Have the children dress up in their homemade Thanksgiving Pilgrim costumes and read a Thanksgiving poem to family and friends between the Thanksgiving Feast and the delicious Thanksgiving desserts.

Homemade Pilgrim Boy’s Costume

What you need:

• short black pants or sweat pants. (Buy a pair at a consignment shop if you don’t have old ones.)

What to do:

• Cut the legs to look like knickers, just below the knee.
• Add any type of long-sleeved black jersey.
• Complete the costume with white tights or high white socks and black shoes.

Pilgrim Buckles

What you need:

• yellow cardboard
• glue
• scissors

What to do:

• Cut four rectangular pilgrim buckles from the yellow cardboard.
• Remember to leave a cut-out in the center.
• These buckles will be glued on the pilgrim hat, belt and shoes.

Pilgrim Collar and Cuffs

What you need:

• white cardboard
• yellow cardboard
• Velcro circles
• glue

What to do:

• Have child look for pictures of Pilgrims and help design the collar and cuffs using the white cardboard.
• Cut the pilgrim collar and cuffs from the cardboard.
• Glue Velcro circles to hold in place.

Homemade Pilgrim Boy’s Hat

What you need:

• black cardboard/paper
• glue
• circle template (plate, lid, or cardboard circle)
• scissors
• ruler

What to do:

• Cut a circle that is approximately 6 inches wider than the child’s head (3 inches on each side)
• Cut a circle out of the middle just large enough so that the “rim” circle will sit on child’s head
• Cut a rectangle 1″ longer than the inner circle’s circumference and as high as you would like plus 1/2″
• Overlap the edges (back of hat) and glue, allow to dry before continuing
• Cut 1/2″ slits about 1/2″ apart on one edge that will go into the “rim” circle
• Fold the 1/2″ pieces under the rim and glue, allow to dry
• Cut a piece of cardboard for the hat band
• Cut a piece of white cardboard for the buckle
• Glue buckle onto band
• Glue band onto hat

Pilgrim Girl’s Costume

What you need:

• black clothing: Recycle a witch’s black dress or black top and skirt, black stockings, black shoes
• white cardboard
• Velcro circles
• glue

What to do:

• Make white cardboard cuffs same as the boy’s
• Wear a plain white apron (can be made from two pieces of white felt)
• Put them together with the dress, stockings, and shoes

Pilgrim Hat for Girls

What you need:

• 12 x 18 piece of white paper
• stapler or glue
• white ribbon

What to do:

• Fold the piece of paper in half the long way, then unfold it so you can see the crease.
• Now fold up one side of the paper so the edge is even with the crease (folded up along the dotted line on the image below).
• On the other side of the crease, cut two slits, evenly spaced going almost all the way to the crease.
• Now punch a hole one each end of the folded half of the paper.
• Cut 2 pieces of ribbon, about 15 inches long, and tie one end of each ribbon to the hole you punched.
• The folded section will be the front/brim area of the hat and the ribbons can be tied under the chin or left hanging at the side of the head.
• Find the 3 ‘flaps’ created by the slits you cut in the other half of the paper.  
• The 2 outside flaps are brought together under the middle flap.  
• Staple these 3 toghether and this will shape your finished bonnet.

Follow this link to Activity TV for a video on how to make a very similar homemade Pilgrim’s Hat.

Tags: homemade pilgrim costumes, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving costumes