Thanksgiving with Kids

I have some Do-It-Yourself tips to make this Thanksgiving even more blessed. Frugal, creative and green are this season’s theme, even if you are creatively challenged. These ideas are budget friendly, so anyone can do them. I hope these ideas spark some inspiration to make at least one of these crafty creations for your Thanksgiving this year.

Get The Kids Involved with these Frugal Decorations:

(Free step-by-step instructions with photos are available at Crafters 4 Kids)

Thanksgiving Projects:

1. Indian Corn Decoration - Children will have so much fun making this project!  Tear strips of tissue paper and then clump them into small balls.  Attach the tissue paper to yellow cardstock with craft glue.  Add raffia at the bottom of the corn for the final touch and easy hanging.

2. Thanksgiving Terra Cotta Pot Decoration - This fun table decoration can also be used as a candy dish.  Make a turkey's face by covering a wooden spoon with craft foam.  Next attach a foam strip around the edge of a terra cotta pot, insert feathers along the inside of the foam, and glue on the turkey's face.  This craft also makes a great hostess gift.

3. Thanksgiving Turkey Fan Decoration - This easy craft is made by folding paper into a fan shape, attaching a clothes pin at the bottom to hold the fan upright, lastly covering a wooden spoon in craft foam for the turkey's head.

4. Thanksgiving Turkey Card - Send family members a Thanksgiving Invite.  Children can make the invite easily by covering wooden spoons with craft foam into the shape of a turkey.

5. Turkey Placecard Setting - This very easy placecard is made using recycled cork, feathers, and pipe cleaners to form a turkey.  The guest's name can then be placed onto the turkey.

Other Frugal Home Décor Projects for Thanksgiving Include:

Turkey Handprint: Grab some brown construction paper and help your children trace their hand prints on it. Cut their handprints out and let them draw a face for the turkey on the thumb. They can creatively color the “feathers” and add some glitter glue for a festive spark.

Glam Leaves: Get some foam sheets that have adhesive backs and cut several leaf shapes out. Add some rhinestones and glitter to the sticky side (nice and clean – no glue necessary!) and hang them up with a ribbon.

Family Thanksgiving Activities:

1. “Thankful Tree”. Draw a tree full of branches on construction paper and cut it out. Draw and cut out about 10 to 20 construction paper leaves. Have each family member write something that they are thankful for on each leaf. Create your “Thankful tree” by placing the leaves on the tree. When they see it on paper, your family will feel so thankful for the blessings that they have.
2. Take a Nature Walk. After the big Thanksgiving dinner, spend time with family and children outside, walking. Enjoy identifying the different types of trees by their leaves and be sure to take lots of pictures – later on, you can turn the pictures into home made holiday cards and gifts.
3. Play a game. Gather the whole family and play an all-time favorite game. It can be a board game or an active game like Pictionary.

Building upon the idea of grace and encouraging children to be thankful for even the simple things in life are lessons that will stay with them over the course of their lives. When you do activities to teach (and remind) them about being thankful, you are giving them essential building blocks for future endeavors as well as showing them how very blessed they are right now.

About the Author:

Sandy Sandler is the founder of non-profit Crafters 4 Kids and creator of the QVC best-seller, the Bowdabra. Her frugal craft projects and activity ideas are designed to transform the creatively-challenged into creative pros. Sandy’s focus is on creative and easy projects that parents can do with their kids and that kids can even do on their own that are both frugal and green in nature. Crafters 4 Kids focuses on projects that can be done under 5 minutes and under $5. Visit www.C4K555.org. Contact Sandy at jaimevivre@mac.com