4 Cute Thanksgiving Crafts That Are Perfect for The Kids Table

Rainbow Wheat

Start by having your child cut a bunch of 8-in. squares from unprinted sections of paper bags; paint with craft paint. Paint paper straws to match. Let dry.

For each wheat stalk, cut out one 3x6-in. rectangle and two 1x7-in. strips from the painted 8-in. squares. Fold the 3x6-in. rectangle in half lengthwise with paint showing. Cut a fringe, making 1-in. cuts every 1/8 in. into the folded edge. Open the 3x6-in. strip, smooth flat, and gently refold. Glue the folded, fringed strip together at the base. While the glue is damp, run another line of glue on the bottom of the strip.

Help your child hold the strip at an angle to a straw and spin the straw to wind the paper around the straw; hold for a minute to set glue. Last, cut long leaf shapes from the 1x7-in. strips and glue to the base of the straw. Best for ages 7 years+

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Gobble Heads

Parents can use a scissors blade to poke two small openings on opposite sides of a paper party cup just below the lip. Then gently thread a headband through holes. Have your kid attach black, white, and colored dot stickers to form eyes. Cut a beak and a snood shape from paper and adhere to the cup with craft glue.

Cut colored paper plates in half, then cut notches from the curved outer edge of each plate toward the center, keeping the center of the plate intact. Stack two or three plates and staple together. Help your kid staple the stacked plates to the back side of the cup. Best for ages 4 years+

Add Feet: For each leg, cut a pipe cleaner in half and bend one end into a foot shape. Punch a small hole in the cup. Push the leg through the hole, and twist the end of the pipe cleaner around itself to secure.

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Turkey Tumblers

To make the tail, have your child accordion-fold three 6-in. squares of paper. Fold each in half to make a fan, and staple or glue to secure. Staple or glue three fans together to form a larger fan.

Print our turkey head and snood template on colored paper, then trace and cut out a head and a snood; glue the snood to the beak. For eyes, attach 3/8-in. black circle stickers onto 3/4-in. white circle stickers (or draw a dot with a marker). Use the black circles as guides to cut eye shapes from the stickers; stick eyes onto both sides of the head. Remove the label from a yogurt cup (we used Chobani). Parents can use an X-Acto knife to cut a 1¼-in. vertical slice into the cup. Pass the neck through the slit, fold tabs down, and tape to inside of cup. Parents can hot-glue the paper-fan tail to the cup. Best for ages 7 years+

Fake the Feathers: Kids can decorate the yogurt cups with dot stickers cut in half.

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Forest Fun Mats

Download our free yellow tree template or peach tree template, along with our oak tree leaf template. Print the tree and leaves onto colored paper or cardstock and cut out. With a glue stick, glue the tree onto an 11x17-in. sheet of colored construction paper. Then use the leaf template to trace and cut out leaves from magazine pages and paper. (For younger kids, parents can precut the leaves.) Finally, glue on leaves to form the canopy of the tree. Best for ages 3 years+

Make it Special: Your child can write family members’ names on each of the leaves with a paint pen to make this oak into a family tree.

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