Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Updated November 2026 · 18 free printables
Free printable Thanksgiving activities for kids to do at home on Thanksgiving Day and the weekend before: 18 pages for ages 3 to 10 that need only a printer, crayons, a pencil and sometimes scissors.
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About these printables
They are made for the hours when the turkey is in the oven, the cousins have arrived and the grown-ups need the kitchen: table talk cards and would you rather cards for the dinner table, charades cards with pictures, a picture scavenger hunt for toddlers and preschoolers, a clue checklist for kids who read, a silly fill-in story, dots and boxes, word bingo, an I spy counting game, a family word search and two mazes.
Kids can also help host: color the napkin rings, the place cards and the placemat, write the dinner menu, start a thankful jar and make thank-you cards for the cook. Every page is a free PDF on US Letter paper with no sign-up, and the puzzles with a right answer (mazes, word search, placemat scramble, I spy) have the answer key on page 2. Cards and games print in color but work in black and white too. Math, reading and disguise a turkey pages are on the main Thanksgiving worksheets page.
At a glance
- Pages
- 18 free printables, one PDF each
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Levels
- Easy, Pre-K, Hard, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2
- Answer keys
- 5 of the 18 pages have one on page 2
- Paper
- US Letter and A4
- Complete pack
- all 18 pages in one PDF, free with an email sign-up
- Price
- free; every single page downloads with no sign-up
Thanksgiving Activities for Kids, One by One
A closer look at the pages that belong to this collection itself. The other pages in the gallery above are described on their own theme pages, linked from each card.
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1. Thanksgiving Table Talk Cards for Kids
Twenty-four conversation starter cards for the Thanksgiving table, written for kids from about 4 to 10: what would a talking turkey say, who helped you this year, which animal would be the best dinner guest, what would you cook if you were the chef. Twelve cards per page, numbered and with a small picture; cut them apart, drop them in a bowl and let the children pick. Keeps the kids' table talking instead of fidgeting, and grandparents love the answers. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page.
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2. Thanksgiving Would You Rather for Kids
Sixteen silly Thanksgiving would you rather questions on cards, each choice with its own colored picture so children who cannot read yet can play too: would you rather be a turkey or a squirrel for a day, jump in a leaf pile or play football in the yard, eat pie with ketchup or put gravy on your cereal. Two pages of eight cards to cut apart. A no-supplies game for the kids' table, a car ride to Grandma's or a November morning meeting. Big pictures and only a few tasks per page make it a gentle start for kindergartners.
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3. Thanksgiving Picture Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt for children who cannot read yet: twelve big colored pictures of things you can find at home and outside on Thanksgiving Day (a leaf, an acorn, a pumpkin, an apple, a pie, corn, a candle, a spoon, a basket, a mug, a book and a football), each with its word and a box to check. For toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners while the turkey roasts; older siblings can be the helpers. Little ones can do most of it with crayons, and a grown-up can read the short questions aloud.
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4. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt Checklist
Fifteen scavenger hunt clues for kids who can read, about ages 6 to 10, to find at home or in the yard on Thanksgiving Day: a leaf bigger than your hand, something that smells like Thanksgiving, something older than you, a photo of someone in your family. Each clue has a box to check and a line for where it was found, and starred clues are worth 2 points, so cousins can play in teams. Pairs with the picture hunt for younger kids. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page.
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5. Turkey Dots and Boxes Game
A two-player paper game for the kids' table: a big dots and boxes board (9 by 9 dots, 64 boxes) where seven boxes hide a turkey worth 2 points, score lines for both players, and four tic-tac-toe boards (turkeys against pies) for a quick rematch. Needs only a pencil each. Good for ages 5 and up, siblings, cousins or a kid against Grandpa while dinner cooks. Big pictures and only a few tasks per page make it a gentle start for kindergartners.
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6. Thankful Jar Slips for Kids
A gratitude jar kit on one page: a label with hollow letters (OUR THANKFUL JAR) to color and tape on any clean jar, and ten slips that start with I am thankful for, with a line for the writer's name and the date. Fill a slip a day in November and read them all at Thanksgiving dinner. Non-writers can draw on the slips; print the page twice for a big family. It suits ages 4 to 6, and little ones can count the pictures with a finger.
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7. Thanksgiving Thank-You Cards to Color
Two fold-over Thanksgiving cards that kids color and give: a turkey with THANK YOU in hollow letters, and a pumpkin with leaves and THANKFUL FOR YOU. The back panel says Made with love by and has a line for the child's name; the inside is blank for a message or a drawing. Cut the page in half, fold each card on the dotted line. A sweet job for kids while the grown-ups cook, and a thank-you for the host, a teacher or a grandparent. Big pictures and only a few tasks per page make it a gentle start for kindergartners.
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8. Thanksgiving Napkin Rings to Color
Six paper napkin rings for the Thanksgiving table that kids color, cut and glue: turkeys with GOBBLE GOBBLE, pumpkins with HAPPY THANKSGIVING, pies with SAVE ROOM FOR PIE, corn and acorns with GIVE THANKS, a leaf ring with a line for a guest's name and a blank ring to design. The words are hollow letters to color in. Each strip wraps a rolled napkin and closes on a gray glue tab; card stock makes them sturdier. It suits ages 4 to 6, and little ones can count the pictures with a finger.
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9. Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for Kids
A fill-in Thanksgiving menu card for kids to write and decorate: a hollow-letter heading to color, lines for the chef's name and the date, sections for drinks, the main dish, three side dishes and dessert (each with a picture to color), and a box to draw the chef's special. The child interviews the cook, writes the menu and sets it on the table, a real job that makes kids part of the meal. Younger kids can draw the food instead. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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10. Silly Thanksgiving Story Word Game
A fill-in-the-blank word game in the style kids know from party word books: page 1 asks for 14 words (a food, a funny sound, a color, an action word ending in -ing...) with examples for each, and page 2 is the story they go into, The Great Turkey Escape, where a turkey hides under the sofa and makes the family eat something else for dinner. Kids collect words from the table without seeing the story, then read it aloud. For readers about 7 to 10; younger kids can shout words while a grown-up writes. Second graders usually finish it in 10 to 15 minutes.
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11. Thanksgiving Charades Cards with Pictures
Fifteen Thanksgiving charades cards, each with a colored picture so preschoolers can play without reading: gobble like a turkey, rake leaves and jump in the pile, hold on to a parade balloon in the wind, be a scarecrow on a windy day, wash a mountain of dishes, fall asleep after a big dinner. Cut them apart and act them out with no words. A get-up-and-move game for the whole family, from age 4 to Grandpa. Big pictures and only a few tasks per page make it a gentle start for kindergartners.
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12. Help the Turkey Find the Corn Maze
An 8 by 9 maze for preschool and kindergarten: lead the hungry turkey at the top through wide paths to the two ears of corn at the bottom. Enough turns to feel like a real maze, few enough dead ends to finish without tears. Color the turkey and the corn when you are done; the solution is drawn in red on page 2. Easy puzzles build confidence before moving to bigger grids. Trace the correct path with a highlighter once you solve it.
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13. Squirrel and the Acorn Maze
A 16 by 17 fall maze with long corridors and plenty of dead ends: the squirrel at the top has to reach its pile of acorns before winter. Made for ages 7 to 10 and for grown-ups at the kids' table who want something harder than a coloring page. The only path through is drawn in red on page 2. Take your time: every hard puzzle is solvable by logic alone. Trace the correct path with a highlighter once you solve it.
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14. Thanksgiving Word Bingo
Word bingo for kids who are starting to read: four different 4 by 4 cards (two per page, cut in half) filled with Thanksgiving words such as TURKEY, GRAVY, PARADE, HARVEST, PILGRIM, CRANBERRY and SCARECROW, plus a third page of 24 calling cards, each with a picture so pre-readers can be the caller. A family game for the kids' table or a calm November class party. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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15. Thanksgiving Place Cards for Kids to Color
Four fold-over place cards for the Thanksgiving table that kids color themselves: a turkey, a pumpkin, a pumpkin pie and a fall leaf, each with a line for the guest's name on the front and a short note on the back (Save room for pie!). Cut on the dashed lines, fold on the dotted line and the card stands on its own. A small job that keeps children busy while the grown-ups cook. It suits ages 4 to 6, and little ones can count the pictures with a finger.
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16. Thanksgiving Placemat Activity Sheet
A one-page placemat for the kids' table: two tic-tac-toe boards (turkeys against pies), five scrambled Thanksgiving words to unscramble (KERTUY, VYRAG, EIP, NCOR, KAHTSN), an empty plate to draw your favorite dinner on and a gratitude line to finish. Print one per child and set it out with crayons before the meal. The unscrambled words are on page 2. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page.
Tips for coloring Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
- Print the whole set the evening before and keep it in one folder with scissors, tape and crayons; Thanksgiving morning is not the time to look for the printer.
- Mix moving and sitting: a scavenger hunt first, then coloring at the table, then a game everyone plays.
- Cut the table talk, would you rather and charades cards in advance and keep each set in its own envelope or cup.
- Give the oldest child a hosting job (menu writer, card reader, scorekeeper); it keeps them busy and makes the little ones follow along.
Fun facts about Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
- Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, November 26, so the weekend to prepare is November 21 and 22.
- Dots and boxes was first described in print by the French mathematician Edouard Lucas in 1889.
- New York's big Thanksgiving Day parade, with its giant balloons, first marched in 1924.
Fun ways to use your printables
- Read the thankful jar slips out loud between dinner and dessert, one per guest.
- Let the winner of dots and boxes choose the first slice of pie.
- After the silly story, let each child write a new one with numbered blanks and test it on the grown-ups.
How to print
Click Download PDF on any page and print it at 100% on US Letter or A4 paper. Use regular printer paper for crayons and pencils, or cardstock for markers and paint. Every page here is free for home, classroom and party use, so feel free to print as many copies as you need.
Frequently asked questions
What can kids do on Thanksgiving while dinner is cooking?
Start with something that moves (the picture scavenger hunt or the clue checklist, 15 to 20 minutes), then a calm job at the table: coloring napkin rings, place cards or the menu. Dots and boxes or the I spy page fill the last half hour before the meal. Print everything the night before so nobody has to find the printer while the oven is on.
What are good Thanksgiving activities for toddlers and preschoolers?
Pages that need no reading: the picture scavenger hunt (12 pictures to find and check), the charades cards (every card has a picture), the would you rather cards (point to a picture), the I spy counting game and the easy turkey maze. Coloring a napkin ring or a thank-you card is a good five-minute job. Keep each activity short and let an older cousin be the helper.
What Thanksgiving games can the whole family play together?
Charades (15 cards, from gobble like a turkey to fall asleep after dinner), would you rather (16 cards), the 24 table talk cards, word bingo with picture calling cards, and the silly story word game, where the kids collect words from every guest and then read the story out loud. Dots and boxes is a good kid-against-Grandpa game.
How do I keep kids happy at the Thanksgiving table?
Give each child a placemat sheet and two crayons, put the table talk cards in a bowl in the middle, and give one child a real job: writing the menu, handing out the place cards or reading the thankful jar slips. Kids who help host sit longer and fidget less.
What supplies do I need?
A printer, crayons or markers and a pencil for every page. Scissors for the cards, slips, napkin rings and thank-you cards, and a glue stick or tape for the napkin rings and the jar label. Card stock makes cards and napkin rings sturdier, but plain paper works.
What ages are these Thanksgiving activities for?
Ages 3 to 5: picture scavenger hunt, I spy, charades, would you rather, the easy maze and the coloring crafts. Ages 5 to 7: dots and boxes, thankful jar, place cards, word bingo. Ages 7 to 10: the scavenger hunt checklist, table talk cards, the menu, the family word search, the silly story and the hard squirrel maze. Each page shows its level and the filter above the gallery sorts them.
Can I print these for my family, my class or a party?
Yes. Every page is a free PDF with no sign-up, for home, homeschool, classroom and family use; print as many copies as you need. Please do not sell the files or upload them to another website; sharing a link to this page is fine.