As soon as November hits, my therapy sessions start to take on a cozy vibe. Students are talking about family, food, and time off school, and that means we have a perfect opportunity to bring a little seasonal magic into therapy while still targeting goals.

One of my favorite ways to do that? Simple, purposeful crafts that get little hands moving and big brains talking.

No special materials. No Teachers Pay Teachers purchases. Just paper, crayons, scissors, and whatever you’re targeting.

Below are three low-prep Thanksgiving crafts you can use right away, each with built-in opportunities for articulation, vocabulary, sentences, sequencing, and even social-language practice.

1. Thankful Hands Craft

What you need:

Construction paper (or colored copy paper)
Crayons or markers
Scissors

How to make it:

Trace each student’s hand on paper.
Inside the palm, write “I am thankful for…”
On each finger, have the student write or draw one thing they’re thankful for.
Cut it out, decorate, and display, or glue onto a larger paper “tree.”

How to target goals:

Articulation: Each thankful word can include a target sound. For example, /s/ words: sister, soccer, sunshine, sandwich, school.
Language:
- Vocabulary: Introduce new words for what they’re thankful for (e.g., “gratitude,” “celebrate,” “tradition”).
- Sentence structure: Have them say full sentences: “I am thankful for my sister because she plays with me.”
- Describing: Encourage adjectives: “My cozy blanket,” “My silly dog.”
Pragmatics: Turn it into a “sharing circle.” Each student shares one finger and gives a compliment or connection (“I’m thankful for my dog too!”).

SLP tip: Hang all the hands together to make a “Thankful Tree” on your wall or bulletin board. Instant community connection and built-in review for the next session.

2. Build-A-Dinner Plate Craft

What you need:

White paper plate or plain sheet of paper
Scissors, crayons, glue
(Optional) Old magazines for pictures of food

How to make it:

Draw a big circle or use your plate.
Have students cut or draw food items to fill their plate.
Label each food with a word, sound, or sentence.

How to target goals:

Articulation: Each “food” represents a word with the target sound. For /r/: turkey, corn, carrots, gravy, rolls.
Language:
- Categories: Sort by type (fruit, vegetable, dessert).
- Describing: “The mashed potatoes are white and fluffy.”
- Following directions: “Glue the turkey next to the corn.”
Social language: Students explain what they’d share with someone else: “I would share my pie with my grandma.”

SLP tip: If you’re virtual, do this digitally by having students “draw” their meal on Canva or a other shared whiteboard. You can type the target words in for them as they describe each item.

Bonus: If you want this activity done for you, check out this resource:
Thanksgiving Dinner Articulation and Language Activities

3. “Speech Turkey” Craft

What you need:

Brown paper for the body (or just draw it!)
Colored strips of paper (for feathers)
Glue or tape

How to make it:

Cut out a simple oval for the turkey body.
Write a target word, phrase, or sentence on each feather.
After saying each target correctly, glue the feather to the turkey.

How to target goals:

Articulation: One target word per feather. Say it five times before gluing!
Language:
- Grammar: Each feather can have a sentence starter: “He is…,” “They are…,” “It is…”
- Vocabulary: Label feathers with Thanksgiving or fall words: harvest, thankful, dinner, leaf, corn.
Social communication: Encourage peer feedback as you make a “group turkey” (see below).

SLP tip: For a twist, turn it into a “group turkey.” Each student adds feathers to a shared turkey on the wall. It becomes a collaborative articulation display and a perfect quick warm-up activity next session.

Why These Crafts Work

Crafts don’t have to be Pinterest-perfect to be effective. When they’re purposeful, they:

Promote repetition in a natural way (kids forget they’re practicing!)
Give you easy built-in data opportunities
Encourage language expansion through conversation and describing
Strengthen generalization when students take them home and talk about them with family
Support fine-motor, sequencing, and executive-functioning skills, too

Thanksgiving is such a natural time to focus on connection and communication. Whether it’s a paper turkey or a simple “thankful hand,” you’re helping students build language around gratitude, sharing, and family, and those are the concepts that stick.