Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas the Kids Will Love

Great food, messages of togetherness and gratitude, fun decor and good company all make Thanksgiving a great holiday for kids. Help your children get into spirit before the big day arrives by making crafts to display around the house. Use these decorating ideas for Thanksgiving from us at Pottery Barn Kids to help explain what the holiday is all about and add some wonderfully kid-friendly decor to your home.

Bubble Wrap-Printed Corn Garland

Anything with a raised texture is ideal for a stamp – even bubble wrap! This clever corn decor uses simple elements to create paper art that you can use to make a variety of different decorations, including place cards for each Thanksgiving dinner table setting.

Supplies

Step 1: Make Stamps

You can use bubble wrap alone to make a stamp, but attaching this material to a stiffer material, such as cardboard, makes it easier for kids’ hands to grip. Cut small squares of cardboard and attach pieces of small 3/16" bubble wrap with thick glue. Set these aside to dry.

Step 2: Prepare Paint and Start Stamping

Cover your table with newspaper or a washable plastic tablecloth and start getting the paint ready for stamping. Pour out a thin layer of paint onto a plate, using one plate for each color. Then arrange your yellow construction paper so kids can easily access the paint and move their bubble wrap stamps from the plate to their paper. Make sure the kids don’t pick up too much paint with their stamps and the bubble kernels show through. Show the kids how layering on different colors creates a bright texture each time.

Step 3: Cut Corn Cob Shapes and Husks to Finish
 

Let the stamped paper dry. Then, use scissors to cut out oval corn cob shapes. Use your green construction paper to create husks for the base and the cobs’ sides and attach using your glue. From here, you can do just about anything you want with your Thanksgiving paper craft, including using string to make a garland or attaching them to paper dinner invites.

Butternut Turkeys

Did you know that most of the colorful craft feathers used in kids’ art projects are actually sourced from turkeys? They may not be dyed in the most realistic colors, but you can use these rainbow-hued feathers to create seasonal and adorably fun decorations for Thanksgiving. This project shows that gourd decorating isn’t just for Halloween. It’s so simple and entertaining that you might want to make sure you have enough supplies, so that you can make your own!

Supplies:

Step 1: Create a Turkey Face

Have kids pick one side of the squash to act as the front, then have them orient the squash with the large side down. The turkey’s face should go on the smaller top part, with the large end serving as the turkey’s body. Kids can make the faces however they like with the supplies you’ve provided.

Step 2: Attach Feathers

While the glue, paint or marker is drying on the front of the turkey’s face, have the kids pick out some feathers to serve as the fan-shaped tail, which they’ll attach to the back of the turkey with glue. You can help kids pick out just enough feathers to create a small fan made of a single layer of feathers, or you can assist them in picking out enough feathers to make a thicker multi-level fan. You can also inject an educational component to the activity by showing the kids some pictures of real turkeys so they understand the general shape they’ll be attempting to create.

As the kids attach the feathers to the back side of the squash, help them create an even fan by attaching the feather strips to the bottom of the squash using glue. If you want to create multiple layers, have the kids attach smaller feathers first and then layer larger feathers on top, so they’ll all be visible from the front of the turkey. Let the glue dry and then display your butternut turkeys in the playroom or wherever they’ll bring your children the most joy!