10 THANKSGIVING CRAFTS FOR TODDLERS WITH SENSORY PLAY
As Thanksgiving rolls around, it’s the best time to reflect on gratitude, family, and of course, yummy food! But beyond that, the holidays are a wonderful time to introduce our little ones to the significance of the occasion, while helping them learn and grow all at the same time! And what better way to do that than through arts and crafts?
You may be wondering, “how does arts and crafts help a child’s development?” Specifically, what do the holidays have to do with it? Aside from it being a fantastic bonding experience, it’s one of the best ways to take exciting, real-life events, and turn them into an opportunity to learn!
Adding in sensory play takes craft time up a notch. Incorporating sensory elements into crafts is good for keeping those little hands busy while introducing them to a world of new textures, colors, smells, and maybe even tastes!
To help you make the most out of this festive, craft-filled season, I’ve compiled a list of Thanksgiving craft ideas for toddlers that incorporate sensory play!
10 Thanksgiving Crafts for Toddlers with Sensory Play
Handprint Turkeys
This Thanksgiving craft idea, while it may be a bit messy, it’s easy to create and provides the most precious keepsake. We’re gonna be using the taste safe paint recipe for this activity, because we all know how often our curious little toddlers want to put things in their mouths!
Start off making your taste safe paint, and organize each color into their own individual cups or bowls. Next, grab a sponge or paint brush, and paint your little one's palm and their thumb brown. For their fingers, you’re going to want to do a different color for each finger you can even ask which color they want on each finger to include them in the decision-making!
Have them place their painted hand on a piece of paper to make a turkey, and use a tiny bit of craft glue to add on some googly eyes. Once it dries, you have a memory that will last you a lifetime and your little one gets to make a holiday themed craft that keeps them engaged with cool, slimy textures!
Pumpkin Pie Sensory Bin
Tis’ the season for pumpkin pies and fun-themed sensory bins! If you’ve been following along for a while, you know that sensory bins have tons of benefits so I incorporate them as much as I can! Let’s turn a regular sensory bin into a Thanksgiving dessert themed treat!
We’re gonna start this activity off by incorporating a quick and easy play recipe! First, check out my colored dyed rice DIY post to make some bright, pumpkin-colored rice. Next, add some corn kernels, orange Pom Poms, fun colored sequins, and maybe even some cinnamon sticks into your sensory bin.
Finally, get some orange play dough (or follow this homemade play dough recipe if you want to make your own), grab some mini pie tins, and let your kids mash everything together to “bake” their own Pumpkin Pies! The scents, the textures, and the bright colors are perfect for fostering imaginative play!
Cranberry Dough Cookies
This activity is similar to the previous one, but rather than “baking” pumpkin pies, we’re gonna be using cranberry dough to “bake” cookies! Because play dough is so beneficial, I try to incorporate it in as many activities as I can.
Begin by making cloud dough, using cranberries for a naturally-dyed alternative. If you want the dough a little brighter, feel free to add in some food coloring! Once it’s done, place the dough into a dish, and set up the play area as a baking station. Lay out some little rollers, paper towels, plates, and fall-themed cookie cutters!
With the squishy texture of the dough, the smell of the cranberries, and the bright, eye-catching dough color, this activity is a sensory-rich experience!
Color Changing Trees
This is a fun activity when you want to discuss the changing of seasons to your kiddos! Even if they don’t fully understand the concept yet, it’s a visually engaging activity for all to enjoy.
To begin, grab 2 white cups. On the first cup, draw a tree trunk silhouette in brown permanent marker, and a silhouette of a tree top using a gray/black permanent marker. With an X-acto knife, cut out the tree top. On your second cup, use markers to gradually draw linear slots of color from green, to yellow, to orange, etc. Leave room for a slot with no color!
Insert the colored cup into the tree silhouette, and have your little one turn it slowly to watch the leaves magically change colors!
Leaf Print Painting
Leaf print painting is a great way to implement nature into arts and crafts combining different shapes and textures with bold colors will keep your little ones intrigued all day!
Plus, you most likely already have everything you need right at home. Start by going outside and having your kid(s) pick out a handful of the biggest and best leaves. Next, grab a few sheets of white paper and some Crayola kids paint you can also use glitter paint if you prefer! Put some paint on recycled paper plates, and ask your little ones to lay the leaf in the paint.
Once they do that, have them gently stamp the leaf onto the piece of white paper to create leaf impressions. Ta-da! That’s it! It may be a little messy, but their excitement of seeing their masterpieces come to life make up for it.
Painting with Corn Kernels
We’re gonna be recreating the painting with beans activity, but we’ll be using corn kernels to put a Thanksgiving spin on it!
Grab a bamboo tray and add a few drops of paint in different areas of the tray. For an added sensory experience, you can ask your kids to drop in the kernels around the tray otherwise, lay them sporadically around the tray and shake it a bit to get them to move around.
Now, have your little one use their finger (or a spoon) to move the kernels around the tray, blending the paint however they like! Not only is it an engaging activity, it also aids in things like fine motor skills, sensory stimulation, cognitive development, and creativity!
Also, if you don’t have a bamboo tray and you just want to enjoy a quick and fun activity, you can also use recycled cardboard boxes!
Salt Painted Turkeys
Step aside salt-painted flowers, we’re crafting salt-painted turkeys for a festive, Thanksgiving sensory play twist! This taste-safe activity may be a bit more intricate (I’m personally not a pro at drawing turkeys), but the end result is so worth it!
Using watercolor paper, draw the outline of a turkey with permanent marker. Next, outline the turkey using glue, and add a good amount of salt on top before it dries. In small bowls or cups, make different colors by mixing a few drops of food coloring with water.
Hand over a dropper to your kiddo so they can easily pick up and drop a little bit of colored water onto the salt art. If you want it to look like a traditional turkey, help them with the colors as they go. Otherwise, let them pick and choose the colors as they wish!
Fall Sensory Bag
There are two huge reasons why I love this activity. The first reason is because sensory bags are fantastic tools for aiding in your little ones development. The second reason is because you probably already have everything you need for this activity right at home!
Grab a Ziploc bag, and fill it with an even mixture of materials found both in your home and outside I’m talking about dry crunchy leaves, acorns, feathers, glitter, orange Pom poms, colored dry pasta your options are endless.
Fill your bag with your materials and add water to about half of the bag. Remove all the air before closing it, and tape it down to whatever surface you’re playing on. This activity is perfect for introducing your little ones to various textures and visually intriguing elements all while remaining Thanksgiving themed!
Thankful Tree Activity
This activity is great when you want to provide several sensory benefits, as well as help your little ones reflect on what they’re grateful for! It’s perfect for the holiday season.
Get a plain piece of white paper, and use some brown paint to draw a tree trunk. Put some paint on recycled paper plates (I recommend colors like red, orange, and yellow), and have your little one place their entire hand in the paint. This may be messier than you’d prefer, so you can also just use a paint brush to paint their hands for them! Finally, have them firmly place their hand on the piece of paper where the branches end to resemble the tops of the trees.
Once that dries, you can use a permanent marker to write what your little ones are grateful for on the tree tops. Your kiddos will love the feeling of the paint on their hands, and they benefit from the tactile exploration. It’s a win-win!
Printable Activity Pack
Activity packs are incredibly useful tools for keeping your kids engaged, and aiding in developmental milestones. You can integrate them into some of your other play activities, or you can just use them as a standalone activity!
On the Mothercould in your Pocket resource, I have a Thanksgiving Mini Activity Pack that incorporates the benefits from both sensory play and arts and crafts! It’s full of activities that include coloring turkeys, completing a maze, and filling your Thanksgiving dinner plate.
Not only do you get an activity pack for this specific holiday, you also have access to plenty more themed activity packs, step-by-step tutorials, and engaging play recipes! Sign up today!
How To Make Thanksgiving Fun For Toddlers
Engage in hands-on crafts to make the most out of the experience.
Setting up hands-on Thanksgiving sensory activities allows toddlers to explore textures and colors, all while tapping into their creativity. The more hands-on an activity is, the more your toddlers will feel involved in what they’re doing. This also strengthens their fine motor skills!
Include activities that emphasize gratitude and thankfulness.
Activities that are focused on gratitude encourage toddlers to think more about the positive aspects of their life, which lays the foundation for empathy and emotional awareness. Working through positive emotions with art provides a relatability aspect, making it easier to introduce concepts to little ones!
Incorporate different textures, colors, and scents for a multi-sensory experience.
The more senses you can engage in an activity, the better. You may feel as if this can overwhelm your toddler, but it does quite the opposite! Multi-sensory activities are best for fully immersing your little ones into an activity, which supports brain development and leads to endless benefits!
Thanksgiving themed crafts involving sensory play are just as easy, enjoyable, and beneficial!
Taking advantage of arts and crafts during the Thanksgiving season is a great way to blend developmental benefits with the holidays! There’s tons of ways to take regular, everyday arts and crafts, and add a festive spin on them!
For more fun-filled activity packs, in-depth tutorials, and different play recipes, download Mothercould in your Pocket! For more engaging activities, easy-to-follow tutorials, and sensory-related play, visit the Mothercould blog!