First Grade Thanksgiving Crafts

One of the good things about Thanksgiving day is that you can teach kids how to enjoy the Holiday even when they're young. First graders can get involved in Thanksgiving and learn more about our history by teaching them how to create thanksgiving crafts. Of course, for a young kid, Thanksgiving in their young minds mean "turkey day". Helping these kids make simple crafts will surely help them to learn more and enjoy the season.

1. Making a Turkey Hat -- Take some old newspapers and fold in the middle of the page. Then fold both sides until they meet in the middle. What you will see is something like a triangle. Fold the bottom edges about 1/2 up making the base of your hat. Use glue and paste the edges at the bottom. What you will see is something like a triangle. Now, see if that triangle fits in your head. Paint your triangle hat. When it dries, get your glue and paste feathers on one side of the hat but you should stick then high so that they will look like turkey feathers. Feather crafts can be purchased at Walmart or any craft store.

2. Making a Paper bag Turkey - Get old newspapers. Crush them until they look like a huge ball. Cover this ball with a huge paper bag. Tie the ends of the paper bag but make sure that there is something like a "tail" when you tie it. Now get more newspapers and form a smaller ball. This smaller ball and wrap it with a smaller paper bag. This smaller ball on the paper bag is the head of the turkey. Stick or glue the head on the body. Paint the whole turkey. Then get some peas and stick it to the turkey's head. These are the turkey's eyes. Paint the side of the eyes if you want to make it look more like a turkey. Glue feathers at the "tail " side of your turkey.

3. Make your own Thanksgiving placemat - use 9 x 12 construction paper. Cut out your turkey from a magazine. Stick your turkey on the construction paper and add your own colors and greetings like "Happy Thanksgiving" and have it laminated. You can use the placemat for thanksgiving. You can also hang this on your wall at your home in Thanksgiving day.

4. Thanksgiving Mosaic poster - Cut out a turkey, and things you are thankful for including pictures of Mom, Dad, your home, your dog, food and make a "Thanksgiving poster Mosaic". Paste these cut outs on two 9 x 12 construction paper of any color and add your own colors and massage like " Thank you God for..." Laminate after making it and hang it on your bedroom wall to remind you what you should be thankful for on Thanksgiving day and everyday.

5. Make a Thanksgiving Turkey Puppet - Get used gloves. Cut feathers out of felt and stick them to your fingers. Make sure that you fringe the edges. Cut more felt and make it a wing shaped and glue in on your palm. Use paint to enhance your "feathers". To make the beak of your turkey, cut a tiny pair of felt triangles and stick or glue them to the opposite sides of your thumb tips. Paint the palm (that's the body of the turkey) and add more cotton or cloth inside the glove to make it look "fat". Now, you have your own Turkey puppet that you can show everyone by simply wiggling your hands.

First graders will enjoy making these simple crafts because they will feel that they are part of the season. It also gives them the chance to express themselves and their thoughts in art. Have your kids try out these thanksgiving crafts and make the Holiday a season of bonding and love too.