Thankful Placemats

Crafts with common household goods are my favorite. (I wrote a big ol’ book about it, after all!) These brown paper bag placemats are adorable and can absolutely be made by the kids! I first made a version of these placemats for a segment on The Meredith Viera Show last December! (You can see the clip here!) But, they are so fun for any dinner, especially a Thanksgiving diner where you can utilize the brown bag as a canvas to doodle on before you dine! These make great Thanksgiving crafts for kids!

Here’s what you need for thankful placemats

• Large brown paper bags from the grocery store
• Scissors
• Markers
• Dinner plate to trace around

How to make thankful placemats

Step 1- Cut brown bag

A typical brown paper grocery bag will make 2 placements. Simply cut the brown bag open so that it lays flat.

Step 2- Crinkle

Next, cut 2 same size rectangles out of the brown paper bag, and crumple up the placemats. Then, crumple some more.Step 3- Decorate the placemat

Now, it’s time for the fun part- decorate the placements! Use a dinner plate as a stencil to trace a large circle onto the brown paper bag placemat. Then, go back over the circle with a Sharpie marker. Once you have the plate marked, you can use your knife, fork, and spoon as stencils too. Finally add, “I am thankful for…” at the top of your placemat and if you’d like them to double as name cards add doodle on name tags to each mat.

Step 4- Use them

For the record, these are not just for kids, adults can use these too. Everyone sit together at the table and take a few minutes to doodle what each person is thankful for. Of course, if you like a more formal table setting, these brown bag place mats are perfect for the kids table and keep the kids entertained while dinner is bring made.

If you’re looking for more simple thanksgiving crafts for kids, don’t miss these posts:

• Thankful turkey craft
• Free Thanksgiving printables
• Turkey craft for kids
• 15 Edible turkey crafts

Happy almost Turkey Day!