the other on the cardboard base as shown.

4

Cut out and add a turkey body and head, complete with googly eyes. Your fan-tailed turkey is ready for display!

1

Follow the step-by-step instructions in the video to make your own origami turkeys.

2

You can create a whole flock to decorate your Thanksgiving table!

1

Cut out a cornucopia shape from the cardboard. Use the marker to outline the shape and fill in the mouth opening.

2

Tape one end of the twine to the back of the cornucopia, and wrap the twine around it until you like the results.

3

Cut off the twine and tuck the end under on the backside.

4

Glue colorful pom poms in place to fill the mouth of your horn of plenty!

1

Blow up the balloon to your desired size. This will determine the size of your pumpkin. Tie the end securely.

2

In a bowl, mix your craft glue with a little bit of water to thin it out. Dip the yarn into the glue mixture, making sure it’s fully coated.

3

Wrap the glue-coated yarn around the balloon in various directions, creating a crisscross pattern. Continue wrapping until the balloon is mostly covered, leaving some gaps in the yarn.

4

Place the wrapped balloon on a piece of wax paper or hang it up to dry. Let it dry completely overnight. The yarn should harden as the glue dries.

5

Once the yarn is completely dry and hardened, pop the balloon with a pin or scissors. Carefully remove the balloon pieces from inside the yarn pumpkin.

6

Take a green pipe cleaner and twist it around a pencil to create a curly vine. Form a small loop or spiral at one end to create the pumpkin’s stem.

7

Insert the twisted pipe cleaner into the top of your yarn pumpkin to create the stem. You can secure it with a dab of glue if needed. To add a twisty leaf, use another green pipe cleaner, twisting it around the pencil just like you did with the stem. Attach it next to the stem.

1

Pop orange, red, and yellow balloons by sitting on them.

2

Jump from one paper pie on the floor to another.

3

Toss small pumpkins into a bucket.

4

Throw beanbag “stuffing” into a cardboard turkey with holes cut out.

5

Collect turkey feathers scattered along the course.

1

Cut a turkey out of brown construction paper, but don’t include feathers. Instead, cut individual feathers out of colorful paper. When it’s time to play, hang the turkey on the wall.

2

Blindfold players and have them stand about 10 feet away (try shorter distances for younger kids).

3

Give them a feather with a piece of tape attached, then spin them around three times and aim them toward the turkey.

4

Their goal is to make it to the wall and attach the feathers in the right place!

1

Pour the cream into the jar and seal the lid tightly.

2

Now, shake, shake, shake! It will take some time, but first you’ll see the cream thicken, then separate into solids and a liquid.

3

Once the butter forms, line the sieve with the napkin or cheesecloth, and strain out the butter. (You can save the liquid if you like—that’s buttermilk!)

4

Rinse the butter with cold water, kneading it to remove any remaining buttermilk, until the water runs clear. Add salt to taste (if using), and your butter is ready to eat! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.

1

Fill the glass with water and add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda; stir to dissolve.

2

Drop a dozen or so kernels of corn into the glass.

3

Use a small cup to slowly add some vinegar, and watch as the corn kernels start to rise!

4

Look closely, and you’ll see they’re covered in tiny carbon dioxide bubbles from the chemical reaction of acids (vinegar) and bases (baking soda).

5

As they reach the top and the bubbles pop, the corn kernels will sink again. Add more vinegar to restart the dance!

1

Suspend a sweet potato in a jar, pointed end down, using the toothpicks to hold it in place so about the bottom third is inside the jar.

2

Fill the jar with water to cover as much of the potato as possible.

3

Check the jar daily and refill the water as needed.

4

In a few weeks, you’ll see roots begin to grow from the bottom, and green sprouts will appear from the top!