5 Thanksgiving Garland Ideas

Paper Thanksgiving Craft: Decorate with Garland

Decorate your dining room for Thanksgiving with cute fall garland you make together as a family. Use these ideas for paper garland decorations or let each family member design their own. Some fun Thanksgiving garland ideas include fall leaves, owls, turkeys, pumpkins or squash, pilgrim hats, tepees, or cornucopias. Enjoy!

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Thanksgiving Garland Ideas.

10 Paper Bag Thanksgiving Crafts: Turkey

Easy Paper Bag Turkey Craft and More

These paper bag Thanksgiving crafts are easy to make. Whether you make a cute turkey with preschoolers or carve up a roast turkey paper bag, you'll find a simple turkey craft to decorate your holiday table or use as an invitation to craft at the kids' table. Enjoy!

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10 Paper Bag Thanksgiving Crafts: Turkey.

Turkey Napkin Rings Craft for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Napkin Holder Craft

If you are hosting a family feast, you want it to be festive and engaging. These turkey napkins double as napkin rings and place card holders for your table setting. Gather the kids and the crafty family members around the kids' table and have them make this Thanksgiving craft activity while you prepare their feast. Enjoy!

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How to Make a Paper Turkey Craft with Scrapbook Paper

Scrapbook Paper Turkey Craft

Last year, we were given a few scrapbook paper books. These are amazing things to a crafter. Pages and pages of beautiful, colorful paper with awesome patterns and designs. We guarded it carefully until one day we saw, There's Just One Mommy, make a paper turkey craft. We knew right then, our paper treasure was destined to be a Thanksgiving turkey!  Enjoy.

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My favorite part of creating is how everyone creates differently. I've known many an art teacher and several preschool teachers, who give you a pattern and instructions and get very upset if it isn't a carbon copy of their own.

Mommy cut a pattern. She showed her turkey (that she loves) and told the kids they could use any papers from the recycle bin, including the scrapbook paper. Check it out!

We took it further and used actual scrap paper from our recycle box.

Mayhem turned the tail feathers the opposite direction and used a mix of old cards, coloring pages, and pages from an Oriental Trading Co. flyer. Mommy's turkey head pattern was completely tossed aside for a simple circle.

Look what we did with just a simple sales flyer, you know, trash. We made it pretty.

Jake, Jake, Jake. He likes order. He turned the feathers the right way and made them all match. He didn't use Mommy's turkey head pattern, but he made his own head and body. Still no feet though.

Mommy's scrapbook turkey lost a foot.

Paper plate turkey collage craft from There's Just one Mommy.

Collage paper plate turkey craft for preschoolers from theresjustonemommy.com

Recommended Reading:

10 Fat Turkeys Book

Jake's Stuffed Turkey Recipe

Styrofoam Turkey Craft

How to Make Marshmallow Turkeys

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

Over The River and Through the Woods Poem for Thanksgiving

Do you Remember this Fun, Thanksgiving Song?

Over The River and Through the Woods Poem for Thanksgiving.

Need some music for your next Thanksgiving holiday event? Over the River and Through the Woods is a fun song to sing on the way to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving! Most people think it is a Christmas song, but it was originally written as a poem for Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Facebook Fall Header.

Over The River and Through the Woods Poem for Thanksgiving. 

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Growing up, we sang this Thanksgiving song every year on the way to Grandma's house for Christmas.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood—

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood—

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Recommended Reading:

Turkey Thanksgiving Book for Kids*

Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving

Fun Edible Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Turkey Chick Pom Pom Thanksgiving Craft

Make a Baby Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving

Make a cute baby turkey from pom poms and feathers. Aww...  Turkey Feathers! This cute pom pom turkey chick craft was a deal! Scroll down to learn how to make your own Thanksgiving turkey. Enjoy!

Pom Pom Turkey Craft Thanksgiving Activity.

Deep Discount Bat Craft Turns into Bargain Turkey Craft.

I got these bats at Michael's on clearance for 29 Cents! The turkey kits were $1.79 each. My creative juices were flowing. I thought about dividing them and doing a fall barn owl now and saving the bat for next year, but when I got home a light bulb went off in my head. So, I sorted the pieces and decided to make a turkey critter and a bat fridge magnet. 

Take Away: Stock up on holiday clearance items.

Divided the pieces for individual kid's craft projects.

I like to repurpose things...

So, I robbed last years fridge magnets of their precious feathers.

We got to work crafting this cute baby turkey chick from pom poms.

Cute, baby turkey craft for Thanksgiving.

Tacky Glue works better than Elmer's Glue. Hot glue is best for allowing the wings to stick out at the sides. 

Look for cheap foamy rectangles or construction paper and cut out the shapes seen here. Buy a bag of feathers, pom-poms, some googly-eyes, and get crafting. All of those items are at the Dollar Tree too.

Adorable baby pompom turkey craft.

Recommended Reading:

Free Printable Turkey Coloring Sheet

Crafts for Thanksgiving (Holiday Crafts for Kids)*

T is for Turkey: A True Thanksgiving Story*









ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Healthy Zucchini Snacks Mayflower Ship Craft for Thanksgiving

Easy Edible Mayflower Craft for Kids

An Edible Mayflower Boat Ship makes it easy to Play with your Food and Eat your Vegetables, because it is edible art! If you want something sweeter, scroll down for the doughnut Mayflower Ship. Either way, the kids will have making eatable Thanksgiving crafts that are pefect for a party celebration. Enjoy!

Easy Edible Mayflower Boat Craft for Kids.

1. We found this cute Edible Mayflower Boat Craft at Art is Helping the Children.

Mayflower ship you can eat from Art is Helping the Children.

2. Cream Cheese Mayflower Sandwich Boats

Looking for a new way to get your kids to eat vegetables? Try this!  It's pretty self explanatory, we took cucumbers, zucchini, and squash and cut them in half lengthwise. Then, I tried to collect healthy edibles: cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, sliced squash, pretzels, and mini-dip breadsticks. Cheeseballs worked great too- just not healthy! The kids loved using the colored toothpicks to connect pieces for the "sail".  It's like healthy legos!

When done constructing, set out plates of dip, and let everyone deconstruct, dip, and eat. Everyone ate their veggies. They even tried the yellow squash! Food is more fun when you get to play with it. 

3. For an unhealthier version, try this Doughnut Mayflower from PartyPinching.com. It is super easy with only a pretzel and a doughnut required. That sounds yummy!

Doughnut Sailboat for Thanksgiving.

We read these books: "The Littlest Pilgrim" and "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims".  A book about the Mayflower for kids is available but very wordy, "If You Sailed On The Mayflower " by Ann McGovern. You might also like, "On The Mayflower" by Kate Waters for school-age kids.

Recommended Reading:

Bake and Make Amazing Cakes (Kids Can Do It)*

Turkey Treat  

Kid's Squish Book: Slimy, Squishy, Sticky Things to Do That Should Only Be Done When Wearing Your Oldest Clothes*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Thanksgiving Activities: Turkey Game and Craft for Children

Family Friendly Games for Thanksgiving

You've heard of Reindeer Games, so why not, Turkey games? This is an easy, fun activity for Thanksgiving get togethers. 

Family friendly crafts and games for Thanksgiving day party feasts.

Mayhem loved playing this turkey game.

Here are a few ideas to brighten up your Thanksgiving Family Feast:

• While you're preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, have your kids make turkeys out of paper plates and construction paper.

• They can create it anyway they choose or follow these instructions:

Cut two - 3" slits 2" apart in the bottom of the plate.

Lift and fold this flap out and fold it into a triangle or tent shape.

This is the turkey's head.

Turkey tutorial.

Add googly eyes or draw your own. 

Don't forget to draw his gobbler :-)

 
Cut feathers from colored construction paper.  Using a glue stick connect them to the top of your plate, or draw them directly onto the plate with brightly colored markers. You can go all out and use real feathers from a craft store too, it's all good. Or trace your foot onto paper for extra fun and a SENSORY ELEMENT. Now poke a 1/4'" hole in the center of your turkey (the plate).  Get yarn, kite string, Christmas ribbon, etc... remember, it's all good. 

My kids tried it with a shoe string. Cut the string about 6' in length. (Shorter or Longer depending on your spatial restrictions.)  Thread the string thru the hole and knot it in the back of the plate. 

Do this twice - that's two turkeys... 

Set up two chairs and tie one turkey to each chair. Stretch the string taut and lie it flat on the ground with the turkey opposite the chair. This is the starting line, divide into two teams and start the turkey races with kids standing at the opposite end of the chairs.

"Ready, Set, Fly!"

On the signal kids begin gobbling and lifting the string in the air trying to get the turkeys to fly to the chairs. (You are essentially shaking the plate down the string.) If your turkeys refuse to "fly" have the kids race by pulling their turkeys down the line as fast as they can while someone else holds the opposite end taut.

Last kid to reach the chair is a Turkey!

The latter methods works best with smaller children.

HAVE FUN and remember, it is what it is, so make it fun and don't fret.

Post variations and; pictures of your turkeys in action.

We got this idea from an old 1970's  party book that used bats.  You can change anything to fit the theme. 

Recommended Reading:

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)

Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids! 25 Fun & Educational Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family (Activity Books for Kids)

Holiday Games for Parties

Thanksgiving: Turkey and American Indian Craft Popsicle Sticks for Preschoolers

These Turkey and Native American Indian Stick Puppets are so simple and fun to make they are perfect for preschoolers. 

We always have construction paper and popsicle sticks. So, for Thanksgiving, I grabbed a bag of craft feathers and we started creating. The plan was to make Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. The feathers begged to become a turkey. Afterward, we pretended they were puppets and made a holiday play.

We made snowmen and reindeer too. Run to Joann's and buy a bag of fall-colored feathers. Use colored craft sticks or recycle Popsicle sticks. Tacky glue works great. Construction paper, mini-googly eyes, and the smallest pom poms ever!

Great for Wampanoag Indian Lessons and Curriculum.

Trace a small kid's cup for the head and turkey's body. Then glue on extras as appropriate. It's so simple and lends itself to creativity.

Easy Popsicle Stick Turkey Craft for preschoolers.

I use them for a thanksgiving puppet show with a shoe-box backdrop. Little hands love to move them around the fridge as magnets.

Recommended Reading:

Crafts for Kids: A Month by Month Idea Book

Crafts for Thanksgiving (Holiday Crafts for Kids)

Turkey Snack Cup Kids Craft: Easy Thanksgiving Craft

Make a Snack Cup placeholder Kids Craft for your Thanksgiving Table. 

This easy turkey craft is fun for kids, and they can reuse the cup at snack time. These make fun placeholders for Thanksgiving when you write their name on the "feathers".

Turkey Placeholder Cup for Thanksgiving Kids' Snacks.

I saw this on the Disney Family Fun Page using feathers. I thought we'd give it a try with Popsicle sticks from the dollar store. We went on a shopping spree with only a few dollars to spend to get supplies. When I saw the sticks, I decided that they would have to do. That's the best advice I give, 'Go with the flow'. We'll recycle and use the sticks in other projects. 

Supplies:

Leaves or Construction Paper
Hot Glue
Paper Cups
Craft Sticks
Markers
Popcorn

Glue sticks to front of the cup in a fan or tail pattern. Hot Glue works best.

Draw a face and gobbler on the construction paper.


 

Glue to the front of the cup itself or onto another stick.

Amanda, age 2, drew this face by herself!

She told me where to glue each stick.

Turkey Snack Craft for place setting.

Sam's, 'girl turkey', a thing of beauty.

Fill with popcorn and serve pre-turkey to keep tiny tummys occupied!

Recommended Reading:

Easy-To-Do Holiday Crafts From Everyday Household Items!: Including Crafts for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Every Day of the Year!*

Turkey Cup Craft

T is for Turkey: A True Thanksgiving Story*











ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)