• Thanksgiving decorations can be much more special if they are created by your children.Thanksgiving bouquet image by painless from Fotolia.com
  
  Thanksgiving is all about family, food and appreciating our blessings. Children are a blessing to parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents. A good way to make a Thanksgiving or fall gathering more enjoyable is to have your children create their own holiday arts and crafts. With minimal expense and just a little effort, your children can help make a Thanksgiving centerpiece with table decorations.
  
  

Turkey Handprint Picture

• To make a turkey handprint picture for Thanksgiving, all you need is a paper plate, some water-based paints and colored construction paper. Have your child paint a paper plate yellow. Paint your child's palm and thumb brown and let him pick out colors to paint each of his fingers. After a generous amount of paint is applied to your child's hand and fingers, have him make a handprint in the middle of the yellow plate. The brown part where his palm was will be the body of the turkey, while the thumb will be the turkey's head. The colorful fingers are the turkey's tail feathers. You can paint the edge of the paper plate with different colors to brighten it up, or you can glue sections of different colored construction paper around the edge of the plate.
  
  

Turkey Flowerpot

• With some craft foam or colored felt pieces, a small clay flowerpot and some plastic googly eyes, your child can make a Thanksgiving turkey flowerpot or candy holder. Cut the foam or colored felt pieces in oblong pieces that will be the turkey's tail feathers. If you use felt, you will need to glue the felt to something sturdy like foam core or poster board to keep it from falling or drooping. Glue the tail feather pieces to the back of the flowerpot with a hot glue gun or super glue. Cut an oblong piece of foam or felt in brown for the turkey's head. Glue that piece to the front of the flowerpot. Glue the googly eyes to the turkey's head. Cut a small piece of orange felt or foam for the turkey's mouth and glue it under the eyes. Cut a piece of orange foam or felt in the shape of a heart and glue it to the bottom of the flowerpot so it looks like the turkey's feet are sticking out. Fill the flowerpot with a flower, plant or some sweets to be put on the Thanksgiving table.
  
  

Thanksgiving Pot Holders

• Buy some white or plain pot holders from your local dollar store. Have your child draw a Thanksgiving picture in pencil on the pot holder. Once the picture is finished, have your child use permanent markers to color it in. You also can have your child write a personal message to someone if the pot holder is going to be given as a gift. The permanent markers will help your child's picture stay vibrant on the pot holder long after the Thanksgiving dishes have been carried back to the kitchen.