Ten Thanksgiving Table Crafts for Seniors

By Anna Hazard

Introduction

The time for turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkie pies, and gatherings around a laden table grows ever closer, and so in preparation here are a collection of senior friendly crafts that are suitable for decorating the thanksgiving table. All crafts have a thanksgiving, harvest festival, or autumn theme and do not require high levels of hand dexterity or strength. Feel free to make preparations ahead of time for more intricate parts of the tutorials that may require it (such as hollowing out pumpkins or pre-cutting branches).

Crafts

Thanksgiving Napkins

• Fall themed reusable napkins that would be a perfect fit for the Thanksgiving table. These style of crafts use paints, paintable dyes, and decoupage methods, so they will require the ability to hold some type of brush to apply paint or glue. Depending upon your & your senior loved one's particular artistic tastes, supplies range from stencils, paint or dye, glitter, and real or artificial leaves.
• All Things G & D | Brit + Co |  Crafts by Amanda | That's What Che Said
  

Thanksgiving Napkin Holders

• Once your own personalized napkins have been created, move unto these napkin holder crafts to complete the set. Ranging in styles from the cute to the elegant, the holders featured in these tutorials will require enough manual hand dexterity to apply glue & hand small objects such as pipecleaners & clothespins. Some particular styles will also require fingers steady enough to wrap twine, jute, or raffia.
• Mod Podge Rocks | A Little Clairification | A Crafty Spoonful | That's What Che Said
  

Thanksgiving Utensil Holders

• Once the napkins have been dealt with, move unto the utensils that will be set next to them (or together with them in the case of utensil & napkin holder sets). While most of these crafts serve both functions of utility and decoration, the utensil turkey is best served as a discussion worthy centerpiece rather than a utensil holder meant to be put to use. Other supplies include burlap (or other suitably durable fall themed fabric, cardstock & cookie sleeves, or even empty paper towel rolls.
• The OT Toolbox | Celebration Shop | Crafting a Green World | I Gotta Create
  

Thanksgiving Placecards

• Help create a unique experience for your Thanksgiving table guests with these personalized placecards. Ranging in materials from paper only to felt, burlap, artificial flowers, and even some with more specialized supplies such as Indian corn. these crafts are inexpensive & easy to make for people with varying hand dexterity or strength issues.
• Oh My Creative | Typically Simple | Our Best Bites |  His Sugar Plum
  

Thanksgiving Place Mats

• In tandem with the place cards, try these do-it-yourself Thanksgiving & fall themed placemats that both help give the table a festive flare while also acting as an absorbent barrier for any inevitable food spills.  Glue & mod podge is the basis for the no-sew varieties of place mats or go for a simpler style that only requires stencil painting or tracing.
• Rustic Wedding Chic | Blog Lovin' | Sparkle Living Blog | Craving Some Creativity
  

Thanksgiving Centerpieces

• These centerpieces range from cute to elegant and use a variety of inexpensive materials as their bases including plastic or terra cotta pots, fresh pumpkins, and pinecones. Other craft materials such as paint, googly eyes, fresh or artificial flowers, feathers, and leaves may also be required depending upon your senior's decorating tastes. Some styles may also require preparation in advance (such as hollowing out a pumpkin) for those seniors who may have trouble with hand strength or dexterity
• Hip 2 Save | Addicted to Decorating | One Heart, One Family | Spoonful
  

Thankful Trees

• A newfound staple of thanksgiving decorations, these Thanksgiving Trees are a colorful way to decorate the house for the holidays while providing an easy & amusing crafting experience for those seniors with enough manual hand dexterity to paint, tie ribbons or string. There are two main styles available with the stick-based version possibly requiring more assistance or advanced preparations (cutting or gathering suitable branches)
• Paper-Based
  • Pre-meditated Leftovers | One Creative Mommy | Ideas Evite | Craftionary
• Stick-Based
  • HGTV | Think Make Share | Rhythms of Play | The DIY Mommy

Thanksgiving Table Runner

• All of these fall themed table runners require no sewing through the use of paint, appliques, or gluing instead. Burlap is a particularly popular choice of material, but any other autumnal fabric heavy enough to withstand table use can be suitably substituted in. Crafting for these particular styles required enough hand dexterity to either hold a paintbrush, cut fabric, or apply glue.
  
• Consumer Crafts | Fabulously Frugal | Design Improvided [1, 2] | A Little Clairification

Thanksgiving Favors

• End your Thanksgiving festivities by giving guests these take-home party favors or merely use them as decorations around the house. All varieties use common materials that can be found around the house (gift wrap paper, toilet paper or towel rolls, plastic baggies, craft paper) or bought at nearby stores (candy corn, raffia, embroidery hoop, artificial leaves). Depending upon the style, the level of crafting ability varies from beginner to intermediate with some variations (such as the cornucopia) possibly requiring some assistance to complete
• Hand Made Mood | Craftberry Bush | Parents.com | I Heart Crafty Things
  

Thanksgiving Table Garland

• These banners, skirts, and garlands are suitable for draping & decorating a thanksgiving table, mantel, wall, or other suitable indoor location. Most use a form of paper as their base (whether it be doileys, craft, construction, or scrapbook paper) with a variety of accessories such as ribbons, clothesline pins, and artificial leaves & fall fruits. Enough finger flexibility for gluing, painting, or cutting paper is required for all variations.
• Mod Podge Rocks | Better Homes & Gardens | Vicky Barone | Tater Tots & Jello