Thanksgiving Crafts

With Halloween over and Christmas looming in the distance, the holiday we now need to focus on is Thanksgiving. There are many activities that you can do with your children to help enrich this time of the year and enjoy some time together with one another in the process. Here are a few ideas to help brighten this family holiday some are oldies but goodies, and some may be new to you which means they may be new to your child as well. Above all the most important thing to remember is to have fun during these activity times and enjoy time spent with your family.

First up is the classic an apple turkey. How many of us remember this from elementary school? It's very simple which makes is what makes it such a classic as well as fun for everyone in the family as children of ages from three and up can participate (under strict supervision of course). Here is what you will need:

1) An apple preferably red

2) Toothpicks

3) Gumdrops

4) Marshmallows

5) Raisins

Here is what you do. You take the apple and twist the stem off as close to the quick as you can. Next you take the gumdrops and stick them on the ends of the toothpicks in various colors (the most popular are of course, red orange, yellow, and green but let your children be creative. If they want a turkey with all blue tail feathers don't say no). Next you take the toothpicks with the gum drops on them and stick them with the gumdrops facing up on one side of the apple that will then become the backside of the turkey. Use about four any more and it may cease to look like a turkey. Next you take the raisins and the marshmallows. Pierce one marshmallow and one raisin with a toothpick with the raisin on top; it should look somewhat like an eye when you are done. Make two of those and stick them on the side opposite where your tail feathers are. And ta-da!! There it is. An apple turkey. This activity doesn't usually take long but take a scenic route and enjoying snacking on the gumdrops, marshmallows and raisins with your children. If you do this activity only a couple of days before Thanksgiving, the turkeys can even be a place holder for all the people in your family.

Another fun turkey idea is hand print turkeys although these take a little bit more patience. What you need to do is get pieces of construction paper (white is usually the best). You will also need the following:

1) A paintbrush (or a couple depending on how fickle you are about mixing one paintbrush in many different colors)

2) Paint that is non-toxic in the following colors: brown, red, yellow, orange, and green.

Now here is where the patience part comes in. You take your child's hand and paint the thumb and palm brown. Then you paint the remaining fingers in the other colors, one color for each finger. Toddlers will squeeze their hands teacher because the texture is new to them but that's okay their turkey will still turn out fine. Once you have the entire hand painted, take their hands and press it down onto the construction paper, making sure to press each finger down. Then take their hand away and you should have a turkey. Make sure to write their names underneath so everyone knows whose beautiful turkey that is at the family dinner. While this is a messy messy project it is also one of the most fun because your child will love having paint all over their hands and looking at the turkey they made. Just be sure to wash their hands quickly after they are done., least you have hand print turkeys marching across your wall.

Another perhaps new idea is the "Thank you" box. You can take any ordinary shoe box of any size. Cut a hole in the top of the box big enough for papers to be dropped into and then let your family decorate it. They can cut out pictures from a magazine, make pictures themshelves whatever they feel is best. Everyone should participate in this as it is the family's "Thank you" box. Once that is done put the box in a common area where the family will have to pass through frequently along with some small slips of paper and pens. Up until the actual dinner have people write what they are thankful for and place it in the box. You have it be anonymous or have them sign it; either way the idea is still there that you can have your family gather after they are done eating and be reminded of all the things they have to be thankful for this year. This idea will work on an even grander scale if you happen to be hosting Thanksgiving dinner that year, for everyone in the family can participate then. Hopefully this idea will remind everyone that, no matter what types of trouble or strife you face throughout the year together, ultimately you are still a family and that is what matters.

Hopefully these ideas will help to enrich your Thanksgiving this year. There are tons of ideas and projects you can do with your children during November and I hoped I helped to give you a few new ones.