You’ve just gotten over the Halloween festivities and put all the ghouls and demons back in their coffins for another year.
Thanksgiving is a mere few weeks away, so keep the decorating momentum going with easy and fun crafts to decorate your dining room, living room and family room.
The kids get a kick out of seeing their creations front and center, and you get a few hours of peaceful quiet-time activities.
Just make sure to have the craft area well prepared and your monitoring chores will be minimal.
Here’s a cornucopia of crafting materials and idea books to keep the kids busy for hours.
Artificial Fall Maple Leaves
120 Artificial Fall Maple Leaves in a Mixture of Autumn Colors ASIN: B005HWFESY
These leaves are really great for all sorts of fall decorating projects. Whether they’re used to glue to a holiday wreath or used as stencils or embellishments for multimedia work, these richly colored leaves will add bold autumnal colors to your project.
The best part is that, unlike real leaves, these leaves won’t crumble and make a mess all over your house. There’s no need to keep a vacuum at the ready for errant leaf droppings.
Fall Leaves Glitter Foam Shapes
Fall Leaves Glitter Foam Shapes (90pc) ASIN: B00D5DV7J2
If you have tiny tots that want to get in on the fall leaf fun, here are foam leaves that are just right for little fingers.
These assorted foam leaves are perfect to add to multi-media collages or to place cards for your Thanksgiving Day table. You just may wind up with leaf magnets, leaf hair barrettes, leaf pencil toppers and a few hiding in your desk drawer.
Pipe Cleaners -Maple Leaf Colors
eeBoo Pipe Cleaners -Maple Leaf Colors ASIN: B00629Y7FC
What are kids’ crafts without pipe cleaners?
These chenille pipe cleaners come in three fall-colored hues and four different sizes. They are packaged in a set of 36 pieces, so there’s plenty for a number of crafty Thanksgiving projects.
The packaging also has a craft project printed on the back for instant inspiration.
American Crafts Cardstock
American Crafts 12-Inch by 12-Inch Cardstock Variety Pack ASIN: B001VMX6BG
Construction paper is great. It’s cheap, readily available and available in a lot of basic colors. However, if your child wants to do a special project for Grandma or you want to keep it as a memento, spend a few cents more and use cardstock.
American Crafts has put together this package of 60 sheets of cardstock in 15 earth tone hues. These sheets are 12” x 12”, so they’re large enough for a really special masterpiece from your little one.
This paper is sturdy enough to use with die-cutting machines and is colored all the way through, so you’ll never have white edges when it is folded or cut. This earth tone collection is perfect for Thanksgiving and other fall art projects.
Instant Paper Mache
Activa – CelluClay Instant Paper Mache 1 Pound ASIN: B001144SDE
Get out the old clothes, cover up the craft area with newspaper and let the paper Mache fun begin! Your kids will have a ball using paper Mache to create all sorts of Thanksgiving fun.
Turkeys, pilgrims and cornucopias are just a few of the decorations your children can make with easy-to-use paper Mache. After your little Michelangelo’s sculpture is dry, there’s more fun while your budding artist paints it with acrylic or tempera paint.
The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts
The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts, Grades K – 4 ISBN-10: 1561895865
Your kids will never have the rainy day blahs with this great book of crafts and a well-stocked craft supply cupboard. There’s creative fun for every season, and there are loads of Thanksgiving ideas to perk up your dining table or a feature wall.
This book is specifically designed with children from five to ten years of age, but there’s fun for everyone in the family as well. This is a go-to book whenever you hear that oft repeated, well-worn phrase “I’m bored.”
Thanksgiving Day Crafts
Thanksgiving Day Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do!) ISBN-10: 0766023451
This slender volume was created by a duo of elementary school educators, so it’s packed with projects that are kid tested and school approved.
It’s specifically geared to children seven and older and uses easy-to find materials so you won’t blow your decorating budget on expensive craft materials.
Easy-To-Do Holiday Crafts
This book is geared for ages seven and up, so there are crafts for almost everyone in the family.
You won’t need to spend a fortune at your local craft emporium to keep your kids well supplied with art materials when you keep them busy with crafts from this indispensable book.
Easy-to-Do Thanksgiving Crafts
175 Easy-to-Do Thanksgiving Crafts (Creative Uses for Recyclables) ISBN-10: 156397374X
The projects in this book use recyclables like plastic bottles, cardboard and household paper products to create inexpensive and festive holiday decorations. Children from five to 10 years of age will have fun making garlands, wreaths and table accessories along with perennial favorites, turkeys and pilgrims.
This book is packed with color photos and easy instructions, so every child will be able to create something special for your holiday festivities.
