It’s almost Turkey time and an exciting time of the year filled with cooler weather, holiday preparation, and family get-togethers. You can make days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving full of fun hands-on crafts and activities for your preschooler and young children. Your child can learn about new things and get involved in the spirit of the Fall holiday with these ideas!
1. “Give Thanks” Wreath
For a meaningful activity, create a paper wreath out of autumn-colored cardstock or construction paper cut into leaves. Talk to your kiddo about things they are thankful for, like family, friends, music, teachers, and anything their little minds can come up with. Glue or tape the pieces together and hang up on a door or on the fridge!
2. Make an Autumn Sensory Bin
Sensory bins are so versatile and can be created year-round to match a specific theme, event, or interest your child might be excited about. Find items from the craft store that you can put into a large bin to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving! From mini pumpkins to pinecones and pumpkin seeds, your little one will love this Fall-inspired sensory experience.
3. Fall Scrapbooking
With a few scrapbooking materials and printed photos, your preschooler will love making a special page or two that they can decorate how they wish. You can incorporate stamps, cutouts, stickers, ribbon, and plenty of other materials to create a fun activity young ones will love. Did we mention this is a good one for fine motor skills too?
4. Make Pinecone Turkeys
What kid doesn’t like pinecones? This time of year, craft stores have plenty of pinecones to go around. With a few pieces of felt, googly eyes, some feathers, and a hot glue gun, you can help your preschooler or toddler put together little pinecone turkeys that they’ll be more than happy to make. Plus, this activity has minimal mess involved – that’s always a win.
5. Paint With Leaves
Whether you get Autumn leaves from the store or ones that have fallen on the ground, you can help your kiddo paint their leaves and press onto paper for a unique activity. This one can get a bit messy so you may want to put on some smocks.
6. Painting Pumpkins
Pumpkins aren’t just limited to Halloween! Pumpkins are a staple for fall decor, and kids seem to love them. Set up some paints and different size pumpkins for your little one to decorate however they wish.
7. Find Some Printables Online
There are almost endless options for free Thanksgiving-themed printables you can find online. From pilgrim hats to scavenger hunts, you can find dozens of printables for your preschooler online. Check out this huge list of free printable activities for Fall.
Have an Amazing Thanksgiving
All of these activities allow plenty of opportunities to help your child work on fine and gross motor skills, following directions, and exercising their creativity. You can help them get excited about the holiday and maybe even develop some activity traditions of your own. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!