Thanksgiving Fingerplays, Crafts, and Felt Board Ideas

The holidays are a wonderful time for doing kids crafts, songs, poems, and felt board projects with preschoolers and kindergarten children. Kids love getting involved with holiday preparation and fun. Thanksgiving crafts and songs build anticipation for the holiday season and help decorate the house, as well.

Thanksgiving is a time when you can combine both autumn crafts and Thanksgiving theme ideas together. I have included a few felt board ideas, fall crafts, and fingerplays for your child to enjoy.

The following Thanksgiving rhyme is ideal for a felt board activity. It is also a wonderful math and numbers learning tool. Children learn much quicker when they hear and see the math concept in front of them. Reinforce math facts and counting while having fun.

If you don't have a felt board, this is also perfect as a fingerplay or Thanksgiving skit for the children to act out.

Five Little Turkeys

5 little turkeys by the barn door (hold up open hand)
1 saw some corn and then there were 4 (fold down one finger)
4 little turkeys flew up a tree (fly 4 fingers into the air)
1 fell down and then there were 3 (one finger falls to the ground)
3 little turkeys gobbled as they do (hold up 3 fingers)
A dog chased 1 and then there were 2 (left hand chases 1 finger on right hand)
2 little turkeys strutting in the sun (hold up 2 fingers)
The wind came along and then there was 1 (make wind movement with left hand)
1 little turkey began to run (1 finger runs)
For he saw the farmer and now there are none. (left hand grabs right hand)

For the felt board, have each child choose felt pieces before acting out the rhyme. When they hear their part, they put the felt piece on the board or take it off the board.

Indian Corn Craft (Easy)

Supplies:

Red, yellow, orange tempera paint
Green or tan construction paper
White construction paper

1. On white construction paper, draw the oval shape of an ear of corn.
2. Cut out two corn husks for the bottom of the corn.
3. Give each child some red, yellow, and orange paint.
4. Have the children dip one finger in the paint and make a fingerprint on the corn shape.
5. Use all the different colors for the corn, filling in the whole ear.
6. Glue the corn husks at the bottom of the corn.

This is an easy project that the children will be proud to display for Thanksgiving or as an autumn decoration.

Turkey Handprint (easy)

Supplies:

Red, yellow, and orange tempera paint
White construction paper
Brown construction paper
Orange construction paper

1. Draw a turkey body and head on brown constructionpaper and cut out.
2. Glue the brown turkey body onto white paper (or color of choice).
3. Have children paint their hands with the red, yellow, and red paint then press onto the back of the turkey for the feathers. They children can do this until they have as many feathers as they want.
4. Cut out a beak and turkey legs out of the orange construction paper and glue on.
5. Draw on an eye and the turkey is done.

Turkey Dinner Fingerplay

Up and down, round and round (make circles in the air)
The turkey ran across the ground. (wave hands across the floor)
Over, under, in between (hold hands up, down, and between the legs)
Now the turkey can't be seen.

The farmer looks in front (look in front, holding hand above the eyes)
The farmer looks behind, (look behind, holding hand above the eyes)
Still the turkey can't be found.

There's the turkey (point across the room)
Running right (move hands right)
Running left (move hands left)
Over the hill and out of sight (move hands up and down)
No turkey for dinner tonight!

The turkey fingerplay is ideal for teaching left and right positions, following directions, and up/down directional movements.

Hope these kids fall and Thanksgiving craft ideas help make the holidays fun for both you and your children. Be creative, change them up a bit to fit any holiday theme you would like.