4 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts To Make The Kids' Table The Place To Be

Sitting at the kids table back in the day felt less like a party and more like some sort of punishment for simply not being old enough. Sure, you were with your cousins and siblings, but it always felt like you were the reject of a much more dignified gathering. 

Now that it's your turn this Thanksgiving to set up a kids' table, you can do everything in your power to make it the fun party center it was always meant to be. There are plenty of creative crafts to keep the young ones occupied before and after dinner, allowing you more time to visit with some more grown-up relatives and friends. And, by turning these simple crafts into activities, you can create holiday memories that will last a lifetime. Here are 4 easy ways to get the kids party started.

Pilgrim Hats

Cut strips of black construction paper for the Pilgrim hats to help your kids become the attendees of first Thanksgiving. The kids can decorate their own headbands with markers, sequins, and glitter for some fabulously adorable holiday photos. For an extra creative twist, have them put on a little sketch about the original Thanksgiving feast.

Toilet Paper Turkeys

All you need are toilet paper tubes, feathers, glue sticks, googly eyes, and construction paper to make this classic and cute Thanksgiving craft. To avoid a huge mess (and maybe a trip to the emergency room), cut out the tough shapes before the kids arrive. The children can turn their toilet paper tube turkeys into action figures and stay occupied for hours with some good old-fashioned make-believe.

Kid-Friendly Table Runner

Lay a sheet of butcher paper down the center of the kids table and set some crayons at each plate. This simple addition can have the children coloring for hours before dinner and during clean-up to give you some time to breathe. Turn this into an exercise about the meaning of Thanksgiving by asking them to draw what they are thankful for this year. Later, they can share their art with the family for some extra "awws."

Turkey Puppets

Have the kids trace their hands on construction paper and decorate in their own turkeys with sequins, feathers, puff balls, and markers. Help them cut it out and glue it to a wooden ice pop stick. Once it dries, they'll have the props for an after-dinner show!

Additional reporting by Lauren Gordon