Thanksgiving Crafts for Picky Eaters

Thanksgiving crafts are fun for kids, and they give you some extra time to prepare the family feast without distractions. But kids can be anxious about eating with extended family members (that they only see once or twice a year) or nervous about eating certain foods (that they only see once or twice a year). These crafts and tips will help you and your kids be more thankful this holiday!

Family Menu Craft

Discussing the Thanksgiving menu with your children in advance helps them prepare for the new smells, tastes, and visual changes that occur on this special occasion. Having your kids craft your family menu helps kids stay longer at the table, eat more, and even try a few new tastes (like pumpkin) too!

Directions

Tell your children what you are planning to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. Then let them pick one or two items to add to the family menu. Some common favorites kids like to add are French fries, mac & cheese, chocolate chip cookies, and trail mix. After choosing their additional food items, have them write down the entire menu on some festive holiday paper. Then have them decorate the menu and display it on the table!

Ingredients

• Festive holiday paper
• Markers, paints, sharpies
• Ribbon
• Scissors

Now, before you cringe with thoughts of your Thanksgiving spread looking like a school cafeteria meal (because of the French fries and mac & cheese), think of this holiday from your anxious eater’s perspective. Having a familiar food (of their choosing) on the menu gives them ownership of the meal and a better chance that they will eat it!

Thankful Jar Craft

This craft helps kids reflect on the year and think about their blessings. It’s also a great icebreaker that lets kids reconnect with out-of-town family members. You can even use the Thankful Jar as a centerpiece, a great visual reminder for a hesitant eater to be thankful, keep calm, and be willing to work around their feeding aversions.

Directions

Have your children pick out the jar and decorate it. You can either purchase colored clothespins or have your kids paint and embellish the clothespins. Have them write down a few things they are thankful for and add the pins to the jar. Then, encourage your children to offer the pins (and a marker) to the other guests attending the celebration. During the festivities, you can take out a clothespin, read it and even clip it on a Thanksgiving banner (that your kids can make too!). 

Ingredients

• Jar
• Colored clothespins
• Washi tape
• Ribbon
• Sharpie marker, paints
• Scissors

Place Card Craft

Creating and decorating place cards encourages your kids to practice writing AND helps them remember family member’s names. Knowing names can help them feel more comfortable during the meal, which means fewer tantrums and finicky eating. Besides, letting your picky eater choose who they will sit next to during the Thanksgiving meal (permitting them to move place cards as necessary) will empower them to be more adventurous and less distracted during the festivities!

Directions

Provide your children with the names and spelling of each of the guests. Have them decorate the place cards, write out the names and place them on the table. 

Ingredients

• Festive holiday paper 
• Markers, paints, sharpies
• Ribbon
• Scissors

As we enter the season of thankfulness, I hope these crafts will help your picky eater feel more comfortable, confident, and hungry this Thanksgiving! #MsDawnSLP

P.S. Want to keep the crafts going with your kids this holiday? Go to my Pinterest page to check out my favorite Fall-themed ideas under “Fall Foods + Crafts.”

P.S.S Another fun craft to make with your kids is my Edible Pumpkin Play-Dough! And get your crafting surface, like the ezpz Play Mat (pictured) from my Amazon Store.

Happy Feeding,
Ms. Dawn