This paper bag pilgrim craft is the perfect Thanksgiving project for the kids to do! It’s a great preschool Thanksgiving craft that’s fun to make too.
If you’ve looked around our site, you know we love paper bag puppet crafts. We make them for every season and for anything we can think of.
They’re great because they’re cheap, easy to make and fun to play with once the kids are done making them!
Last year we made a cute turkey paper bag puppet so this year we’ve created these simple pilgrim puppets to go along with it.
They come with a free printable template so it’s easy to recreate at home or in the classroom.
We think preschoolers, pre-k, and kindergarten children will love creating their own pilgrim for Thanksgiving Day!
Pilgrim Puppet Craft
Supplies
- Brown paper bags
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pilgrim puppet template (download form located at the end of this post)
Directions
Download the pilgrim template, print and cut out the pieces you need.
Assemble the head by gluing the ears on either side of the paper bag flap. Next glue the face on top of the flap.
Create the mouth by gluing the tongue to the mouth and trimming off any excess paper. Take the completed mouth and glue it below the nose.
Place the eyes slightly above the mouth and glue in place.
Glue the hair above the eyes, then glue the neck on the main piece of the paper bag, just below the head.
Position the black body on the main part of the paper bag and glue it slightly over top the neck piece.
Next, glue the collar to the top of the neck. You only want to see the skin colored paper in the center of the collar, not the black paper.
For boy pilgrims, assemble the pilgrim hat by gluing the white strip on the hat. In the middle of the strip, glue the gold rectangle and then on top of that glue the white rectangle. Trim off any excess paper that falls off of the hat.
For the girl pilgrims, glue the front of the bonnet to the back of the bonnet.
Take the completed hat or bonnet and glue it towards the top of the hair.
You’re done! Now your child has a fun pilgrim puppet they can use to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Preschool Activities
If you’d like to make a whole Thanksgiving unit for your preschooler, we’ve got some great ideas to get your started!
These Thanksgiving I Spy printables are a great activity for young children. They will help kids with visual discrimination, counting, and writing numbers. Plus, they’re super fun and engaging!
Want a simple STEM activity? These Thanksgiving pattern block mats are perfect for that. They’ll help with shape recognition, fine motor skills, and patterns.
If you want to include the whole family in Thanksgiving festivities, this Thanksgiving activity bundle is perfect.
You’ll find bingo cards, a gratitude tree printable, turkey headbands, a kids activity placemat and so much more!
Crafts are a fantastic way to work on things like scissor practice, glue control, fine motor skills, following directions, and more!
Some of our favorite Thanksgiving crafts include this handprint turkey, this scarecrow puppet craft, or this easy corn craft for kids.
All of these are simple, fast, and great for young children.
If your child loves sensory activities, this gratitude sensory bin is perfect for Thanksgiving! Another fun option is this turkey sensory bin.
We also love using this roll a turkey printable game for kids. Just print, grab some colorful candy or pom poms, and let the kids play!
There are endless ways to make an easy and engaging Thanksgiving unit for your preschoolers to learn and explore!
Share With Us
Did you make this craft with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!
For a chance to have your child’s craft 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 Fun Kid’s Crafts
More Thanksgiving Ideas
Paper Bag Pilgrim Craft
Make this cute paper bag pilgrim craft for Thanksgiving!
Materials
- Brown paper bags
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pilgrim puppet template (download form located at the end of this post)
Instructions
- Download the pilgrim template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
- Assemble the head by gluing the ears on either side of the paper bag flap. Next glue the face on top of the flap.
- Create the mouth by gluing the tongue to the mouth and trimming off any excess paper. Take the completed mouth and glue it below the nose.
- Place the eyes slightly above the mouth and glue in place.
- Glue the hair above the eyes, then glue the neck on the main piece of the paper bag, just below the head.
Position the black body on the main part of the paper bag and glue it slightly overtop the neck piece.- Next, glue the collar to the top of the neck. You only want to see the skin colored paper in the center of the collar, not the black paper.
- For boy pilgrims, assemble the pilgrim hat by gluing the white strip on the hat. In the middle of the strip, glue the gold rectangle and then on top of that glue the white rectangle. Trim off any excess paper that falls off of the hat.
- For the girl pilgrims, glue the front of the bonnet to the back of the bonnet.
- Take the completed hat or bonnet and glue it towards the top of the hair.