10 Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas and a Few Fun Family Thanksgiving Activities, Too

Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas hold the power to make the holiday exceptional. The beauty of a thoughtfully designed centerpiece lies not just in its aesthetic appeal, but in the meaning it carries. Each unique centerpiece can tell a story, reflect a family’s values, and provide a focal point for gratitude.

By incorporating creative and engaging elements, such as a Thanksgiving art craft into your November traditions, you will beautify your table and create a deeper connection to your family. The act of creating Thanksgiving centerpieces brings loved ones together reinforcing the spirit of unity and thankfulness that Thanksgiving embodies.

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and delicious feasts. While the focus is often on the food, creating a captivating Thanksgiving centerpiece can add an extra layer of warmth and festivity to your gathering. From Thanksgiving art and craft projects to beautiful table decorations, these Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas will infuse your holiday celebration with the spirit of thankfulness and family fun.

Traditional Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas

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Even if you are not typically a Pinterest-loving Mom, creating Thanksgiving centerpieces is a terrific way to start a new family tradition. Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas can come from anywhere. It makes mealtime extra special to involve the kiddos when coming up with the Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas and place-setting decorations.

Read More: 7 Ways to be Thankful at Thanksgiving – Teaching Children To Be Thoughtful, Helpful, Grateful

When families come together to craft Thanksgiving centerpieces year after year, they create a sense of continuity and shared experience. They become cherished memories, symbolizing gratitude and togetherness. Through these traditions, we pass down the values of thankfulness to younger generations and teach them the importance of reflection, creativity, and the significance of family bonds.

Thanksgiving art and craft projects, integrated into these centerpieces, instill a sense of pride and accomplishment, making the holiday special, while teaching invaluable lessons that extend far beyond the Thanksgiving table.

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Pumpkin Vase Arrangement: Transform a hollowed-out pumpkin into a stunning vase. Fill it with a variety of fall flowers like sunflowers, chrysanthemums, and colorful leaves. Encourage your family to help with the flower arrangement, making it a lovely Thanksgiving art craft.

Gratitude Tree Centerpiece: Follow the simple tutorial from Crafts by Amanda to create your own Gratitude Tree with your family. With simple supplies like sticks, scrapbook paper, a mason jar, and a felt-tip pen, you teach gratitude to your kiddos as you write what they are thankful for on paper leaves. The Gratitude Tree Centerpiece is a great conversation starter to get the different generations talking when extended family and friends arrive for dinner. You can have extra paper leaves for guests to write what they are thankful for upon arrival to add to the Gratitude Tree.

Gratitude Turkey: Another interactive centerpiece from Crafts by Amanda is the Cereal Box Turkey. It’s made from an empty cereal box covered in brown paper. You and your kiddos can write what you are thankful for on the colorful turkey feathers. It is so adorable. You can even have extra feathers for Thanksgiving guests to write what they are thankful for to glue onto the turkey or just drop into the centerpiece.

Autumn Floral Centerpiece: Complement your Thanksgiving dinner table with a stunning floral arrangement featuring warm autumn colors. Discuss the changing seasons and how nature transitions into the fall, connecting it to the theme of gratitude.

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A Cornucopia of Plenty: A classic symbol of abundance, the cornucopia makes a beautiful centerpiece. Fill it with seasonal fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, pumpkins, and gourds. Discuss with your family the significance of the cornucopia and the bountiful harvest it represents.

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Pumpkin Centerpiece: Stack different-sized pumpkins to form a tower in the center of the table. Decorate the pumpkins with autumn leaves, ribbons, and pine cones. Line up pumpkins in a row. Discuss the symbolism of pumpkins in Thanksgiving history as a staple food and a reminder of the harvest season.

Classic Wheat Centerpiece: Good Housekeeping offers a variety of simple Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas to create an elegant look for your table. Stalks of wheat with nuts around the base make a rustic, yet beautiful centerpiece. Of course, you can discuss the importance of harvest season and count your blessings while putting this centerpiece together with your family.

Read More: How to Decorate for a Simple Thanksgiving

White Pumpkins: Take the minimalist approach with white pumpkins. Good Housekeeping shows off this simple yet classic design of five small white pumpkins resting on a wooden tray. This Thanksgiving centerpiece idea does not take away from a beautiful china set but adds some autumn flair.

Mason Jar Centerpiece: Fill mason jars with dried beans, lentils, corn kernels, candy corn, or lights. Or, like Jennifer from Town and Country Living place a single pine cone in a mason jar with a bit of ribbon at the top. Arrange these jars down the middle of your table, creating a cozy, rustic feel. Thanksgiving activities can include decorating the jars with paint or ribbons to make them more festive.

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Tin Punched Votive Candle Centerpiece: Upcycle tin cans into a rustic Thanksgiving centerpiece. Mandi Johnson from a Beautiful Mess walks you through a tutorial so you can learn to tin punch. It’s a great Thanksgiving centerpiece idea to make with tweens and teens.

Family Thanksgiving Activities

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Thanksgiving is about gratitude and family. Incorporating family Thanksgiving activities into your holiday traditions promotes family bonding while creating lasting memories. From cooking favorite recipes to Thanksgiving art and craft projects, it’s all about togetherness.

Read More: 42 Hilarious Jokes for Thanksgiving to Make the Family Gobble and Giggle

Thanksgiving Storytelling: Encourage family members to share stories about past Thanksgiving holidays and express what they are thankful for this year. It’s a great way to connect on a personal level and reinforce the importance of gratitude.

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt: Organize a scavenger hunt in your backyard and around your home. Provide clues that lead to hidden notes or objects that highlight items (and people) that your family is grateful for.

Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts: Set up a crafting station with materials like colored paper, markers, and glue. Let the kids create their own Thanksgiving-themed art and craft projects, such as handprint turkeys, gratitude journals, or homemade decorations for the table. Encourage the adults to participate in making a place card for another family member. When everyone participates in the Thanksgiving art and craft projects, it shows the children that they are valued members of the family, too.

A rock painting station is perfect for Thanksgiving. Rocks can be painted and sealed with outdoor ModgePodge to place in a Gratitude Garden at the Thanksgiving host’s home. Or, paint the rock and add each person’s name to use as place settings at the dinner table. The rocks can be gifts for the guests to take home.

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Thanksgiving Games: Incorporate classic Thanksgiving games like a pumpkin roll or a potato sack race into your festivities. Family games bring laughter and joy to all ages. Thanksgiving games are fun and just might help burn off some of those delicious holiday calories.

Family Recipe Exchange: A Family Recipe Exchange is a wonderful family Thanksgiving tradition. Invite family members to bring their favorite Thanksgiving recipes to share with each other. This can include traditional dishes passed down through generations or new creations.


Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the blessings in our lives and share moments of gratitude with family and friends. Creating a captivating Thanksgiving centerpiece and engaging in family activities centered around the theme of thankfulness can make your holiday celebration even more meaningful.

Photo Credits: Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay

WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out Daily Mom’s article, “8 of the Best Vegetarian Thanksgiving Ideas” for more advice, tips, and tricks to celebrate the November holiday.

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Carla J. Eskew
Carla J. Eskew
Carla J. Eskew is a freelance writer, wife, and mom of two children who are nine years apart. She is a Scout leader with 17 years of experience in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She serves as a volunteer at school, church, and with the homeless population. She loves road trips, sightseeing, camping, Pilates, and her black standard poodle, Midnight Shadow.

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