GUIDE
Every Thanksgiving the kids trace hand turkeys and say what they're thankful for. How do we keep them year after year so we can compare?
By the seenow! teamLast updated:
Make the tradition the same every year: the same paper, the same question, and a photo of each child holding their turkey, taken that day. Write their exact words and age on the back, keep every year in one folder, and take the hand turkeys off display after the holiday so the colors last.
WHY
Why this happens
A hand turkey and a "what I'm thankful for" answer are tiny snapshots of a child at one moment. A three-year-old is thankful for "my blanket"; at seven, the same child may name a friend or a grandparent. Side by side, the fingers get longer and the answers get deeper. That comparison is the whole point, and it only works if each year's piece survives and can be found the next November.
Two things usually break the chain. The first is inconsistency: one year it is a paper plate, the next a handprint in paint, the year after a list on a napkin, and nothing lines up. The second is the paper itself. Hand turkeys are usually cut from construction paper, and conservators have long known it does not last. A 1997 article in the American Institute for Conservation's Book and Paper Group Annual describes its dyes as having poor fastness to light, notes that some fade even in the dark, and points to the brown edges these papers develop.
The Northeast Document Conservation Center puts it plainly: light damage is cumulative and irreversible, and no paper should be on permanent display. A turkey taped to the fridge from November to spring keeps soaking up light the whole time. The good news is that a few small habits fix both problems, and none of them take more than a few minutes on Thanksgiving Day.
HOW TO
What you can do starting today
Fix the format once, and repeat it every yearNo app needed
Choose one paper size and one prompt and stick with them. For example: a plain white letter-size sheet, the child's hand traced with fingers spread, and the same question every year, such as "What are you thankful for this year?" White paper with crayon or marker coloring on top is easier to compare than precut colored construction paper. Write the format on an index card and keep it in the folder, so next year you do not have to remember it.
Trace the new hand over last year's outlineNo app needed
Alongside the yearly turkey, keep one "growth sheet" per child. Each Thanksgiving, place their hand on the same sheet, lined up at the wrist, and trace it in a new color. Write the year next to each outline. After a few years you have a single page that shows the hand growing, which is the comparison this tradition is really about, and it is quick to bring out at the table.
Write down their exact words that dayNo app needed
Children's answers are the part you will forget first. Write what each child says, word for word, on the back of their turkey with their name, age and the date. If they are old enough, let them write it themselves; the handwriting changes from year to year too. If relatives each give an answer, a single page of everyone's answers at the table makes a nice record to reread the next year.
Photograph each child holding their turkey before dessertNo app needed
Take one photo per child, holding their turkey next to their face, in the same spot each year, such as in front of the same door. Because construction paper colors can fade even in storage, the photo is the record that will still show the true colors in ten years. Put the photos in one album named "Thanksgiving turkeys" so every year sits together.
Display through the season, then store it flatNo app needed
Enjoy the turkeys on the wall through Thanksgiving weekend, out of direct sun from windows. NEDCC says most materials can be shown for three to four months at low light levels without fading, so take them down well within that window, by the new year at the latest. Then file them flat in one folder or box per child, oldest at the back, and store it with the holiday decorations so it comes out every November.
Source: Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC): Protection from Light Damage
WITH SEENOW!
Doing it with seenow!
seenow! is a family app for short videos and photos shared in a private group. It can add the voices to step 4.
- The seenow! camera shoots with the front and back cameras at the same time, so one post can show the hand turkey and your child's face as they say what they are thankful for.
- A 2-second clip of each child's answer goes into the week's recap video automatically, which grandparents who were not at the table can watch too.
What seenow! can’t do
- seenow! does not sort posts by holiday or line up past years side by side. Keep your own album and folder for the year-to-year comparison.
- Only photos and videos taken with the seenow! camera can be posted, so turkeys you photographed in earlier years cannot be added.
Core features are free.
POINT
Things to watch for in this situation
Do not laminate or tape the originals
It can be tempting to laminate a hand turkey or tape it into an album, but that is hard to undo. A plain folder or box keeps the paper safe without changing it.
Let older kids opt out of the hand tracing
Some kids decide hand turkeys are for little kids. Keep the tradition alive with just the thankful answer and the growth sheet, which takes ten seconds.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep construction paper crafts from fading?
Keep them out of direct sunlight and do not leave them up year-round. NEDCC says light damage is cumulative and irreversible and that no paper should be on permanent display. Store them flat in a box, and take a photo so the original colors are saved.
What is an easy Thanksgiving tradition to repeat with young kids?
Ask the same question every year, such as what they are thankful for, and trace their hand on the same growth sheet in a new color. Both take a few minutes and become more meaningful each year.