Play and Activity Ideas to Celebrate Thanksgiving
For children, Thanksgiving is an exciting time to learn about gratitude, family traditions and the joy of creating memories together. To make this time extra special, here are some fun, creative and engaging play and activity ideas to help your children celebrate and keep them occupied.
Arts & Crafts
These simple, themed crafts will keep children entertained and give them something fun to show off at the dinner table;
Thanksgiving Thankful Tree; Set up a small ‘tree’ using branches/twigs from outside or paper cutouts. Have the children write what they’re thankful for on leaves made from colored paper, then hang them on the tree. Great for teaching about gratitude.
Handprint Turkeys; This classic craft never gets old! Children can dip their hands in paint to make ‘turkey’ shapes on paper. Add googly eyes, beaks, and feathers to bring them to life.
DIY Centrepieces; Provide children with seasonal things like pumpkins, acorns, leaves and twine to create their own centrepieces for the Thanksgiving table . This will make them feel involved in the holiday decor and will keep them busy while you get on with other preparations.
Outdoor Games
After a big meal, children have tons of energy to burn off. Weather permitting, head outside for some Thanksgiving themed games;
Turkey Tag; Create ‘feathers’ using clothespins and pin them onto your children’s shirts. One person is “It” and tries to collect feathers from the other players by tagging them. The player with the most feathers wins!
Pumpkin Bowling; Use small pumpkins as bowling balls and set up empty cans or bottles as pins. Then take it in turns to see who can knock down the most pins.
Turkey Hunt; Hide paper turkeys or small Thanksgiving themed pictures around the yard to create a scavenger hunt. Include small prizes for everyone who finds something to make it extra fun.
Indoor Games
Pin the Feather on the Turkey; A Thanksgiving twist on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey game. Blindfolded, children can take turns trying to pin a paper feather onto a turkey poster on the wall.
Thanksgiving Charades; Create charades prompts based on Thanksgiving activities, like ‘carving the turkey’ or ‘eating pie’. This game is sure to be a hit and guaranteed to get some laughs!
Thanksgiving Bingo; Make bingo cards featuring relevant images like pumpkins, turkeys and pies. Hand out small prizes to the winner of each round to keep children engaged for longer.
Child-Friendly Thanksgiving Cooking
Mini Pumpkin Pies; Using cookie cutters, children can shape pie crust and fill them with pumpkin filling. These mini pies are fun to make and perfect for little hands to decorate with whipped cream.
Fruit and Cheese Turkey Platters; Children can have fun arranging cheese cubes, fruit and crackers in a turkey shape on a platter. The more colorful the better! Watch their creation come to life as they put together the feathers, body, eyes and beak, ready to serve to the family on Thanksgiving.
Gratitude and Giving
Thankful Jar; Use a clean empty jar and slips of paper. Each member of the family can write something they’re thankful for throughout the day. By the end of the day, the jar will be filled with positive messages, and it’s a lovely activity to read them out loud together as a family.
Cards for the Community; Encourage your children to make Thanksgiving cards for neighbors, teachers, nursing home residents etc. It’s a fun craft activity that also helps spread kindness and appreciation throughout the community.
Whether you spend Thanksgiving playing games, doing crafts or simply spending time together, remember that the heart of this holiday is about gratitude, togetherness and family. So here’s to making Thanksgiving full of fun, laughter and memories that your children will cherish for years to come!