Days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! What better way to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season than making a few festive crafts as a family?
These 50 November-themed arts and crafts are bound to get your kids excited for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. From mitten matching games to science-y STEM crafts, there’s something here for every family to enjoy.
1. Make sure everyone in your home has a special place to eat with this easy Thanksgiving placemat craft.
2. This colorful turkey is a fun Thanksgiving craft that uses every child’s favorite plaything—bubble wrap!
3. A paper plate and a few everyday items are all you need to make this polar bear.
4. Mix up some gooey Thanksgiving slime—an activity your kids will definitely be thankful for!
5. This STEM activity will teach you how to make salt crystal snowflakes.
6. As the weather gets chilly, create and set up a windsock outdoors.
7. Print out a few Thanksgiving bingo cards and play as a family.
8. Set up this snowy owl craft and learn something more about birds, too.
9. This DIY lava lamp will create a nice, comforting glow on cold nights.
10. These paper mittens might not keep you warm, but they are fun to make all the same.
11. Paper bag scarecrows make for excellent puppets. Here’s how to make one!
12. This turkey craft made from a paper cup gobbles when you move a string up and down.
13. Learn how to make a leaf rubbing while putting together a paper hedgehog.
14. Make your own snow globe for a craft you’ll want to keep as a cute decoration.
15. For this craft, gather a few pinecones outside and put together your own Thanksgiving turkey.
16. If you live in a warmer area, you can mix up some pretend snow with just two ingredients.
17. Knitting is the perfect way to keep kids entertained through the fall and winter. Try it out with finger knitting.
18. For preschool-aged children, this sticker snowflake craft can be a fun way to practice motor skills.
19. You’ll want to put this paper apple pie up on the Thanksgiving table next to the real one!
20. Want to practice your origami skills? Make your own folded paper icicle.
21. Teach your younger children how to spell with these name snowmen.
22. Learn to draw a cornucopia for a Thanksgiving craft that also teaches you something new.
23. This ice skating craft will get your kids excited for winter—and they’ll be happy to see their own photo included!
24. Paint your own winter evening sky, then compare your art as a family to see how each one is unique.
25. Using popsicle sticks, you can create a mind-boggling penguin puzzle craft.
26. This no-sew sock bunny is soft and cozy: perfect for snuggling up with as we head into winter.
27. Need a friend for your paper bag scarecrow? Make this gingerbread man puppet, then hold a puppet show as a family.
28. The holidays can be stressful, but this DIY stress ball will get your family through it with a smile.
29. For a craft that’s tons of fun to play with, try making an apple shaker.
30. Gather some leaves outside and make a kid-friendly autumn wreath.
31. Put together some cute fall whirligigs that will spin around on windy days.
32. Make use of old toilet paper tubes with these jolly snowmen.
33. Cut and color these printable mittens for a matching game you’ll be able to reuse through fall and winter.
34. Make a lantern with blues and white tones that are reminiscent of a snowy evening.
35. These Star Wars STEM activities will help your family get through many a chilly weekend afternoon.
36. Teach your child how to make scratch art, a creative technique that reveals bright colors as you draw.
37.With a few orange pom poms and a creative eye, you can make a pretend pumpkin patch.
38. These ombre pinecones can be a fun, yet challenging craft for older kids.
39. Trace your hand on a piece of paper to make a dapper little handprint penguin.
40. What are you thankful for? Share your thoughts as a family with this thankful turkey craft.
41. If you’re getting some stormy fall weather, learn more about what’s happening outside with this rain cloud experiment.
42. Celebrate Thanksgiving by making a plastic cup pilgrim hat or two.
43. These leaf suncatchers resemble stained glass and can make for a beautiful window decoration.
44. Need to put some extra yarn to use? Create an autumnal yarn tree.
45. Let it snow indoors by building a cotton ball snowman.
46. Play this thankful spinner game together as a way to help kids express gratitude for their loved ones.
47. What’s the only thing better than hot cocoa? These hot cocoa-themed paper crafts!
48. Make a fall leaf garland to hang up around your house—a craft that’s as fun as it is beautiful.
49. Paint some rocks with messages of gratitude for a Thanksgiving centerpiece handmade by your family.
50. If your little ones love princesses, this Frozen-inspired magic wand is sure to delight.
