19 Easy and Entertaining Thanksgiving Activities for Kids!
🦃🍁 19 Delightfully Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids 🎨🎉
Make This Holiday Extra Special with Crafts, Games & Giggles!
Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to come together, share a hearty meal, and celebrate gratitude with those we love. 🧡 While adults may be busy basting turkeys and setting the table, kids are ready for fun, crafts, and all the holiday magic they can handle! 🎊
Keeping little ones engaged while preparing for the big feast can feel like a juggling act, but with the right mix of activities, your Thanksgiving will be filled with laughter, creativity, and memories that last a lifetime. 💫
So clear a space, gather your craft supplies, and dive into these 19 exciting Thanksgiving-themed activities that are simple to set up, full of seasonal flair, and guaranteed to delight kids of all ages. 👧👦
1. 🌳 Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree
Turn thankfulness into a colorful masterpiece! 🌈 Use real twigs in a vase or draw a tree on poster board. Let kids cut out paper leaves 🍂 and write one thing they’re grateful for on each. Then, help them add their leaves to the tree!
✨ As the tree fills up, it becomes a heartwarming display of gratitude and creativity—perfect for your Thanksgiving décor and family reflection.
2. ✂️ DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards
Get your little ones involved in setting the table! 🍽️ Provide cardstock, markers, stickers, and a sprinkle of glitter to help them design unique place cards for each dinner guest. 💖
🎨 Kids love adding their artistic flair, and seeing their creations proudly displayed boosts their confidence and adds a personal touch to the holiday spread.
3. 🏃 Turkey Trot Race
Waddle, dash, and gobble to the finish line! 🦃 Set up a fun turkey trot in your yard or driveway and let kids race wearing turkey hats or feathered costumes. 🎽
🏆 Add silly prizes, feathered props, or even a “Best Turkey Strut” award to keep the excitement going. It’s a fantastic way to get their energy out before sitting down to dinner!
4. 🎰 Thanksgiving Bingo
Bingo just got a holiday upgrade! 🎉 Print out Thanksgiving-themed Bingo cards filled with festive symbols like pumpkin pie, pilgrims, turkeys, and autumn leaves. 🍂
🍬 Use candy corn or mini marshmallows as markers to make it even sweeter! This is a relaxing activity that keeps them happy while you’re prepping in the kitchen.
5. 👑 Turkey Hat Craft
Let your kids become little turkeys! 🦃 Using construction paper, glue, and their imaginations, kids can design colorful turkey headbands complete with feathers and googly eyes. 👀
📸 These hats are adorable for photos and make every child feel like the life of the party. They’ll wear them with pride—and probably all day long!
6. 🕵️ Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
Bring the thrill of discovery into your celebration! Create a list of festive items like mini pumpkins, pinecones, or acorns, and hide them around the house or yard. 🍁
🔍 Give clues or a checklist, and let them explore! Add a prize for completing the list to boost their excitement. It’s fun, active, and gives them a mission to complete!
7. 🎳 Pumpkin Bowling
Bowling gets a harvest twist! 🎃 Set up empty water bottles as pins and use a small pumpkin as the bowling ball. Let the giggles begin as kids try to knock them all down!
🤣 The pumpkin’s funny shape adds a challenge, and every roll is full of laughter and surprises. Indoors or outdoors—it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
8. 🖍️ Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
Sometimes kids need a quiet corner to wind down—and coloring is the perfect calm activity. 🧘♀️ Set out crayons, markers, and printables of turkeys, pilgrims, and harvest scenes.
🎨 They’ll love creating their own festive masterpieces. Hang them on the fridge or wall for instant holiday decoration made with love. ❤️
9. 🍂 Leaf Pile Jumping
Turn your backyard into a playground! Rake up a big pile of crisp, colorful leaves and let the kids leap, dive, and tumble into fall fun. 🍁🍂
🎉 It’s classic, cost-free entertainment that gets them outside and brings out big smiles. Don’t forget your camera—this one’s photo gold! 📸
10. 📚 Thanksgiving Storytime
Create a cozy nook with blankets and pillows, then gather the kids for a festive read-aloud. 📖 Choose Thanksgiving-themed books filled with heart, humor, or history.
🦃 Storytime gives kids a peaceful moment to reflect, relax, and learn about the meaning behind the holiday. It’s calm, cozy, and oh-so-special.
11. 🍪 Edible Turkey Craft
Transform snack time into art time! Hand each child a mini “ingredient kit” with Oreos for the body, candy corn feathers, chocolate‑chip eyes, and a dab of frosting as “glue.” Kids layer the candy corn around the cookie, attach the eyes and beak, then—best part—devour their masterpiece! 😋
💡 Why It’s Gobble‑Great: Combines hands‑on creativity with an instant treat, keeping little chefs busy and bellies happy. Set up a tiny “display tray” so kids can admire (and photograph) their sugary turkeys before they disappear!
12. 🪶 Pin the Feather on the Turkey
Give the classic party game a festive makeover! Tape a jumbo turkey poster to the wall, blindfold each player, spin them gently, and see who can place a colorful paper feather closest to the target spot.
🤣 Laugh‑Factor: Twirling kids + wobbly footsteps = giggles galore. Keep a roll of washi tape nearby for quick feather resets, and award a silly sticker to the most accurate “turkey stylist.”
13. 🎈 Thanksgiving Parade Viewing Party
Bring the magic of the big parade indoors! Spread blankets on the floor, pop corn, hand out DIY “float scorecards,” and let kids vote for their favorite balloons on TV. Supply tiny flags or noisemakers so they can cheer each float like true parade pros.
🎉 Memory Maker: Snap photos of their excited faces and add them to next year’s table décor for an annual tradition they’ll anticipate every November.
14. 🔍 Thanksgiving Word Search
Quiet fun that still sparks brainpower! Print out word‑search grids filled with seasonal vocabulary—“gratitude,” “cornucopia,” “harvest moon.” Challenge kids to find every term, then color each word in fall shades.
🧠 Bonus Twist: Offer a mini prize for the first finisher—or create levels (easy, medium, tricky) so older siblings stay engaged too.
15. 🥏 Cornhole Game
Set up your board indoors by the fireplace or outdoors on crisp grass. Swap standard beanbags for pumpkin‑patterned or turkey‑printed ones, then let kids (and grown‑ups!) compete for the highest score.
🏅 Festive Flair: Mark every winning toss with a hearty “Gobble!” and jot scores on a chalkboard shaped like a leaf. The champion earns a tiny plush turkey throne.
16. 📿 Thanksgiving Bracelet Making
Threading fun for little fashionistas! Provide elastic cord and beads in warm autumn tones—amber, cocoa, gold. Add letter beads so kids can spell “THANKFUL,” their name, or a sweet message.
🌟 Keepsake Charm: Encourage them to trade bracelets with cousins or gift one to Grandma during dessert—it turns a craft into an act of gratitude.
17. 🎭 Thanksgiving Puppet Show
Raid the sock drawer or paper‑bag stash, add googly eyes, felt feathers, and sparkly fabric scraps, then let kids create a turkey troupe and improvise a holiday tale.
🤩 Stage Magic: Fashion a cardboard “proscenium” from a shipping box and dim the lights for showtime. Applaud wildly—encore gobbles mandatory!
18. 😂 Thanksgiving Joke Contest
Set up a mini “comedy club” corner. Invite budding comedians to grab a play mic (or wooden spoon) and deliver their best turkey puns—“Why did the turkey join the band? Because it had the drumsticks!”
🏆 Laugh‑O‑Meter: Judge by audience giggles or applause volume. Winner claims a feathered “Funniest Fowl” badge—and endless bragging rights.
19. 🌟 Thanksgiving Bracelet Making—Round Two!
For kiddos who just can’t get enough bling, offer a second bracelet session with metallic beads, tiny leaf charms, and miniature acorn pendants. Encourage layering multiple creations for a stacked autumn look.
💖 Double Delight: This encore craft keeps small hands busy while adults finish last‑minute gravy tasks—and every bracelet becomes a sparkling souvenir of a fabulous holiday.
🧡 Wrap‑Up: A Holiday Filled with Gratitude & Giggles
From munchable cookie turkeys to twirling blindfold games, these 19 kid‑approved activities sprinkle extra joy into Thanksgiving Day. They keep little ones happily occupied, spark creativity, and weave family memories you’ll treasure long after the last slice of pie is gone. So gather those craft bins, clear a play zone, and let the festive fun take flight—because a Thanksgiving bursting with laughter is truly something to be thankful for! 🦃🍂🎉
