Free Printable Thanksgiving Lacing Cards: 16 Designs
These free printable Thanksgiving lacing cards turn colorful fall pictures into a reusable threading activity. Print the designs, cut them out, punch the marked holes, and show your child how to guide a lace around the edge.
The PDF contains 16 full-color designs on eight pages, including a turkey, pumpkins and pies, leaves, fruit, and other autumn shapes. Each card has white dots along its border to show where to punch.
These lacing cards for kids offer hands-on fine motor practice and help develop hand-eye coordination. Add a few to a supervised activity tray, or pair them with our Thanksgiving crafts and printables for a fall craft afternoon.
Download the Free Printable Thanksgiving Lacing Cards
Use the download option below to save the file. Choose a favorite page or print the complete set.
Each US Letter page contains two cards. These ready-colored designs let children begin threading once an adult prepares them. A separate black-and-white coloring set is not included.
What Is Included?
Page 1: A pumpkin with “I Love Pumpkin” and a pie slice with “Happy Thanksgiving Day.”
Page 2: A maple leaf with “Happy Thanksgiving” and a roast turkey with “Happy Turkey Day.”
Page 3: An oak leaf with “Happy Thanksgiving Day” and an apple with “Grateful.”
Page 4: A pilgrim hat with “Give Thanks” and an ear of corn with “Thankful.”
Page 5: A whole pie with “Sweeter Than Pumpkin Pie” and an acorn with “Blessed.”
Page 6: A pear with “Happy Thanksgiving” and a pine cone with “Thank You for Everything.”
Page 7: A feather with “Thank You” and a carrot with “Thankful For You.”
Page 8: A mushroom with “Happy Thanksgiving” and a turkey with “Gobble Til You Wobble.”
Start with a broad shape, such as the pumpkin or apple, before adding the turkey’s, corn’s, or leaves’ more detailed edges.
What Is a Lacing Card?
A lacing card features a durable picture with small openings spaced along its border. Children practice threading a cord through these holes to create stitches that follow the shape.
These cards are a great way for little hands to practice holding a shape steady while guiding the thread with the other hand. They also build fine motor skills and concentration as children find the next opening and gently pull the cord through.
This simple sewing project uses prepared holes and a lace. No sewing needle is needed.
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Supplies You Will Need:
- Thanksgiving lacing card PDF (Download at the bottom of this post)
- White printer-compatible cardstock
- Printer
- Scissors
- Single-hole punch
- Short shoelace, lacing cord, or yarn with a taped tip
Optional: Laminator and laminating pouches for extra durability, clear tape for reinforcement, and a storage envelope.
Choose a cord that moves easily through the openings. A shoelace with a firm tip usually guides more easily than loose yarn. If using yarn, wrap a small amount of tape tightly around one end to make a threading tip.
Use only as much cord as needed for the selected design. Keep cords away from the child’s neck and supervise throughout the activity.
How to Make Thanksgiving Lacing Cards
1. Print Your Chosen Pages
Print in portrait orientation on US Letter paper. Use actual size if the complete page fits in the preview, or choose Fit to printable area if your printer clips the edges.
When using A4 paper, adjust your printer settings to match the paper size and review the preview before printing. Avoid reducing the designs substantially, since smaller openings and narrower borders can be harder to use.
Color printing preserves the original artwork. Grayscale printing is possible, but it does not create blank coloring pages.
2. Trim the Printed Shapes
Carefully trim along the colored outline, making sure the white hole markers remain within the finished piece.
Leave enough material beyond each dot for a complete opening. Trimming into the markings can cause tearing when you pull the cord.
Adults should prepare the detailed shapes and check for sharp corners.
3. Laminate for Repeated Use, If Desired
To make your own lacing cards for repeated use, place the cut shapes in a laminating pouch with space between them. Follow your laminator’s instructions and allow the pouch to cool.
Trim each shape again, leaving a narrow sealed margin. Round sharp corners.
For longer-lasting cards, apply the laminate before creating the threading holes. Doing so leaves each opening accessible through both layers. Since punching close to the border can affect the protective seal, avoid exposing the finished pieces to moisture.
4. Create the Threading Holes
Position your single-hole punch directly over each white marker to create evenly spaced openings around the picture. Empty the paper circles into the trash before setting out the activity.
Check that your tool can reach the markings on the chosen shape. If a deep notch is awkward, leave that spot unpunched and use nearby reachable openings.
For a beginner, prepare only a few well-spaced holes to create a shorter threading path.
5. Introduce the Lace
Thread the cord through a starting hole. Leave a short tail and secure it to the back with tape so it does not pull straight through.
Show your child how to guide the tip into the next opening and pull it through gently. Begin with two or three holes together, then let the child continue with help as needed.
There is no need to finish the whole outline in one sitting.
Easy Lacing Patterns to Try
Running stitch: Go up through one hole and down through the next, alternating between the front and back.
Over-the-edge stitch: Practice lacing around the outside by bringing the cord over the border before threading through the next opening from the same side.
Free threading: Let beginners explore several openings without requiring a consistent pattern. Focus on guiding the tip and pulling the cord through.
Once children are comfortable, invite them to count their stitches or describe the picture while they work.
Adapt the Activity for Different Ages
Preschoolers: Offer one card, a firm-tipped cord, and a few prepared holes. Sit beside your preschooler and demonstrate slowly. This is a simple way to develop fine motor skills.
Kindergarten and early elementary: Introduce a repeated stitch and ask children to follow the holes around the border. Older kids can count openings, compare shapes, or practice different stitching patterns.
Toddlers: This is not an independent busy-bag activity. If you try it with a ready toddler, provide close one-to-one help and stop if the cord goes near the mouth or neck. A supervised coloring or drawing activity may be a better choice.
Choose based on readiness and interest rather than a fixed age. Offer a break when threading becomes frustrating.
Use Lacing Cards in a Thanksgiving Busy Bag
Pack two or three prepared cards and suitable cords in a labeled pouch. These printable lacing cards work well in supervised busy bags for pre-K and kindergarten learners. Keep scissors, the cutting tools, and loose paper circles out of the child’s activity bag.
Use the designs at a table where an adult can supervise. Store the cords separately and put them away when the session ends.
For a different table activity, try our free printable Thanksgiving activity pack, which includes coloring, puzzles, drawing, and dice games.
Classroom and Homeschool Setup
Check the download’s classroom-use permissions before making multiple sets. Prepare the materials in advance and place one card and one cord in each tray.
Keep a completed example nearby. Offer fewer openings to younger kids and a longer path to children ready for more threading. These activities help build dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
The words on the designs can also start a gratitude conversation. Ask children who they would like to thank, then continue with our Thanksgiving thankful tree printable.
Troubleshooting
The yarn frays: Retape the tip tightly or switch to a shoelace with a firm end.
The holes tear: Use sturdier cardstock, reinforce the edge before punching, and encourage gentle pulling.
The cord tangles: Shorten it and show children how to pull the remaining length through each opening before moving on.
The lace keeps slipping out: Secure the starting tail to the back with tape.
The punch cannot reach a dot: Use an accessible neighboring hole. Do not remove the surrounding border just to reach the marking.
Store and Reuse the Cards
Remove the threading after use and store the designs flat in an envelope or shallow box. Keep cords separate to prevent tangling.
Before the next session, check the openings, edges, and threading tips. Replace pieces that have torn holes or peeling laminate.
More Thanksgiving Crafts and Printables
Make a wearable craft with our printable Thanksgiving crowns, or try a Build a Turkey printable for cutting and gluing.
Our I Am Thankful For worksheets offer gratitude prompts. Explore more Thanksgiving crafts and printables for seasonal activities.
Are the Thanksgiving lacing cards free?
Absolutely! You can download the full collection for free. Just have your cardstock, printer, and threading materials ready.
How many cards are included?
The eight-page file contains 16 cards, with two designs per page.
Do I have to laminate them?
Not necessarily. Sturdy cardstock is sufficient for occasional use. Adding a protective layer can help the designs last through multiple sessions, but inspect the edges and openings for damage.
Can I use regular printer paper?
It may bend or tear during threading. Print them out onto cardstock, or attach the printed shapes to a sturdy backing and let the glue dry before cutting and punching.
Should I punch holes before or after laminating?
After laminating. Make the openings through the finished material so the protective layer does not cover them.
Can children use yarn instead of a shoelace?
Yes, with adult supervision. Tape the tip to make it easier to guide, and check that it fits through the openings.
How long does the activity take?
Try a 5–10 minute session with one card. Preparation takes longer if you laminate and prepare several designs, so have the materials ready before the child’s activity time.
Thanksgiving Lacing Cards
Prepare a Thanksgiving picture card with punched holes, then use a lace to practice threading around its edge.
Materials
- 1 printed lacing card on cardstock
- Short lace or yarn with a taped tip
- Tape
- Laminating pouch, optional
Tools
- Printer
- Scissors
- Single-hole punch
- Laminator, optional
Instructions
- Print a selected page in portrait orientation.
- Cut around one card, preserving its border and white dots.
- Laminate if desired, cool, and trim with a narrow sealed margin.
- Punch reachable white dots through the finished card.
- Thread a lace through the starting hole and tape the tail to the back.
- Demonstrate threading through the next hole, then help the child continue.
- Put the cord away when the supervised activity ends.
Notes
No sewing needle is needed. Start with fewer holes for beginners. Store cards dry and check edges and holes before reuse.
