Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

It’s wonderful to have quality time with the family while the kids are on break from school. That being said, it can be challenging to keep them entertained while you prepare the house and do the cooking for a Thanksgiving meal.  If they are old enough, make them feel part of the festivities by putting them in charge of fun tasks. We know that sometimes, however, it can be easiest if the kids just stay out of the way. With that in mind, we’ve compiled this list of fun Thanksgiving activities for kids to help keep them entertained. 

Create a Hand Turkey

There’s a reason why a hand turkey is a classic childhood craft — they’re easy to make, and kids can get as creative with them as they want. If it’s been awhile and you need a refresher on how to make one, check out this tutorial. The turkeys can be simple drawings, or the body and feathers can be made from construction paper and glued together. Add googly eyes, adorn with real feathers, draw faces — encourage your child to be creative. Use the turkeys as decorations around the table or throughout the house. 

Crafts Table

If arts and crafts are their thing, set up an area with a variety of craft supplies so they can draw, cut, paste and create as much as they like. You can find free printable Thanksgiving-themed coloring pages online. Of course, don’t do this if it will create more mess and chaos to your day, but for kids who enjoy creating, this can be a great way to keep them occupied. 

Treasure Hunt

Hide a Thanksgiving-themed item somewhere in the house, then create a series of clues leading to it. The kids will use reasoning skills while having a great time. Another idea is to create a scavenger hunt. This works great if the house has a lot of seasonal decorations — just make a list of things like “turkey” or “pumpkin” and have the kids look around to find them. Don’t want them to touch your decorations? Give them your phone to take a picture of the matching item, or have them write down what they saw and where the item was, then hand you the list once they’ve found everything.

Make a Word Scramble

If the kids are of reading age, create a word scramble puzzle for them to work on. There are online tools that will scramble a word for you, like this one here. Use holiday-theme words or menu items from the delicious meal you’ll share. The adult guests might enjoy this too, so make one for everyone and get a little friendly family competition going. Whoever finishes it first get to pick the movie to watch after dinner!

Tape the Tail on the Turkey

This one is similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only eliminates the chance of pin-related mishaps! Hang a handprint turkey on a wall, then have the kids take turns blindfolding, spinning, and releasing each other to see who can tape a tail closest to where it belongs.