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A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table

Now that our families are growing and the kiddos are outnumbering the grown ups when we get together, planning Thanksgiving comes with a little more thought than just what will be on the menu — we’ve gotta think about how we are going to entertain all of those dang kids, too! So, this year we went all in on dreaming up a kid’s Thanksgiving table that would make the actual kids want to sit, and we’re calling it our “blank canvas” kid’s Thanksgiving table!

The idea is this — everything on the table, from the decor to the placemats to the cups, is a blank canvas that can (and should!) be decorated! We filled the table with neutral, blank surfaces that are just asking for pattern and color, and we filled the center of the table with plenty of supplies to make it happen. Now, depending on the ages of the kids in your family you might want to stick with just crayons and markers and stay away from paint, but we’ll leave the risk assessing up to you. Then, we’ll encourage the kids to decorate everything they see on the table throughout the day with the hope that they will be creative and produce a table at the end of the day that is exploding with color.

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

Here’s the table before, a blank canvas to be decorated!

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

How to make a Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table

Table Settings:

The great thing about creating a blank slate is that everything will be simple by default. Use a paper table runner, white paper plates and cups and plain cutlery. Don’t worry about adding anything fancy because you want a truly blank space! I found some fun coloring page placemats from Michaels that have games and cartoons to color that are a great addition.

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

Decorations:

I loved finding wood and ceramic decor pieces that the kids could decorate to make the table fun and then take home with them after! My go-to for unfinished crafts in bulk has to be Oriental Trading. The sheer volume of items to choose from makes your head spin and you can find unfinished crafts for any theme. I found the wooden acorns, the wooden cake stand, and the white containers for the art supplies all from oriental trading and everything was so affordable. I also made the quick “Gobble, Gobble” banner using my Silhouette Cameo on white cardstock, and YES they can decorate it!

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

Projects:

Aside from just being able to decorate the table, I wanted to add in a few smalls projects to the table that the kids could work on throughout the day. I added some ceramic turkeys that they could paint or draw on, as well as a blank tote bag that they could decorate. I loved the idea of the tote because at the end of the day they can put everything they’ve worked on in their bag and carry it home!

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

A Crafty Kids Thanksgiving Table + a tutorial featured by Top US Craft Blog + The Pretty Life Girls

Isn’t it so fun? I can’t wait to see the way my kid’s wheels will start turning when they know they can color EVERYTHING on the table! A true kid’s dream come true!

What are your plans for the kid’s table on Thanksgiving? We’d love to hear your ideas!

Happy making!
ox. Liz + Sam


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