Thanksgiving is a busy time for everyone. We’re cooking, visiting friends and relatives, and trying to still keep up with work, school, and childcare routines. With all that going on, it’s easy to feel like you don’t have time to enjoy the holiday with your family, especially your kids. When things get hectic around a holiday like Thanksgiving, the best thing to do is carve out some time to do something fun with them.
Try this easy Thanksgiving craft with your kids while you spend some quality time together!
Pinecone Turkeys
Anyone can make a hand turkey, but what about a pinecone? This craft is fun and easy, and you don’t need that many supplies. The first step is going outside and looking for pinecones. The wide, rounder ones work best for this. (If you don’t have pinecones in your yard, you can try a local park or pick some up at a craft store.)
What You Need
After you’ve found your pinecones, you only need to gather a few basic craft supplies:
- Paint – fall colors like red, orange, and yellow look nice on a Thanksgiving table, but there’s no reason you can’t use other colors
- Paintbrushes – smaller brushes are best for painting the pinecone scales
- Pom poms – small or medium-sized brown, tan, or white ones for the turkey’s face
- Googly eyes – because everything is cuter when you put googly eyes on it
- Felt – just a few scraps will do; orange or yellow for the beak and red for the waddle
- Glue – basic white glue, like Elmer’s or Tacky, is perfect
How to Make It
Start by painting the pinecone scales. Try using 2 to 3 colors, and you can even leave some of them unpainted. But they are the kids’ crafts, so let them paint them however they like! Once the paint is dry, glue a pom pom to the flat end of the pine cone. Cut a triangle of orange or yellow felt for the beak and a large teardrop shape in red for the waddle. Glue those and some googly eyes onto the pom pom and voila! You have a pinecone turkey!
Because this craft is relatively simple, you can let the kids make more than one. Use different colors, or just have a couple of practice pinecones. Having a few that are okay to “mess up” is especially helpful for kids who struggle with fine motor skills.
Find Great Childcare in Quincy at Wollaston Child Care Center!
It’s important to find childcare that is right for your child and for your family. At Wollaston Child Care Center, we have flexible programs that promote all aspects of a child’s well-being. Contact us at 617-773-7217 to find out what we can do for your child!
