Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in tradition and history. We often talk about the delicious food and our gratitude for our lives, but do our kids know about the pilgrims and all they did for us?

Why not help your kids learn more about the pilgrims and their stories this Thanksgiving?

One easy way to do this is by making this Mayflower handprint craft. There’s no messy paint involved, and the kids will be proud of their finished project!

Grab those crafting supplies and get busy teaching and having fun. For more ideas, check out all of our Thanksgiving crafts for kids.

Mayflower Ship Craft

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Supplies

• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil
• Mayflower template (unlock the image to go to the download page)

Directions

Start by downloading the template and printing it out. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity.

Begin by taking the 3 portholes and gluing them in the middle of the ship base.

Trace your child’s hand on the paper and cut it out. Next, take the regular front sail and glue it just below the top of the pole.

Now, place the handprint sail below the regular sail and glue it down.

Place the completed sails on a piece of blue paper and glue it in place.

Position the ship base at the bottom of the background paper and glue it onto the pole.

Finish up by gluing the ocean wave to the bottom of the boat.

Isn’t this such a cute and simple handprint craft for kids?!

Fun Turkey Paper Cup Craft

Thanksgiving Ideas For Kids

Looking for a fun and educational Thanksgiving unit study to add to your lesson plans? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of books, paper crafts, and activities that will keep your kids engaged and learning all holiday long.

Start with some Thanksgiving books, then get those creative juices flowing with crafts. And finally, end the unit with a bang and some printable activities!

Books About Thanksgiving

Below are some of the top Thanksgiving books for kids!

Turkey Trouble – If you’ve never read this book, you have to add it to your holiday collection! It’s so cute and fun and kids just love it! Follow the turkey around the farm as he disguises himself as different animals so the farmer doesn’t catch him for Thanksgiving dinner!

How To Catch A Turkey – Kids who love the How To Catch books will want to see all the crazy contraptions kids make to try to catch a turkey loose at the school!

Pete The Cat: The First Thanksgiving -Every Pete the Cat book is fantastic, but this one takes it up a notch with flaps for the kids to open. It’s a great way to get the kids excited about reading and Thanksgiving!

Kids’ Thanksgiving Crafts

Related: Thanksgiving I Spy Printables

Try these easy Thanksgiving crafts:

Tissue Paper Turkey Craft—This turkey craft is perfect for kids! You just glue tissue paper squares all over the paper to create a turkey.

It’s colorful and fun, and it’s a great way for kids to practice their hand-eye coordination.

Paper Bag Pilgrim Craft—Paper bag crafts are a fun and easy way for kids to celebrate Thanksgiving. All you need is a brown lunch sack, some paper, and other supplies from around the house. Just follow the instructions to have kids create their holiday puppets.

Thankful Turkey Craft – This is a simple project that can be made with an old oatmeal container, some color paper, and some glue. Kids can write all the things they’re thankful for on the feathers.

It’s a fun way to get kids involved in the Thanksgiving holiday, and it helps them recognize the things they’re grateful for.

Paper Pumpkin Craft – This pumpkin craft is perfect for kids! It’s simple and easy to follow, plus it’s totally adorable. Your little ones will love getting crafty and showing off the finished product!

Thanksgiving Activities For Kids

As parents know, getting kids to sit still and focus on a task can be challenging. That’s why these pumpkin worksheets are so great—they combine the fun of fall with the opportunity to practice important skills like handwriting, finding letters, and recognizing patterns!

These turkey do a dot printables for kids are not only super cute, but also beneficial for helping kids develop their fine motor skills.

Try this Turkey Headband Craft

As little fingers dab each circle, they can strengthen the muscles in the hand.

This Thanksgiving, put a twist on the traditional “pin the tail on the donkey” game and have some fun with a turkey! Just print out this pin the beak on the turkey game, cut out the pieces, and blindfold each player in turn.

Then, see who can come closest to placing the beak in the correct spot. This game will definitely get a few laughs and create lasting memories.

Try these Thanksgiving Lego printables to add hands-on learning to your holiday celebrations. These printables allow kids to practice counting, patterns, and handwriting while having fun building Legos!

It’s the perfect independent work activity to keep kids occupied while you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey Popsicle Stick Craft

Share With Us

Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Thanksgiving Ideas

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