At Thanksgiving time, you should take a moment to tell your children about the Thanksgiving story, but perhaps a better way to spark a conversation is to have your child make a pilgrim hat with you while you tell them about why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Plus, when you make a cute pilgrim hat, your child or children can wear it at Thanksgiving dinner for a little bit of authenticity. You have a lot of ways that you can make a pilgrim hat for either a boy or a girl. Here are some ways that we found.
To make a girl’s pilgrim hat, take an 11” x 17” piece of paper and fold it half length ways. Unfold it so you can see the crease. Fold up one side of the paper so the edge is even with the crease. On the other side of the crease, cut two slits evenly spaced going almost all the way to the crease. Punch a hole in each end of the folded half of the paper. Cut two pieces of ribbon about 15 inches long and tie one end of each ribbon through the holes. The folded section will be the brim of the pilgrim hat and then the ribbons can be tied under the chin. Where you cut your slits, you need to bring them together and staple together to form a bonnet.
Making a boy’s pilgrim hat is much easier! All you will need here is a paper plate, some black paint, glue, and construction paper. Start by painting the paper plate black and let it dry. Cut out the center of this pilgrim hat leaving the outside rim about two inches thick. Cut a piece of construction paper about 8 inches by 8 inches. Tape this into the circle you cut into the paper plate. You need to be sure that this piece sticks out as much as possible, but you also want it to be secure. Out of a piece of white paper, cut a 2 inch by 8 inch rectangle and glue it on the black paper where it meets the paper plate. Cut a rectangle shape out of yellow construction paper and glue it to the middle of the white strip as a buckle.
There are lots more patterns you can find to make a pilgrim hat for either a boy or a girl. We are willing to bet that if you think about it, you might even be able to come up with ideas of your own! Just think about what a pilgrim hat looks like and then utilize the supplies you have on hand.
