Easy DIY Thanksgiving Craft Projects For The Whole Family

I’m a pretty creative person, but it when it comes to crafting, I always draw a blank. Hats off to those crafty moms and people who can create cute things out of paper, beads and wire. I look at those raw materials at places like Michael’s and get anxiety at the thought of the work involved.

My kid might have inherited my lack of interest in craft-making, because he also takes one look at art tables for kids, and runs to play with toys instead. Oh well.

Still, Thanksgiving is a time for family to gather under one roof while avoiding any talk of politics, and a good old-fashioned craft session is the perfect way to get everyone together.

Luckily, I happen to live in the same neighborhood as crafting genius Jodi Levine, whose popular blog super make it is filled with crafty projects that the whole family can get in on.

"At holidays especially, relatives like cousins haven't seen each other in a while and doing crafts together is not only fun but it's a great ice-breaker, bringing people together," says Levine. "Getting family to collaborate projects also keeps everyone off their phones."

With this in mind, I had Levine suggest these awesome Thanksgiving craft projects that even the least crafty members of your family can enjoy:

Gratitude project

Leave out a stack of papers in Autumnal colors and have people trace their hands and cut them out, or cut out big leaf shapes. Have everyone write what they are thankful for on then and put them in a jar. Then during your Thanksgiving dinner, everyone can pick out a piece of paper and read it. Afterwards, piece the papers together with a string and put it over your mantel or on a wall. How cute is that?

Family mural

Roll out white pieces of drawing paper, like this roll from IKEA, onto the floor and leave out a bucket or two of crayons. (You can also roll it out over a coffee table if getting on the floor is tough for anyone). Have everyone draw photos of whatever they wish, or ask them to stick to a holiday theme. The paper can then be saved and used as the prettiest wrapping paper just in time for holiday gift giving!

Table settings

Kids love to help set the table. Precut paper into placemat size and stack them somewhere, along with some small, precut leaves. Have the kids and other family members color the mats and paste on the shapes before slipping the mats under peoples plates. You can also make these awesomely cute Turkey napkin rings to add some flair to your table.

If the grown-ups would rather sit this one out, have the kids set the table while the adults enjoy some pre-dinner drinks.

Edible crafts

Crafts made out of food is genius. After dinner —or before dinner, if you're a rule-breaking mommy — put out a desserts craft table. Leave out caramel apples, candy corn and chocolate chips to create a turkey like this one. You can also have everyone create these fun cookie faces or apple faces.

After chatting with Jodi and checking out her links, I'm definitely getting into the crafting spirit. I know I'm going to be rolling out that drawing paper all over our living room in the next week and seeing what unfolds! Wish us good luck and pray our hardwood floors stay clean and crayon-free.

Happy Thanksgiving!

First photo: Courtesy of Jodi Levine of super make it