Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the blessings of the past year. It’s a simple reminder to be thankful and grateful for the life we have and those we share it with.
But while the adults often have a blast with their favorite Thanksgiving activities and traditions, the same can’t always be said about the kids.
Some of them don’t like the food, while others struggle to understand the meaning behind the holiday.
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Of course, there are also those who are simply too focused on what lies ahead—hint hint, Christmas.
So here are 20 fun and festive Thanksgiving activities to make the holiday exciting for the children in your life this year.
20. Make a ‘Gratitude Jar’
They say to save the best for last, but here is a fan favorite first.
The gratitude jar is extremely easy to prepare and a lot of fun to enjoy with family, friends, and kids.
First off, all you need is a jar (size depends on how many guests you have), tiny slips of paper, and writing utensils. You can decorate the jar with the kids as a fun lead up to the holiday.
As for how you utilize the gratitude jar, don’t be afraid to get creative.
For example, you can have everyone write something they’re thankful for as they arrive or you can do it at the Thanksgiving dinner table before you eat or while the food is being prepared.
To make it fun for the kids, make it into its own game. Have someone pick a slip out of the jar and read it aloud so everyone can guess who wrote it.
19. Play a game of Thanksgiving Bingo
It’s your classic game of Bingo, but with a Thanksgiving twist.
While you can buy Thanksgiving-themed Bingo cards online, you can also make a homemade version with the kids—again acting as an activity leading up to the holiday.
To stick with the theme, replace all the numbers with pictures of Thanksgiving-related items, such as turkeys, leaves, corn, pumpkins, apple pie, and hot cider.
You’ll also need a separate piece of paper for each item, which will act as the deck of cards—or you can glue the photos on ping pong balls for a more authentic Bingo feel.
Once you get it set up, well, you know the rest!
18. Test their wit with some Thanksgiving trivia
Got some paper laying around? Then let’s make some trivia cards!
This is something you’ll likely have to prepare without the kids, that way they aren’t exposed to the questions or answers ahead of time.
The good news is all you need is a pack of index cards, something to write with, and a mind that’s ready to learn!
For example, a good Thanksgiving-related trivia question might be, “In 1995, this popular Thanksgiving vegetable was the first to be grown in space.” The answer, of course, is the potato.
Just write the question on a card, have the answer handy, and see which of the kids can get the most right.
If you want to take it one step further, set it up like “Jeopardy,” but call it “Gobble-dy” or something else Thanksgiving-related, like “Gravy Gamble.”
17. Send them on a Thanksgiving-themed scavenger hunt
To make this happen for Thanksgiving 2024, all you need to do is pick a location, think of some clues and items to find, hide those clues and/or items, and let your kids do the rest.
Good locations for a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt include the house, the yard, or a combination of both.
The clues should be tailored to the kid’s age. Older kids get harder riddles, while the younger kids get more visual and descriptive clues.
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♬ Natural Emotions – Muspace Lofi
The two best ways to do it are to either have the kids look for and collect Thanksgiving-related items (a small pumpkin, toy turkey, etc.) or have them collect the clues as they find them.
To make it a little more personal to the kids, have the clues or items represent things your children are thankful for—and include little messages as to why they should be thankful for those items.
And don’t forget to end the activity with a special reward!
16. Craft homemade turkey headbands
What’s a holiday tradition without a little arts and crafts?
To start, cut a brown piece of construction paper about two inches wide—the longer the better. Wrap the strip around the wearer’s head and glue or staple the ends to make the base of the headband.
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♬ Where Is The Love? – The Black Eyed Peas
For the face, cut a 3-4” circle out of brown construction paper, a small orange triangle for the beak, a red wavy teardrop for the snood, and two white circles for the eyes (if you don’t have googly eyes).
Next, cut feather shapes out of red, orange and yellow paper and glue them in a fan shape behind the turkey’s head. Then staple the face/feathers to the base of the headband—that’s it!
For an extra touch of festivity, have the kids write their name, “Happy Thanksgiving,” or something they’re grateful for across the base of the headband. Then let them yell out their best turkey impression.
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15. Make custom Thanksgiving placemats
The dinner table isn’t complete until everyone has their own, custom placemat.
There are two ways to go about this with the kids. The first is to have everyone make their own placemat, including the adults, as a pre-meal activity.
The second option is to have your kids make custom placemats for each of your guests prior to Thanksgiving Day, that way the guests are surprised with a placemat when they arrive.
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♬ sonido original – 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔 𝖔𝖑𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖘🎭
Either way, it’s an easy activity that only requires large pieces of construction paper, markers, coloring pencils, stencils, and anything else your kids might want to use when decorating it.
If they’re making placemats for others, have them include some of their best memories with that person or some things they’re thankful for about that person.
14. Give them a Thanksgiving coloring book or activity sheet
When in doubt, bring the coloring books out!
You can find Thanksgiving-themed coloring books online or (possibly) at your local department store, but why spend the money when you can make them at home!
If you have ink in your printer, you can always find fun, festive and printer-ready activity sheets online that go with the Thanksgiving theme.
Or, if you can draw your own outlines, that’s an option as well. It might take some extra time, but it’ll be a nice break from the craziness.
You can even have the coloring and activity sheets double as placemats for dinner!
13. Create unique art with corn painting
If you haven’t heard of corn painting, then you’ve been missing out!
Corn painting is an art activity where you use an ear of corn to transfer paint to a sheet of paper. Like a sponge, the texture of the corn makes a unique pattern when pressed against the paper.
You’ll have to sacrifice a few ears of corn, but it’ll be well worth the investment when you see that big smile on your child’s face.
Just pour a good amount of paint onto a paper plate, have your child dip the corn into the paint, and see what they can create.
This craft requires a bit more supervision and makes a bit more of a mess. But if that doesn’t deter you, it’s one of the most unique options yet.
12. Make some delicious caramel apples
Apples are always a big hit in the fall and especially around Thanksgiving. But while we enjoy the more traditional apple pie and apple cider, let’s not forget the caramel apples!
And it only requires three key ingredients!
To make caramel apples, start by rinsing and drying your favorite kind of apples.
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♬ September – Earth, Wind & Fire
For the caramel, add 15 ounces of caramels, such as Werther’s Chewy bits, and three tablespoons of heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, in 30-second intervals, while stirring occasionally.
Once you have the desired texture (not too runny), dip the apples in the caramel and place on a piece of parchment paper. You can also dip the apple into sprinkles, nuts, or other toppings before setting it down.
All that’s left to do is let the apples cool in the fridge and then eat!
11. Craft and play the ‘Spin-the-Pie’ game
This is a fun game that could make for a good pre-dinner activity with the family.
First, you’ll need to make the wheel, which will act as the “pie” that gets spun. You only need three things to make this happen: a paper plate, a gold brad, construction paper and a sharpie.
Take the small circle in the middle of the paper plate and separate it into six even sections with a marker, as if you’re cutting a pie.
In each slice, write one of the following: Family, Friends, Travel, Home, Pets and Work.
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♬ The Gratitude Song – HOMER
Next, cut a colored piece of construction paper the same size as the center circle on the plate—this is the wheel. Separate it into six sections like you did on the plate, but cut one of those sections out.
All that’s left to do is attach the wheel to the plate using a gold brad so that the cut section reveals one of the words on the plate. Keep the brad loose enough so you can spin the wheel.
The game is simple: spin the wheel and recall a memory related to the category the wheel lands on. Let’s see what memories your family can come up with!
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10. Set up a game of butternut squash bowling
Here’s one you’ve probably never heard of before, but wish you did.
It’s very simple. All you need is 10 (or so) butternut squash, preferably ones that can stand on their own, some red and white tape, and a mini pumpkin.
Are you starting to see where we’re going with this?
Take the red and white tape and wrap it around the top of the squash to resemble a bowling pin. Stand them up and place them in the shape of a triangle, like at the bowling alley.
But wait, what do we use as the bowling ball? The mini pumpkin, of course!
The real question is who’s going to be the first one to get a “Turkey” for bowling three strikes in a row? Let the games begin!
9. Teach your kids this pumpkin folding trick with a napkin
Looking for some cool place settings for your Thanksgiving dinner table? What about some place settings that are fun to make with the kids?
Enter this neat little pumpkin napkin folding trick.
Cut a toilet paper tube in half, or if you have a napkin ring you can use that as well, and set it in the middle of a large, laid-out orange or white napkin. Reach inside the tube and pull the napkin up through the inside, but stop once it reaches the top.
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♬ Trick or treat – sophie
Next, fold the four corners of the napkin so they’re touching the cardboard tube. Then take the outer edges of the napkin and loosely tuck them into the top of the tube.
Once fluffed up, you should have a small round pumpkin-shaped napkin. Now do one for each plate to really impress your guests!
8. Bring a Thanksgiving-themed Piñata to the party
If you want this Thanksgiving to be one your kids remember, then bring out the piñata!
You can find Thanksgiving piñatas online and might be able to find them at a local party store, but you can also make one from scratch at home, if you’re feeling a little creative.
It’s a great way to get rid of extra Halloween candy and you can also add some Thanksgiving-related treats and/or gifts as well, such as bags of harvest chex mix, candy corn, and homemade lollipops.
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♬ Thanksgiving – FASSounds
You can also add tiny pieces of paper with Thanksgiving-themed jokes and trivia questions on them. The kid who gets the question right gets an extra prize.
Whether you have a Thanksgiving birthday to celebrate or simply need to add some excitement to the holiday, a piñata never disappoints!
7. Make art out of fallen leaves
By Thanksgiving, your trees are either starting to shed or are already bare. Either way, you probably have some, if not a lot of, leaves on the ground waiting to be raked up.
Before you do that, let’s turn those leaves into a fun activity for the Thanksgiving holiday.
First, have the kids run outside to look for the best leaves they can possibly find. We’re talking about the ones that are full, not ripped, and glowing with color.
Once they find what they’re looking for, bring the leaves inside and set up an arts and crafts table.
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♬ Experience (Slowed) – noel.smt
The rest is easy. All you’ll need is some small brown pom poms and some googly eyes—though small white pieces of paper and a marker will work, as well.
Set the leaf upside down, take the stem off, put the eyes in the middle of the leaf and the nose on the bottom. What you’re left with is a leaf-turned-fox!
You can also cut out a piece of brown construction paper in the shape of a turkey and use the leaves as the turkey’s feathers.
Either way, you’ll keep the kids busy for at least an hour or so!
6. Craft a cornucopia centerpiece for the dinner table
Still don’t have the perfect centerpiece for your dinner table? Well, make your own, then!
There’s the easy way, which begins with a pre-made cornucopia wicker basket, and the hard way, which involves making your own basket from scratch.
If making your own, it might be easiest to use chicken wire and shape it into a cornucopia. You can also weave your own wicker basket, but that might take a lot of time.
Either way, all you need to do once you have the cornucopia is decorate it.
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♬ The Pumpkin’s Song (Menu Theme) – Oskar Schuster
If you want to get fancy with it, start with a lining made out of burlap fabric, which can go on the inside, outside, or both, and then tie raffia rope around the outside for a more natural look.
To finish, start putting leaves, branches, acorns, miniature pumpkins, gourds, and cranberries inside the cornucopia to make it look festive.
And make sure you give your children the creative freedom to decorate it how they see fit—that way, they have something to show off once guests arrive.
5. Build and decorate a ‘Thankful Tree’
You can think of it as a precursor to the Christmas tree—a teaser, if you will.
And you won’t even need to go out and buy yourself another tree because there’s an easy DIY way to make this happen.
First, find a deep vase that has a little weight to it. Next, have the kids go outside and search for tree branches, but try to find ones with character (not just straight ones).
@celenakinsey This is my favorite tradition to do every year and it’s especially great for all of my parents who want to do a thankful tree but don’t really want to craft one themselves. Also if it makes you feel better- I don’t have our thankful tree up this year- I’m running a little behind schedule lately 😬. In fact I still have all of my Halloween decorations up…. Has anyone started decorating for Christmas yet??? #thanksgiving #thanksgivingvibes #thanksgivingfun #easydiy #homedecor
♬ original sound – Celena Kinsey
Fill the vase with small rocks or pebbles and start putting the branches in. You’ll want to play with the branches to make it look like a tree, but that could be a job for the kids.
When it’s done, cut pieces of construction paper in the shape of leaves and have your children write things they’re thankful for on the leaf. Now, you have ornaments!
Hang the leaves off the branches and have your guests add to the tree when they arrive!
4. Set up and decorate the Christmas tree
Okay, so you don’t want to set up a “thankful tree,” but you can always turn your attention to the Christmas tree.
With that said, setting up and decorating the Christmas tree makes for a great Thanksgiving tradition. It not only adds to the festivity in the house, but also checks something off your long holiday to-do list.
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♬ original sound – christmas sounds 🎄
It’s something most Americans do on Black Friday, anyways.
In fact, one poll by Axios, which surveyed 1,834 people, found that 55.5% of those who responded set their tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Yet, only about 20% do it before Thanksgiving.
There’s nothing wrong with being one of those 20%!
3. Decorate turkey-shaped nutterbutter cookies
We love turkeys, we love cookies, and we love gingerbread—so why not bring the three together this Thanksgiving?
If you’re lucky, you can find turkey-shaped cookie decorating kits at your local grocery store, but they’ll likely only have them for a limited time.
The kits usually come with several large turkey-shaped gingerbread cookies, colorful candies, sprinkles, and icing. As far as how they get decorated, that’s for your child to decide!
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♬ Charlie Brown Theme – Oliver Mewes & Olaf Polziehn & Jos Machtel
If you can’t find a kit, then you can always make the cookies yourself—all you need is a turkey cutout. Or find a package of nutterbutter cookies and decorate those!
Your kids will have fun with the decorating, but even more fun gobbling up the cookie!
2. Watch the ‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’
It’s not a Thanksgiving celebration unless you have the parade on!
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual tradition held in New York City on Thanksgiving Day.
It’s organized by the department store Macy’s and televised nationally on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones.
The parade features larger-than-life helium balloons, featuring popular characters from cartoons, movies, and television, as well as floats, marching bands, performers, and, of course, Santa Claus.
It’s a tradition that first started in 1924 and has been televised nationally since 1948.
If you’re looking to make it extra fun for the kids, create a bingo card or scavenger hunt of things to keep an eye out for as they watch the parade, such as “the American flag” or other items commonly seen.
As they spot it, they can cross it off their list or fill in the spot on their Bingo card. Let’s see who has the best eyes in the family!
1. Watch Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows and movies
When your kids get bored of the parade, find something else that’s Thanksgiving-themed to watch.
For example, some popular Thanksgiving movies include “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987), “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (1973), and “Home for the Holidays” (1995).
You can also put on old Thanksgiving episodes of some of your favorite shows. “Friends,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Cheers,” “Will and Grace,” “Modern Family,” and “Seinfeld” have some iconic ones.
Then again, it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving-themed. You can always just put your child’s favorite show or movie on the TV—they’ll be thankful and that’s what matters most.
Which Thanksgiving activities will become a tradition this year?
We all have our own unique traditions come Thanksgiving Day, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some new ones along the way—especially if you have children to keep occupied.
And while the Thanksgiving activities we detailed above are great examples of the fun your family can have this holiday season, don’t be afraid to let your creativity wander.
You know what your children would enjoy better than anyone, so trust your gut this Thanksgiving!
What’s most important is that we use this holiday as a reminder of all the blessings we have, and that we take this moment to be grateful for those we get to share this life with.
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However you choose to celebrate it, we hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!