35 Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas
Our Last Minute Thanksgiving week Ideas have you covered when it comes to decorations, food, crafts, activities and much more!
People tend to put a lot of pressure on them for holidays, trying to put together the ‘perfect’ celebration. Unfortunately, we’re imperfect humans, with jobs and responsibilities. As a result, we often find ourselves scurrying at the last minute, scrambling to get everything ready!
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, our Pinterest feed has been flooded with fun Thanksgiving ideas, but not all of them are suitable for a last-minute rush. That’s why we thought we’d put together a list of easy and fun last minute Thanksgiving week ideas so you can still have that dream Thanksgiving celebration!
35 Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas
Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas for your Entryway
1. Easy DIY Fall Wreath with Twine and Pinecones
We can’t think of a better way to welcome your guests than with this gorgeous fall-themed wreath on your front door! It’s made with twine and pine cones, giving it that lovely, rustic vibe.
2. Fall Paper Bunting
Deck up your doorway with an easy-to-make fall bunting! This is a project that’s super fun to make, and it doesn’t take much time if multiple people join in to create the different elements of the banner.
3. DIY Fall Hydrangea Wreath
A Night Owl Blog shows us how to use natural flowers to make this Easy DIY Fall Hydrangea Wreath! We love how the colors go perfectly with a Thanksgiving theme!
4. Recycled Paper Bag Wreath
Who says you can’t use recycling for last minute Thanksgiving week ideas? Pop Sugar shows us exactly how to make this work by using paper bags and turning them into a pretty fall wreath!
5. DIY Thanksgiving Banner
Remind everyone what this festival is really about with this banner from Vicky Barone! Put this up a few weeks in advance, so that every time someone passes by, they’ll think of something to be thankful for!
Last Minute Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas
6. Free Thanksgiving Printable Utensil Holder
We love this cute utensil holder from Craftaholics Anonymous – not only is it a perfect choice for our last minute Thanksgiving week ideas, but it’s also a lovely reminder before you start your meal!
7. Pumpkin Flower Vase
Pumpkins are great for Halloween, but they’re also excellent for last minute Thanksgiving week ideas! Check out this one from A Pretty Life, for instance. Just hollow out your pumpkin and stuff in some gorgeous blooms!
8. DIY Thanksgiving Table Place Cards
For your Thanksgiving dinner, add a little element of whimsy with these cute turkey place card holders from Making Things is Awesome! Kids will love making them and inserting names of their family members!
9. Easy Woven Thanksgiving Placemats
We love paper weaving activities, which is why we were delighted to see this paper weaving Thanksgiving placemat from Kids Activities! You don’t need store-bought mats when you can make your own!
10. Last-Minute Thanksgiving Table Runner
Need last minute Thanksgiving week ideas to set up your table? Brit.co has the perfect one with a DIY table runner that takes all of five minutes to set up. Doesn’t get more last-minute than that!
11. Fabric Pumpkins
Kids will love making these Fabric Pumpkins that can double up as table decor! Make them in different sizes for a nice display – you can get the instructions from Education Possible.
Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas for Crafts
12. Fall Paper Weaving Printables
If you’d like to keep the kids busy while the adults prepare dinner, download our fall-themed paper weaving printable and hand it to the kids along with some scissors. Mission accomplished!
13. Turkey Headband
You need about 10 minutes to put this craft together – download and print the turkey headband and use a ribbon to tie around your child’s head – easy peasy!
14. Cupcake Liner Owl Craft
Turkeys seem to dominate Thanksgiving celebrations, don’t they? Let’s give them a break with this addition to our last minute Thanksgiving week ideas – an owl craft!
15. Easy Paper Pumpkin Thanksgiving Craft
This is one of the easiest pumpkin crafts we’ve seen – and all you need is paper! Kids will have fun folding, cutting, twirling and sticking.
16. Thanksgiving Turkey Collage
Get the kids to take a nature walk to collect fall leaves, and then let them make a Thanksgiving turkey collage using the collected leaves! Go over to Crafty Morning to check out the instructions for this DIY project.
17. Fall Leaf Painting
For little ones, this fall leaf art activity from Minne Mama can be a wonderful way to stay busy without screens. You can even frame it and hang it up on the wall as part of your seasonal decor!
18. Thanksgiving Fingerprint Tree
Little Page Turners has another Thanksgiving activity that focuses on the essence of the holiday. The best part is that it’s entirely compatible with our last minute Thanksgiving week ideas as it involves little to no effort at all.
Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas for Food
19. Turkey Waffle Breakfast
You don’t have to wait till dinner to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal – you can start with breakfast! Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons shows us how to keep your Thanksgiving breakfast healthy with lots of fruit.
20. Scarecrow Cookies
Grab some Popsicle sticks and basic ingredients to assemble your scarecrow cookies from Reluctant Entertainer! You can also skip the sticks and leave the cookies as is on a plate.
21. Pilgrim Hat Cookies
Xoxo Bella has the cutest DIY Thanksgiving food idea that combines readymade store-bought candy to create adorable little Pilgrim hats! These are easier than they look, so try it out!
22. Pumpkin Pie Cheese & Cracker Bites
How adorable are these cheese and cracker ‘pies’? They’re really easy to put together, and your guests will absolutely love them! Baking You Happier has all the steps to make these, so check them out.
23. Oreo Turkey Cookies
It’s hard not to include Oreos in a list of last minute Thanksgiving week ideas – they’re so versatile! These Oreo turkey cookies from Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream are a fine example, and easy too!
24. Easy Scarecrow Vegetable Dill Dip
If you want to keep things healthy this Thanksgiving, try making this vegetable dip recipe from Living Locurto and arrange it in the form of a scarecrow. It literally looks too good to eat!
25. Free Printable Turkey Snack Cups
The Chickabug Blog has a free printable for us to make a fun little turkey snack cup for kids. This is such a fun way to get kids to eat their veggies without complaining.
Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas for Activities
26. DIY Thanksgiving Bingo
Grab our printable with blank Bingo boards and cards, so the entire family can have fun this holiday season. Have the older kids help with cutting and pasting, then everyone can play the game together.
27. I Spy Thanksgiving Game
Here’s a fun way to keep everyone off their screens – an I Spy game! We have a printable that’s perfect for Thanksgiving, and everyone can join in the fun!
28. A Thankful Heart: A Thanksgiving Activity for Kids
We love this Thankful Heart idea by Let’s Lasso the Moon! They also made a printable “I Am Thankful” chart so kids can keep track of the nice things people do.
29. Turkey Bowling Game
After everyone’s full from their Thanksgiving dinner, take them outdoors to enjoy some fresh air by playing a bowling game – only this time the pins are turkeys! The Seasoned Mom shows us how to put it together, so go and check it out!
30. Pick-Up Sticks Gratitude Game
Teach Beside Me has an interesting game with sticks. Every time you pick up a stick, you have to name something you are thankful for – each stick color represents a different category. It’s a lovely activity perfect for the season.
Last Minute Thanksgiving Week Ideas for Party Favors
31. Native American Headband
These headbands are a great choice for last minute Thanksgiving week ideas, and the kids will enjoy playing with them and taking them home later.
32. Thanksgiving Corner Bookmarks
Let your friends keep up with their reading this season by offering them these cute Thanksgiving-themed corner bookmarks! Grab our printable and follow the instructions to make them.
33. DIY Clay Turkeys
These clay turkeys can be used in multiple ways. Add a keychain at the top or stick a magnet at the back. You can also create a hole in the bottom to use it as a pencil topper.
34. Pumpkin Treat Bags
Fill these cute pumpkin bags with lots of candy and other fun treats for kids to take home! You can add stationery, little notes or other trinkets.
35. Turkey Treat Bags
Building Our Story shows us how to make the easiest turkey treat bags ever! Simply get paper of the right colors and pack in your treats. Bunch it all up, add eyes and a beak and you’re done!
We hope these last minute Thanksgiving week ideas have shown that you can have a full-fledged Thanksgiving celebration even if you’re running short on time! You don’t really need a lot of time or money to have fun, and these ideas are proof of that1
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