200 Quick & easy experiments

Crazy chemistry experiments

Electronics & Robotics

Engineering & Building

Motion & Mechanics

Anatomy & Biology

Toy & game design

Math made fun

STEM Activities

750+ Quick & easy craft ideas

Recycled creations

Fun & functional projects

Jewelry & Fashion design

Handmade cards & gifts

Art & Creativity

Fun & Games

Hands-on learning

Sound & Music

Pretend play

Play & Learn

Kitchen science

Fun with food

Sweet & salty snacks

Treats & Dessert

Cooking for kids

Cooking & Baking

Animals & Bugs

Plants & Rocks

Seasons & Weather

Radical rainbows

Outdoor Adventures

Space exploration

Nature & Adventure

Birthday fun

Pi Day

Earth Day

Easter

Holiday & Events

Thanksgiving

fall

craft

gratitude project

Every Thanksgiving holiday, we have a family tradition where each of us writes down what we are thankful for. Typically, we just jot them down on some post-it notes and read them out loud, but this year, we wanted to create a centerpiece of gratitude. This tree is a simple but elegant way to display what we are are thankful for. Going forward, the tree will be a part of our holiday tradition.

a603f5ee64750.jpg

Collect some branches outdoors, or pick up a bundle from a craft store. Using your brush, paint them with white acrylic paint and let them dry.

afd3407347921.jpg

Fill your mason jar with whatever items you would like - we found these sequined balls and thought they would be a great festive addition! Finish the top of your mason jar with yarn or string.

ad34cd0919a59.jpg

Using your scissors, cut out leaf shapes from your paper. Cut small strips of string and glue them to the back of the leaves. Or, punch holes in the leaves and thread the string through the holes. Write down what you are thankful for on each leaf.

a19ed6bd2b70a.jpg

You are now ready to display this tree of gratitude! Use it as a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.

white acrylic paint

paint brush

glue

string

scissors

mason jar

branches

construction paper

Summer Break

Tree of Gratitude

indoor project

nature crafts

nature walk

nature

leaves

Thanksgiving crafts

decorations

household craft

homemade craft

easy craft

This year we wanted to make our family's place card holders for Thanksgiving feel festive and fun. Using a folding technique, we were able to create beautiful leaves and created a colorful and unique place card holder for everyone.

a50c1b06d0369.jpg

Leaves: First, fold your paper in half vertically, and cut a "U" shape.

a83acd9ca97a7.jpg

Then accordion fold your paper upwards, and with every fold cut the end with your scissor. 

a898e038f8b77.jpg

Once you are finished folding your paper, open it back up, and cut down the center line. 

a946ae3998981.jpg

Accordion fold the two pieces of paper up, and glue together to make a leaf shape. You can finesse the shape by creating a mini fan. Tie and glue a piece of string at the bottom of the leaf to create a stem. 

a756e5b70cd01.jpg

Stands: Glue one cork to one block. Let it dry. Once dry, paint the cork gold, and the wooden block brown.

a3d30212326b0.jpg

Then glue a paper leaf onto one side of the wooden block. 

ad7624444cb39.jpg

Wire: If you are using wire, ask a grown-up assistant to use wire cutters to cut a 5-inch long strand. Poke the wire or paper clip into the cork. Curl one end into a circle. This will be where you place your notecard.

a43d16be8438a.jpg

Display! Write down the names of the guests at your Thanksgiving table and set up the cardholders.

Glue

cork

Scissors

colored paper

Leaf Place Card Holders

sweet snacks

cookies

cooking for kids

treat

kid-friendly recipes

Did you know that you can make pumpkin cookies without baking them?We love fall, but not the warm weather that sticks around for most of the season, making baking unenjoyable. These tasty, tiny no-bake treats are perfect for kids to prepare and enjoy.&nbsp;&nbsp;These no-bake pumpkin cookies are super easy to make and don't require an oven. Get your kids involved and turn no-bake pumpkin cookies into a fun family activity!

a07d0410703b2.jpg

First, we added added the oats, raisins, sugar, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and chocolate chips into a bowl. My oldest (5) liked to do all the measuring of the ingredients, and my daughter (3) liked to do all the "dumping."

a3f2d88636eea.jpg

Once the dry ingredients were mixed, we added the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Then we mixed everything together. 

ac0dcf0b3a5df.jpg

Next for the fun part! We used a spoon to scoop up about a small handful of dough and rolled the scoops into balls. My son loved this part since his hands got to get dirty. My dainty daughter passed on this step...

ae14533eeaa05.jpg

While the kids were busy rolling the balls, I whipped together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipping cream to create a little topping for the cookies. (This step is totally optional but, in my opinion, there is nothing better than pumpkin and cream cheese...) I put the creamy mixture into small plastic bags and snipped off the corners.

a8495228ca68a.jpg

Then the kids squeezed the cream topping onto the cookies. This was my daughter's favorite part, since it was mess free and "artsy." 

a804e304bf1b1.jpg

We enjoyed our cookies right away, but you could also pop them in the fridge for a few hours. (This will firm them up a bit more and make them cool and refreshing.) The kids adore this recipe. And since the cookies are loaded with pumpkin, oats, and raisins, they're a great go-to after-school snack that makes everyone happy. 

canned pumpkin (1/2 cup)

oats (1 cup)

raisins (1/4 cup)

sugar (1/4 cup)

vanilla (1 tsp.)

nutmeg (1/2 tsp)

ginger (1/2 tsp.)

mini chocolate chips (1/4 cup; optional)

salt (1/4 tsp.)

cream cheese (1/2 cup)

powdered sugar (1/8 cup)

whipping cream (1 Tbsp)

No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies

turkey

game

indoor game

playdate activities

On Thanksgiving Day, we have a family tradition. We play the "Turkey Games." It's basically a bunch of games and friendly competition amongst our family and friends of all ages. As the table is being set and Thanksgiving dinner is cooking, it's a really fun way to spend time together. This year, we're trying out a new event: Turkey Bowling. My kids had a blast creating and playing this DIY game. Plus, the scoring brings a little math and learning to the fun. Strike!

ab8ea87809d8d.jpg

For our turkey bowling pins, we made paper feathers. If you have feathers on hand, you can simply use those. First, cut the paper into a rectangle. The length will be the height of the feather which you'll glue onto your bottle. So you might want to size it up against your bottle. Then, fold the paper in half and cut out half of a feather shape so that you have a feather when you open the fold.

a7f5e370ec867.jpg

Now you're going to make the barbs of the feather. With your feather folded, cut at a slant into the middle, along the edge. Don't cut all the way through. Keep making cuts all the way down.

a08c16202d6ed.jpg

When you open up the fold, you have your feather! I have to admit that we found this to be rewarding. The fringing makes the feather look pretty cool. We were making a set of 6 pins with 4 feathers each. So we repeated the steps for each one.

a72901543b009.jpg

Then we cut out the shape of the turkey's head/neck, beak, and wattle.

a6a802d4dd6e4.jpg

Glue the pieces that you cut out as well as the googly eyes onto the bottle.

a530c7630de32.jpg

To complete your turkey, flip the bottle over and glue a set of feathers onto the back.

a4e6cedae9909.jpg

Now grab a ball, and you're ready to bowl! On top of playing, my kids created a scoreboard to keep track of everyone's points. (I loved this because it's a way to bring a little math to the fun.) Hope you have as much fun as we did with this game!

paper in fall / turkey colors

Wiggle Eye Set

bottles (6)

ball

feathers

Turkey Bowling

art project

handmade cards

Thanksgiving always gives me warm fuzzies. The family gatherings, the irresistible comfort food--it makes me smile just thinking about it. When my oldest son was born, I decided to start an annual tradition that would make this holiday even more memorable. Every year, we paint handprint turkeys onto blank notecards and then add the words "I'm thankful for you!" Inside each card, we write a personalized message to the recipient sharing one reason they are special to us. We are fortunate to have wonderful friends and family and it always feels so good letting them know how much we care.

a0a195a5bbb0e.jpg

Hands-down, the first step is always my son's favorite. He dips his hand into brown paint and smears it around with a paintbrush to make sure that every inch is coated.

a101c961fdb8e.jpg

Then he carefully presses his hand down onto the paper. To help ensure that the handprint transfers well, I gently press down on each of his fingers too. 

ae2d28cb90113.jpg

After the paint has dried, my son glues a googly eye on top of his thumbprint...

af0d02df14cad.jpg

... and an orange beak for the turkey's nose and a red wattle under its chin.

a4a0a46c99eaf.jpg

And for a finishing touch, I carefully add the words, "I'm thankful for you!" to the front. Our homemade cards are complete and ready to be personalized. 

blank note cards

Construction Paper

Glue Stick

Markers

Thank You Cards

pumpkin

dessert

This recipe is super easy and, best of all, super fun for kids.  My grandmother taught me how to make press-in pie crust when I was a child, and I have been using this recipe ever since.   It saves time and it tastes wonderful, too. It's a fun, sensory activity for kids--sort of like playing with play dough, only you can actually eat it!

a5420598dab81.jpg

Make the pie filling, then mix together the dough ingredients. (We used a crumb topping for the apple pie version.) Form a ball of dough. (Younger children may need some help.) The dough should easily form a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a little more milk. If it's too wet, add a little more flour to get the right consistency.

a926928f71094.jpg

Show your kids how to press the dough into the pan to make a thin crust and crimp the edges at the top.  Pull off any extra dough. Then give them their dough and let them go for it! 

a8f5adb3ef247.jpg

Have kids scoop the filling from a bowl and put it into their crust. If you've made any crumb topping, have them sprinkle that on top of the filling. 

a3bf149dc4091.jpg

Bake your pies according to the filling recipe, minus a few minutes.  (The smaller pies don't take as long to bake.) Once the crust is golden brown and your filling is bubbling, your pies are ready to go. Bon appetit! 

flour (1.5 cups)

milk (3 tablespoons)

oil (1/2 cup)

sugar (2 tablespoons)

salt (a pinch)

pumpkin pie filling (or apple pie filling)

small foil pie tin (1 per child)

Mini Pumpkin Pies Crust

family activity

construction

Inspired by this classroom project I did years ago as a kid, our family got together to make a gratitude chain one evening during dinner! It's a great, kid-friendly project to remind the people around you to be grateful of the little things in life! You can hang your gratitude chain by tying strings around both ends of your chain and taping them to the wall. We also loved the idea of using the garland as tabletop decor. 

a5764fc81b360.jpg

Using scissors, cut the construction paper into strips. We cut ours 2" (5.1 cm)&nbsp;by 11" (27.9 cm). Use as many colors as you like! 

ae7a90283af36.jpg

Using markers, write down what you're thankful for on the strips. Some things our family was thankful for were sunny days at the beach, rainbows, and of course, each other.. Give some strips to your family members for them to write what they are thankful for! 

Bend one strip into a circle, and tape the ends together. Take a second strip, and weave it into the circle to create the next link in the chain. Tape the ends of the second circle. Keep linking your strips until the last one is taped together.

Tape

string (optional)

Gratitude Chain

outdoor activities

useful craft project

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, my kids created these simple-to-make placemats for all of our guests.

First, we took a bag and head outside for a nature walk.  (We love wearing our cozy fleeces in the crisp autumn air!)  This year, we walked around our neighborhood, gathering leaves.  Other years, we've gone out on hiking trails  searching for colorful leaves.

a260172b5cf58.jpeg

The conversation centered on the colors of the leaves. We started with what colors my kids observed. "Red, yellow, orange, green, and purple leaves!" they exclaimed. "Purple?" I asked. As it turns out, the dark red/maroon leaves actually look dark purple. I find it so fun and inspiring when my kids observe something that I don't. Today, I learned that leaves turn purple! Then we stated to talk about why the leaves turn colors. My 4.5 -year-old explained, "Because it's fall, Mommy." How very true. We talked about how, in the fall, it gets cooler and the sun doesn't stay out as long. So the green color (chlorophyll), which likes warm weather and sun, goes away, and you can see yellow and red. Back home, we selected leaves for each mat. For each mat, we cut two pieces of contact paper. We cut off ~12 inches (~30.5 cm)&nbsp;from the roll for each piece.

32 best thanksgiving projects for kids

Screen-free fun!