Free Thanksgiving Cards and Crafts
We don't usually think of sending Thanksgiving cards to all our friends and family like we do Christmas card, but when we can't be with loved ones at Thanksgiving, we should let them know we are thinking of them! You can make a cute Thanksgiving card with some construction paper and some green leaves by doing leaf rubbings or leaf prints. We recommend you use heavy paper - either card stock or poster board.
There are two ways to use leaves to decorate a Thanksgiving card.
First, you can take a regular piece of paper and fold it in half. Place a leaf inside the folded paper and use colored pencils or crayons to rub over the leaf thus showing the print. Then, cut out the image and paste it to the front of your card. You can also use some poster paint to paint the veined side of the leaf. To make it unique, use different colors in the leaf. Very carefully, lift up the leaf and place the paint side down on the front of the card. Press down so that the paint is transferred and then lift the leaf straight up so the paint does not smear. After the paint is dry, decorate the card and write what you want to say on the inside!
Another free Thanksgiving cards and crafts idea we like is to make stained glass turkeys. Start by painting a regular paper plate brown. While the paint is drying, use different colored construction paper to cut out large feathers. These can be as detailed as you want them to be, but we recommend making them simple by just drawing an elongated oval. Make about six of these feathers and then cut out the inside about an inch from the edge. With a glue stick, apply glue to the outside edges and place a piece of tissue paper or colored cellophane over and press to stick. Trim around the edges. Then glue the feathers to the paper plate and draw on a turkey face or use construction paper scraps to make a face, feet, and legs. These look great hanging in a window where the sun can shine through the feathers.
Making Thanksgiving cards and crafts with your kids makes for a more festive Thanksgiving holiday!