Thanksgiving Crafts for Seniors 2018

By Anna Hazard

Introduction

Here are a selection of Thanksgiving themed crafts that are suitable for seniors, whole families, or those with arthritis or other hand strength & dexterity issues. These crafts can pull double duty as seasonal decor around the house or for the Thanksgiving table.
 
Most crafts can be completed using easy-to-find materials from around the house, fresh seasonal items such as autumn gourds and fallen leaves,  or standard craft supplies from local stores.  Arthritis friendly crafting tools can be used by those seniors who may have more extreme hand issues.

Craft Tutorials

Thanksgiving Wreaths

• These wreath crafts use a variety of materials that are easy-to-find around the house or at the local craft store including such basics as paint, fabric, various forms of paper (card stock, scrapbook, tissue, streamers), yarn, foam, and leftover Halloween candy as well as blank foam or straw wreath bases. Pool noodles or other similar shapes objects can be subbed in if a pre-made wreath base is not available. The main skills involved including gluing, wrapping, painting or drawing, and cutting. Some assistance may be required when it comes to punching holes for those with more extreme hand dexterity issues.
• Sprinkle Some Fun | Make Life Lovely | Baby Rabies | Cincy Shopper

Thanksgiving Garlands

• These garlands use very basic materials such as yarn or string, various forms of paper, real or artificial leaves, and normal crafting supplies such as glue, paint, and scissors. Gluing and pasting can be subbed in for those tutorials that use sewing machines to stitch their fabric & paper pieces together. Otherwise, the main skills involved include painting, gluing, drawing, and manipulating string. Arthritis friendly crafting tools can be used for those seniors who may have hand dexterity or strength issues.
• The Sweetest Occasion | Vicky Barone | Love Paper Paint | Becki Adams

Thanksgiving Banners

• In contrast to the Thanksgiving Garlands mentioned above, these banners tend to have simpler paper or fabric bases that rely on the use of stencils and printables which will require a bit more preparation in advance. String or ribbon, paint, and markers are the basic supplies required with a few styles using more specific (yet still easy to obtain) materials such as autumn leaves or clothespins. The main skills required include manipulating string & tying knots, painting, drawing, cutting, and gluing. Assistance may be required for those tutorials that use hole punchers as well.
• The Lilypad Cottage | Carina Gardner | School Girl Style | Centsational Style

Thankful Tree Centerpieces

• Various versions of Thanksful Trees have become currently quite popular as Thanksgiving centerpieces or as just a bit of eye-catching autumn themed decor. Most styles of trees use sticks or fortified paper as their main bases with a variety of objects as decorations including leaves, embellished paper, string, and pom poms. The main skills required include rearranging objects aesthetically, cutting, taping & gluing, painting & drawing, manipulating string & tying knots, as well as the judicious use of hole punchers. A more intricate tree base that requires plaster or clay can also be used for those more artistically minded seniors.
• Createful Life | Twitchetts | Crafts Unleashed | Rhythms of Play

Thanksgiving Gourd Decorations

• These tutorials use pumpkins and other autumn gourds as the base of their crafts. While most tutorials call for fresh gourds, artificial ones can easily be subbed in for longer lasting decor. Other materials required include dried corn husks, food coloring, glue, paint, decoupage or mod podge (or normal glue thinned into decoupage portions), fresh or artificial leaves, paint, and paper. The main skills involved include painting, gluing, and cutting paper thus making these crafts suitable for a wide range of hand dexterity & strengths.
• Martha Stewart | Da Mask Love | Atta Girl Says | Everyday Dishes

Thanksgiving Mayflower & Pilgrim Decorations

• These decorations are a callback to the origins of Thanksgiving with the pilgrims celebrating a bountiful autumn harvest. The main materials required include such crafting staples as paper, toothpicks, paint, glue, felt, wire, and ribbons with more specialty supplies such as wax or clay, walnuts, wooden pins & beads, and even the odd empty soda can also being used depending upon the exact style of craft. The main skills involved include cutting, gluing, and painting. Some craft items are on the smaller side and may require more hand dexterity to properly handle as well as some preparation in advance such as melting wax or cracking open walnuts.
• Parents.com | Small World Land | Oy Vey a Day | Lia Griffeth

Autumn Suncatchers

• Celebrate the season with these colorful autumn and thanksgiving themed suncatchers meant for window decoration. Most suncatcher tutorials use materials commonly found around the house such as tissue paper, bubblewrap, construction paper, and card stock  although more fancy & long lasting designs can be done with additional items such as contact paper, self lamination pouches, or even plastic kits for a more professional look. The main skills needed for these crafts include painting, drawing lines, and cutting & rearranging paper thus making them suitable for a wide range of hand strength & dexterity levels.
• Ehow | Sow Sprout Play | Oriental Trading | Stay at Home Educator

Thanksgiving Luminaries

• Here are a selection of autumn and Thanksgiving themed luminaries. While they can function as candle holders, tea lights are recommended which are safer than open flames. The tutorials use various upcycled jars as their bases and as they are glass, these crafts should be done by those senior loves ones with enough hand strength to handle breakable items without an overly large chance of dropping them. Other supplies required include corn husks, real or artificial leaves, tissue paper, burlap fabric or ribbon, and mod podge, spray adhesives, or other types of glues. Gluing is the main skill required which can be done using glue guns for those with enough hand strength or with the use of foam brushes for those with more gripping difficulties.
• Rhythms of Play | Spark & Chemistry | Garden Therapy | Kleinworth Co