Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, traditions, and feasting! It’s also an opportunity for kids to learn the history of the holiday, including the story of the pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving. A fun way to introduce this bit of history to children is through the book, Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving.

Kids can extend the fun of the book and bring this lovable character to life with this festive Pete the Cat Thanksgiving craft. They’ll love to dress the beloved blue feline up in his pilgrim’s hat using their creativity. 

Be sure to explore more Thanksgiving crafts that will keep kids learning and having fun all season long. 

Pete the Cat Pilgrim Craft

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To get started on this fun project, you’ll need a few simple supplies and our free template. We’ve made it easy for you to transform Pete into a pilgrim with some paper, scissors, glue, and a dash of creativity.

Supplies

• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pete the cat template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to get the template)

Directions

Download the template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.

Begin by gluing the outer eyes in the middle of Pete’s face.

Glue the inner eyes to the top of the outer eyes.

Next, glue the triangle nose in between and just below the eyes.

Position the overalls on Pete’s body and glue it down.

Glue the arms to the back and sides of Pete’s body.

Glue Pete’s tail to the back and lower portion of his body.

Place the hat at the top of Pete’s head and glue it in place.

Glue the white band on the hat, just above the brim.

Next glue the outer buckle at the middle of the white band.

Complete the buckle by attaching the inner buckle to the outer buckle using glue.

Finish up by adding the ears to the base of the hat.

Be sure to check out some of our other favorite Thanksgiving gifts for your kiddos while you’re here!

Thanksgiving Ideas

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s the perfect time for kids to get creative and learn more about the holiday. We have some great crafts and activities that will keep kids engaged and excited during this festive season.

Read on below for suggestions of some good books to read, hands-on projects to create, and interactive activities to enhance learning. Be sure to save the ideas that’ll interest your kiddos and ensure that they learn while having fun.

Thanksgiving Children’s Books

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!

Easy Kids Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

Paper Plate Pilgrim Craft – Make a simple paper plate into an adorable pilgrim with a little paint, paper, and our free template. Kids can bring history to life with this fun and easy craft project that uses inexpensive and readily available supplies.

Tissue Paper Turkey Craft – Kids will scrunch and glue colorful tissue paper onto our free turkey template to make this festive craft. Not only will they make an adorable turkey for Thanksgiving, but they’ll also boost their fine motor skills.

Thankful Turkey Craft – Encourage kids to think of what they’re grateful for while they make this craft that recycles an oatmeal container!

They’ll write on each tail feather of the turkey what they’re thankful for. Gather up the supplies and get ready for a fun craft time with the kiddos this Thanksgiving.

Paper Bag Corn Craft – When you’ve had a blast navigating the corn maze, keep the fun going at home by crafting an adorable corn puppet! Round up the kiddos, grab a plain paper bag, and have a-maize-ing fun with this craft!

Thanksgiving Printable Activities

Let’s stir up some fun with a festive turkey art project! Your little artists will love to color or paint this adorable turkey. As your kids gobble up the fun, they’ll also hone their fine motor skills.

It’s a fantastic way to get them in the festive spirit while letting their creativity soar. Grab the art supplies and watch your little turkeys’ creativity shine!

Feast on fun with these Thanksgiving worksheets for kids! In this trio of worksheets, your little learners can have a blast while boosting letter recognition, pattern solving, problem solving, and handwriting skills.

They’ll trace the letter T for turkey, navigate a letter C for cornucopia maze, and become pattern detectives to find the next Thanksgiving themed image in the lines of patterns. These festive printables are perfect for holiday learning, whether you’re at home or in the classroom.

Watch as three turkeys appear when kids go dot to dot on these turkey connect the dots. As they connect the dots, they’ll count their way from 1 to 20 and sharpen their letter skills from A to I while giving their fine motor skills a workout.

After uncovering the full turkey, it’s time to add some color and create festive Thanksgiving masterpieces, so grab the worksheets and crayons!

Continue the journey with the helpful pilgrim with these The Littlest Pilgrim activities. This fantastic collection of activities perfectly complements this sweet story.

Your preschooler will enjoy these Thanksgiving themed coloring pages, handwriting practice sheets, sorting by size worksheets, and tracing activities all while enhancing important skills.

These educational activities add a dash of excitement to their routine and make learning fun and enjoyable. Whether you’re at home or in the classroom, this free book companion set of printables will be a hit!

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 Thanksgiving Ideas

Pete the Cat Thanksgiving Craft Template