Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Activities for Preschool-Aged Kids

Decorative Place Mats

• Let the kids design a preschool Thanksgiving project that they can use during Thanksgiving dinner or in the classroom while having snacks. Create inexpensive place mats by giving each student an 11-by-17-inch piece of white, yellow, orange or brown construction paper. Gather washable paints, crayons, paper scraps and kitchen sponges cut into shapes like leaves or pumpkins. Kids should embellish the place mats by doodling, stamping designs with sponges and paint or creating a mosaic with bits of decorative paper. If your school has a lamination machine or you don't mind the added cost of getting it done at a copy shop, laminate the place mats for easy after-meal clean up.
  
  

Thanksgiving Candles

• Give each child an ivory, orange or brown candle. Help the kids measure and cut a 2-inch-wide strip of coordinating cardstock that's long enough to wrap around the center of the candle. Provide embellishments like turkey and cornucopia foam shapes, self-adhesive gems, artificial leaves and buttons that the kids can use to decorate the strip of cardstock. Affix the strip around the candle using double-sided tape.
  
  

Easy Centerpieces

• Plan a simple craft activity that allows the kids to design a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table. Give each student a 10-to-12-inch-tall polystyrene cone or cylinder sold at craft and discount stores. Show the kids how to use glue or double-sided tape to adhere silk or paper leaves to the polystyrene shape. Continue affixing foliage to the centerpiece until the object's sides and top are completely covered. Glue the polystyrene to a 6-by-6-inch piece of cardboard to keep the lightweight centerpiece from tipping over.
  
  

Turkey Artwork

• Organize Thanksgiving arts and crafts activities to create seasonal keepsakes for the students' parents. Trace the child's left hand on a piece of 12-by-12-inch cardstock. This will be the basic form for the turkey. Let the student draw eyes, a beak and the "waddle" dangling from the turkey's chin on the thumb portion of the hand and glue a colorful feather to each of the remaining fingers. Let children create the turkey body by coating a hand in paint and pressing it onto the paper instead of tracing the hand with a pen.