Native Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft (Free Template)
Kids will be excited to dive into a project that’s both fun and educational! This Indian girl paper bag craft combines hands-on creativity, making it perfect for the Thanksgiving season and ideal for learning and play.
Download the free printable indian girl template, cut out the pieces, and glue them onto a lunch bag. Then, customize it with patterns, colors, and details you discover from kid-friendly books or resources about specific Native nations. It’s a joyful make-and-learn activity that invites storytelling, empathy, and conversation.
Whether you’re planning activities for Thanksgiving, teaching about American history, or just looking for cool arts and crafts to do on the weekend, this project is a winner.
Native Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft
It’s a simple paper bag puppet-style project that doubles as an opportunity to learn about Native Americans, their traditional clothing, and their significant contributions to history.
Kids will use construction paper, markers, and glue to create a colorful decoration while learning about the diverse tribes found across the country. Plus, since it’s made out of paper, it’s affordable, easy to clean up, and works well for classrooms, homeschoolers, or even rainy-day fun at home.
Why a Native Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft?
This craft connects children with the traditional clothing often worn by native people in various regions.
For example, the Plains Indians were known for braids and beadwork, while the Nez Perce Indians and Sioux added beautiful fringe, buckskin, and bead designs to their outfits.
When kids make a Native American vest or headband out of brown paper or a simple grocery bag, they’re not just making art—they’re touching on pieces of history.
The first Native Americans had to use natural materials, such as hides, to create items like vests, pouches, necklaces, and pottery.
By recreating some of these styles with paper and markers, children begin to understand the creativity and resourcefulness of Native peoples.
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Materials You’ll Need
To start, you don’t need anything fancy. Gather these simple supplies:
- Paper bag (or grocery bag)
- Free Indian Girl Template
- Construction paper in assorted colors (black, red, green, yellow, pink, blue, etc.)
- Marker (black works best)
- Glue
- Scissor
- Optional: extra brown paper for background pieces
If you’ve ever searched Pinterest for Thanksgiving crafts, you know how easy and fun this setup can be. This project is great for younger children in preschool, but also works well for older kids who love projects that involve drawing, cutting, and designing.
How To Make An Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft
Here’s how to bring your Indian girl paper bag to life:
1. Prepare Your Templates
Draw or print out a template for feathers, hair, eyes, blush, and the vest.
If you prefer, you can hand-cut the shapes with scissors to give kids creative freedom.
A printable template makes it quicker for large groups.
2. Cut and Trace
Cut out the feathers, eyes, braids, blush, and clothing shapes.
Use construction paper for color variety.
Kids love bold colors—think yellow, green, red, and blue feathers!
3. Outline and Decorate
Use a marker to add fun designs. Add fringe to the vest, triangle patterns to the headband, or zig-zag lines. Remind children that many Native American tribes used bead designs to decorate their clothing.
This is a fun way to introduce the idea of native American bracelets, necklaces, and pouches.
4. Assemble the Craft
Attach the vest shape to the front of the paper bag.
Add the big circle eyes and blush.
Glue the braids (hair) to both sides of the bag.
Draw a small smile with a marker.
Attach the headband and feathers at the top.
Now you’ve got a cheerful Native Indian girl puppet!
Free Indian Girl Template
This native American craft is more than just a cool craft project—it’s also a gentle introduction to American history. When kids make a paper bag vest or an Indian vest, they can learn about how different tribes used natural resources to create their clothing.
- The Wampanoag, who shared the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, wore buckskin and decorated it with shells and beads.
- The Pueblo tribes in the Southwest focused on pottery, dreamcatcher-style weaving, and geometric designs.
- The Pacific Northwest tribes often carved beautiful totem poles, which can be introduced as a related craft.
- The Blackfoot and Sioux tribes were known for their tipis (or teepees) and canoe travel.
Even figures like Sacajawea, who helped Lewis and Clark, can be introduced when kids are making these arts and crafts. It’s a fun way to connect children’s books about Native life to hands-on projects for kids.
Thanksgiving Paper Crafts For Kids
If you’re looking for a project that’s great for Thanksgiving, this craft works perfectly. The paper bag Native American vest style connects directly with the theme of the first Thanksgiving celebrations.
While children are making their paper bag puppet, you can share stories about native American Indians and the traditions of the Wampanoag.
This also makes a wonderful classroom decoration. Imagine a bulletin board lined with cheerful Native Indian girl paper bag crafts, each one unique. Pair it with cut-outs of a teepee, a canoe, or even food items from the first Thanksgiving, and you’ll have a colorful display.
Making It Fun and Relatable
Children love projects that allow them to decorate, color, and express themselves. Every feather can be a different shade, every vest a distinct pattern.
This makes each craft an opportunity to celebrate individuality, just as there were many native American tribes across the country with unique traditions.
If your child is interested in pouches, necklaces, or bead designs, let them add those details to the clothing. If they love color, feathers can be as bright as a rainbow. And if they’re really into Pinterest-worthy art, encourage them to turn the puppet into a full storytelling character.
More Thanksgiving Crafts to Enjoy
If you enjoyed the Native Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft, here are more festive Thanksgiving-themed crafts you can try next.
- Pilgrim Turkey Paper Bag Craft – A fun turkey craft dressed as a pilgrim for the holiday.
- Pilgrim Girl Paper Bag Craft – A sweet and simple paper bag craft for kids.
- Pilgrims and Mayflower Printable Craft – A printable set featuring pilgrims and the Mayflower for hands-on learning.
- Mayflower Ship Paper Plate Craft – A creative craft where kids can build their own Mayflower ship from a paper plate.
This paper bag craft is more than just a fun project—it’s an introduction to the world of native Americans, a reminder of the first Thanksgiving, and a chance to celebrate creativity.
With just construction paper, glue, and a paper bag, kids can learn, play, and imagine life in tribes made centuries ago.
So grab a brown paper grocery bag, set out the markers, and get ready for an afternoon of fun.
Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or just someone who loves arts and crafts, this activity is great for Thanksgiving and beyond. It’s simple, colorful, and educational—a true win for both kids and adults.
Indian Girl Paper Bag Craft
Create a Thanksgiving paper bag girl puppet using our free printable template. Kids cut, color, and glue the face, hair, clothing, and a decorative band onto a lunch sack, then add patterns and details with a marker. For culture-themed lessons, invite children to research a specific nation or people (or region) and choose authentic colors/patterns—avoiding generic costumes—so the craft supports learning and respect.
Materials
- Lunch-size paper bag (flap becomes the mouth)
- Free girl puppet template (PDF), printer, paper/cardstock
- Construction paper (skin tone, hair color, clothing colors)
- Scissors
- Glue stick or school glue
- Fine-tip markers or crayons (for outlines and patterns)
- Optional: googly eyes, blush crayon/colored pencil
Instructions
- Print the template
Download the free template and print at Actual Size (100%) on paper or light cardstock. Cut out each template piece (face, eyes, cheeks, hair sections, feather/band or other headwear, clothing V-neck, etc.). - Trace & cut in color
Place each template piece on the matching construction paper (e.g., hair on dark brown/black, V-neck on a chosen color). Trace lightly with a pencil and cut out all parts. If preferred, print directly onto colored paper to skip tracing. - Prep the paper bag
Turn the bag with the flap side up—this flap will be the puppet’s mouth. If the bag color doesn’t match your design, glue a rectangle of construction paper on the front as a base. - Assemble facial features
Glue the eyes to the face circle (or add googly eyes). Lightly shade the cheeks with a pink crayon or glue on the blush circles from the template. Use a marker to add a small smile, eyebrows, or lashes. - Attach the face
Glue the finished face onto the flap of the bag so it moves when the mouth opens. - Add hair
Glue the side hair pieces along both sides of the face, then attach the top hair piece so it overlaps slightly for a finished look. - Create the clothing
Glue the V-shaped clothing piece (collar/neckline) to the body area of the bag—just below the flap. With a fine-tip marker, add simple patterns (lines, dots, geometric shapes). Encourage designs inspired by a specific culture/region you’re learning about. - Headband/feather or alternative accessory
Glue the headband across the top hair piece, then attach the feather (or a culturally appropriate alternative such as a flower/clip) where indicated by the template. Outline gently with a marker for definition. - Outline & finish
Use markers to outline edges, add details (earrings, braids, trim), and personalize. Let dry completely. - Play & learn
Slide your hand inside the bag to bring the puppet to life for storytelling, book retells, or a Thanksgiving craft.
Tip: For classrooms, pre-cut small pieces and set up color-coded trays. Pair the craft with age-appropriate books or official tribal/cultural resources to guide patterns and vocabulary.
