Thanksgiving is always a great holiday for family and friends to enjoy together and preschoolers all have a great time helping prepare for this fun and festive event. There are always dozens of preschool Thanksgiving activities that you can share with your children that will help give them a sense of what this Thanks…giving time is all about.
Hand Trace a Mr. Turkey
The hand tracing is one of the easiest ways for children to create their own Mr. Turkey. Help them trace the outline of their hands with their fingers separated. The thumb will become the head and the fingers are of course the tail feathers. Let the children draw and color Mr. Tom Turkey the way that they choose. They can even glue bits and pieces of construction paper or fabric to their turkey to make him more decorative. Have them list one thing they are thankful for on each of the four tail feathers and then this art can be displayed for all guests to enjoy.
Pumpkin Pie
You can hollow out a pumpkin and let your preschoolers help you separate all of the seeds from the pulp. This can get messy, but your help will be totally enthusiastic about the process, especially when they find out that you can roast and eat these seeds. They may not be perfect at this task, but you will no more willing helpers anywhere on earth.
The pulp can be used for pumpkin pie, breads or puddings. Let the younger ones come up with ideas on how to use this ingredient in a recipe. You might want to write their ideas and directions down to share later with the family….they can be extremely creative when it comes to cooking tips.
Paper Plates for Kindergarten Thanksgiving Art
Let your children have a plain white paper plate and they can draw a turkey, a Pilgrim or an Indian in the center of the plate. You can also let them glue a cut out photo of a Thanksgiving scene in the center instead of the drawing. Then they can use paints or markers to decorate the rest of the plate. After the paint or markers have dried, use craft glue and the multi-colored pastas to create a frame around the edges, This is a great activity that the children will love, especially if the adults remember to let them do it their own way.
Handprints Tablecloth
Take a plain white sheet and some markers and let your children create a great keepsake for the holidays. Make sure that the markers are permanent fabric markers and let them write their names, and trace their hand prints onto the sheet. You can add the date at one of the corners. If your children want to make other drawings or list things that they are thankful for on the sheet, even better. You can wash the sheet and use it this year as a tablecloth on either the main table or the kids’ table. Have it cleaned after the meal and pack it away for next year’s event. The children can even add more personal touches to it each year.
With just a one of these preschool Thanksgiving activities you can spend an enjoyable time with your kids while sharing some Thanksgiving stories.