Thanksgiving activities for kids are a fantastic way to celebrate the season with laughter, creativity, and hands-on fun! From crafts to sensory bins, these 25 ideas will keep little hands busy and happy during the holiday season.
- Fun and festive Thanksgiving activities for kids
- Hands-on Thanksgiving activities for kids
- Painting with Feathers Art Activity
- Fizzing Turkey Thanksgiving Science
- Turkey Tape Resist Art
- Turkey Haircuts
- Pattern Block Turkey Art
- Giant Thanksgiving Coloring Poster
- Thanksgiving Coffee Filter Turkey
- Leaf Garland
- Play Dough Turkeys
- Turkey Baster Color Mixing
- Play Dough and Pattern Block Pumpkins
- Thankful Turkey
- Thanksgiving Turkey Craft with Contact Paper
- Fine Motor Turkey Activity
- Sponge Painted Turkey
- Feather Fine Motor Activity
- Feed the Turkey
- Feather Painted Turkey
- No-Cook Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
- Turkey Tracks
- Corn Sensory Bin
- Fall Leaf Turkey Art
- Fall Coloring Pages for Kids
- Apple Pie Sensory Bin
- Pumpkin Pie Leaf Art
- What kids learn from preschool Thanksgiving activities
- Why Thanksgiving activities for kids matter
- Frequently Asked Questions
Fun and festive Thanksgiving activities for kids
Thanksgiving is all about family, gratitude, and creating special memories—and these activities bring it all together.
With crafts, art, and even a few sneaky STEM ideas, there’s something here for every kid (and their adult).
Plus, they’ll stay entertained while you get the turkey in the oven.
Hands-on Thanksgiving activities for kids
From a bubbly baking soda & vinegar turkey experiment to painting with feathers, these activities are perfect for kids of all ages.
Gather up some simple supplies (you probably already have them!) and watch the creativity unfold.
You’ll love seeing how these moments spark joy and imagination.
Painting with Feathers Art Activity
Grab any craft feathers you have (big or small), and use them for painting! Kids will get a kick out of “painting without brushes” and each piece is gorgeous.
Fizzing Turkey Thanksgiving Science
Baking soda & vinegar are a dream team, and this Thanksgiving twist is SUCH FUN! We love watching kids add “feathers” to their turkeys all while it bubbles and sizzles. 20/10.
Turkey Tape Resist Art
If it’s a Busy Toddler activity, it’s perfection. Use simple supples such as cardboard, tape, and paint to make the cuuutest, giant turkeys! These also make a precious Thanksgiving decoration.
Turkey Haircuts
These. Are. So. CUTE! Scissor skills are so, so important for kids, and this is an out-of-the-box way to practice scissor skills that kids will absolutely and completely love.
Pattern Block Turkey Art
We love an opportunity to connect holiday activities with math! Grab your pattern blocks to make gorgeous, geometric turkeys. So obsessed with this.
Giant Thanksgiving Coloring Poster
Nothing is a showstopper quite like a giant, 10-foot Thanksgiving coloring poster. This makes the best Thanksgiving decoration, activity to keep kids out of the kitchen, or an interactive tablecloth during your holiday meal.
Thanksgiving Coffee Filter Turkey
This craft-meets-process-art turkey is absolutely beautiful. We love the opportunities for fine motor practice, scissor skills, and color mixing, too. Love!
Leaf Garland
Shaving cream marbling is a fave for a reason, and this holiday twist is absolutely beautiful. Plus, how adorable would these be on a mantle, over a doorway, or near your holiday table?
Play Dough Turkeys
These are forever one of my favorite things in the world. Grab play dough (any color!), feathers, and googly eyes for DIY play dough turkeys. These crack everyone up.
Turkey Baster Color Mixing
I cannot put into words how brilliant this is! It’s so simple, and LOADED with sensory, fine motor, science, and math skills. This might even be fun in the bath if doing this at home.
Play Dough and Pattern Block Pumpkins
Pattern blocks are truly a preschool hero. Invite kids to use pattern blocks smooshed into play dough for open-ended pumpkin fun.
Thankful Turkey
This goes viral every year, and for good reason! You could start this at the beginning of November adding a feather each day, or you could do this as a family on Thanksgiving day, too.
Thanksgiving Turkey Craft with Contact Paper
We had SO MUCH FUN making this! We used contact paper and feathers, but we also share another idea (that we love and have done before) if you don’t have contact paper on hand.
Fine Motor Turkey Activity
I’m a big, big fan of reusing paper towel tubes and this little turkey is just precious. It’s easy to make and you can save your turkey for years of fine motor fun.
Sponge Painted Turkey
Another process-art-meets-craft project, and this one uses such simply supplies. I love seeing how these turn out because they’re all so different from one another.
Feather Fine Motor Activity
We love a super simple activity and this one is exactly that! Feathers + a colander = hours of fine motor fun. This one is fun at Thanksgiving or any time of the year.
Feed the Turkey
Save a plastic bottle, add some construction paper “feathers,” grab a small manipulative (ex: pom-poms) and in seconds you have an adorable, interactive, fine motor Thanksgiving game for kids.
Feather Painted Turkey
Oh, my gosh, could this be cuter? It’s like regular feather painting, but even cuter because we add a turkey body to the middle. Love these with my whole heart.
No-Cook Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
A batch of play dough can be used for days (or weeks!) and uses non-toxic ingredients from your kitchen cupboard. And just wait until you smell how heavenly this smells.
Turkey Tracks
These are just hysterical to me! Make these fun “turkey tracks” using only a pipe cleaner, paint, and paper. These are just too cute.
Corn Sensory Bin
This is fun way to add a little “feast” flair to your Thanksgiving fun. Dried popcorn kernels are one of our most favorite sensory fillers in all the land. They’re inexpensive, fun to play with, and can be stored for years. Plus, did you know you can dye them?
Fall Leaf Turkey Art
These are unbelievable gorgeous and my eyeballs cannot believe something so adorable is real. The perfect opportunity to go on a nature hunt with your littles and then connect it with some art.
Fall Coloring Pages for Kids
People are loving these and printing these off left and right! Our hand-drawn coloring pages have big, thick, black lines that are absolutely perfect for little hands.
Apple Pie Sensory Bin
I wish you could smell this through the screen. A tub with some dried oats, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and props makes for the best “dessert” to your Thanksgiving fun.
Pumpkin Pie Leaf Art
Grab some gorgeous leaves from outdoors and turn them into the most beautiful, nature-rich art. What a fun opportunity to look for leaves of all different colors and shapes, too.
What kids learn from preschool Thanksgiving activities
Thanksgiving activities for kids are more than just fun—they’re packed with valuable learning opportunities.
Kids practice fine motor skills while crafting, teamwork during group activities, and even math and science in food-related projects.
These activities also encourage creativity, problem-solving, and a sense of accomplishment.
Best of all, they help little ones understand gratitude and the importance of giving thanks.
Why Thanksgiving activities for kids matter
Thanksgiving activities for kids are more than just a way to keep little ones entertained—they’re opportunities to teach gratitude, teamwork, and creativity.
These moments help kids connect with the holiday’s meaning while enjoying hands-on fun.
Whether it’s crafting, cooking, or playing, these activities bring families together in meaningful ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose low-prep ideas like Thanksgiving coloring pages, an apple pie sensory bin, or a giant Thanksgiving coloring poster. All of the activities above would be fun for Thanksgiving and most can be set up and completed independently by kids on Thanksgiving day.
Many of the activities above are perfect for mixed-age groups of kids. Art, crafts, and sensory might seem geared more toward younger kids, but I promise, big kids love them, too. 🙂
A thankful turkey is a classic, and talking about what you are thankful for while engaging in any of the activities above is always a joy.
LEAVE A COMMENT