While Thanksgiving is not a holiday necessarily known for the giving and receiving of cards, engaging your children in the creation of cards for this holiday is an easy and fun way to get them thinking about the reason for the holiday. As Thanksgiving approaches, sit down with your children and help them create Thanksgiving greeting cards for friends and family members.
Indian Corn Dot Painting
Create a festive Indian corn decoration for your cards with simple dot painting. To craft this card cover with your child, draw an oblong corn-like shape on the card cover lightly in pencil. Purchase or mix paint into fall hues, including burgundy, black, yellow and orange. Place a pencil with an unused eraser next to each paint color option. Ask your child to dip the pencil eraser into the paint and then press it down onto her paper. Tell your child to move around the corn outline in rows, creating the look of an actual ear of Indian corn. Encourage her to vary her colors so it more closely resembles this holiday favorite. If she has never seen an ear of Indian corn, it may be advantageous to have one on hand for her to use an example. After she has completed her painting, help her draw on leaves or, to make the card even more original, use actual corn husks and glue them to the card.
Patchwork Turkey
Create a festive Thanksgiving turkey with your child for his seasonal card. To prepare for this project, cut a turkey body shape sized to fit the card out of construction paper. Using printed scrapbook paper in fall-themed hues or quilt fabric, create turkey feathers. Allow your child to glue these feathers onto the card surface, and then top the feather collection with the prepared turkey body. Have your child draw turkey feet and a face to finish up the card.
Construction Paper Pilgrims
Ask your child to play fashion designer for the pilgrims while she creates her Thanksgiving card. To begin this activity, draw a stick figure on the front of your card surface. Provide the child with black, white and brown construction paper, and ask her to cut this paper into garments for the stick figure pilgrim to wear, gluing them down as she creates them. If your child is unfamiliar with pilgrims, provide her with a picture to use as a reference.
