Thanksgiving Crafts For Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! What better way to teach your children about this holiday, than by making some Thanksgiving crafts? From turkey to pilgrims to cornucopias, these Thanksgiving crafts are a perfect way to have some educational fun with your kids at home:

Mayflower Craft

Teach your kids about the pilgrims and their journey to this “new world” with this cute Mayflower craft! Most of the materials needed will be common household items, so grab your supplies and let your creativity unfold.

What you’ll need:

• Small box
• Brown paint
• Paint brushes
• Scissors
• Clay or play-doh
• Drinking straws
• Paper
• Black marker

For full directions, or to see a finished product, click here.

Pudding Turkey Craft

This is a great craft to help your child tap into their sensory skills, and is perfect for very little kids. But no matter how old your children are, everyone will have a blast, getting their hands dirty with this fun turkey craft.

What you’ll need:

• Chocolate pudding
• Thick cardboard or posterboard
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Googly eyes (optional)

For full directions, click here.

Paper Plate Pilgrim Crafts

These crafts are great ways to teach your kids about history, where you can even use books to supplement your lesson. Making these pilgrims will be fun and creative ways for your children to gain some educational information at home.

What you’ll need:

• Large paper plate
• Small paper plate
• Beige paint
• Paint brush
• Construction paper
• Glue
• Tape
• Crayons

For the pilgrim template and full directions, click here.

Fingerprint Turkey Place Card

Have your little ones help you set the table with their personalized place cards for the whole family. They will have a blast creating these and knowing they were a part of Thanksgiving preparation. These quick crafts will turn any table into a happy and festive one!

• What you’ll need:
• Red, orange, yellow and brown paint
• Black marker
• White posterboard

For full directions, click here.

We hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving. At Miss Sue’s we are thankful for the staff, students and family members who make up this wonderful school. Our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. To learn more about the school or to schedule an appointment, please give us a call at 516-938-0894.

Ways To Encourage Kids To Be Thankful

It’s so important to teach our children to be grateful, and Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect for all that we have to be thankful for. Practicing daily gratitude has been said to come with an array of benefits like a happier more positive outlook on life, a better achievement of personal goals and a way to form closer relationships with loved ones. This holiday season, encourage your children to be thankful for all that they have with these tips:

Write Daily Sticky Notes: Making a habit of writing one thing your child is grateful for and sticking them on the mirror is a great way to get them to think about all that they appreciate.

Make Space For Thanks: Every night at dinner, as a family, go around the table and have  each family member state one thing they are thankful for that happened to them that day.

Keep a Gratitude Journal:  Encourage your child to write a list (with your help) about things they are grateful for, or as the holidays get close, things they admire about each family member.

Designate a No- Complaining Day: We know the daily stresses of life can get you and your family down, but designating  a “no-complaining” day once a week will help your children be aware of every time they focus on something negative. You’ll be amazed at how making a conscious decision to not complain will be really effective.

Model Gratitude Yourself: Be a positive role model for your children by making gratitude part of your daily life. They will be more inclined to focus on the good if they see the exemplary behavior demonstrated by you!

At Miss Sue’s we are thankful for the staff, students and family members who make up this wonderful school. Our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. To learn more about the school or to schedule an appointment, please give us a call at 516-938-0894.