21 Easy And Engaging Thanksgiving Activities For Preschoolers

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If you are interested in making this Thanksgiving a fun one for your little ones, you have come to the right place. In this post, we have curated a bunch of exciting Thanksgiving activities for toddlers that they will love to participate in. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to let your children know about the importance of family and friends and how they must always show gratitude and appreciation towards their relationships, and these activities will help them all bond together. Read on to see what’s in store for your kids this Thanksgiving.

21 Thanksgiving Activities For Toddlers Or Preschoolers They Love

Here are 21 ideas for different activities that your preschooler or toddler can try during the Thanksgiving season:

1. Winnie The Pooh Thank You Card:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• A Winnie the pooh cut out from a magazine
• Cardstock
• Glue
• Colored pens

How To:

1. Help your toddler fold the card stock in half and apply glue on the front part.

2. Let your toddler paste the cut out carefully on the card and let it dry for some time.

3. Once it is dry, hold your toddler’s hand and write out a message or let them scribble out some patterns.

2. Turkey Thank You Card:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• Water or acrylic colors in the shades yellow, orange, red and brown
• Construction paper and card stock
• Googly eyes
• Colored paper in pink and brown
• Glue
• A pair of scissors
• Colored pens
• Paper plate

How To:

1. Fold the card stock in half to create a front and a back part of the card.

2. Cut out a turkey shape from the construction paper and help your toddler stick it on the front part of the card. Let it dry for some time.

3. Cut out a triangle nose from the brown paper and a pink tongue. First stick the googly eyes on the turkey’s face and follow it up with the nose and the tongue.

4. Pour out the colors on the paper plate and help your toddler dip the thumb in them one by one. Your toddler has to make thumbprints all around the turkey to brighten up the front of the card and make the turkey’s feathers.

5. Once done, help your toddler write a message. A fun thanksgiving activity for toddlers.

3. Boat With Masts:

You Will Need:

• A paper cup
• A pair of scissors
• A cup holder
• Paper in red and white
• Ice cream sticks

How To:

1. Help to cut the bottom portion of the cup and make two slits at the center of the edge with the scissors.

2. Put the cup in the cup holder with the bottom facing up.

3. Cut out sails from the white paper and make small slits at their edges. Cut out flags from the red paper and paste them at one end of the ice cream sticks.

4. Put the sticks through the slits in the paper mast and stick the ends at the bottom of the cup.

4. Tabletop Turkey:

You Will Need:

• Paper cup
• Brown paint
• Paint brush
• Glue
• Pom pom
• Construction paper in yellow, orange, red and brown
• A pair of scissors
• Googly eyes

How To:

1. Paint the cup brown and glue the pom-pom at its bottom to make the head.

2. Cut out leaf shapes from the construction papers to create the feathers.

3. Cut out a square of the orange paper, fold it in half and cut into a triangle shape to make a beak. Glue it on the front of the turkey head. Cut out a heart shape from the red paper to make the turkey’s tongue and stick it below the beak.

4. Glue the leaf shapes at the back of the cup to make the feathers.

5. Popcorn Corn Cob:

You Will Need:

• A paper bowl
• Yellow construction paper
• A pair of scissors
• Crayons
• Glue
• Crepe paper in green
• Popcorn
• String

How To:

1. Cut out an oval shape from the yellow paper to resemble a corn cob. Ask your toddler to make kernels on the paper using the crayons. Once done, glue the corn cobs on the paper.

2. Cut out a piece of each corn cob from the green paper and glue it around the corn cobs to make the husk.

3. Crinkle the paper and tie it at the top with the string.

4. Add some popcorn in the bowl and fill up the popcorn and corn cob bowl.

It is an interesting thanksgiving activity for preschool tots.

6. Feather Place Mats:

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You Will Need:

• A plate
• A pencil
• A paper
• Glue
• Lots of feathers
• A pair of scissors

How To:

1. Take out the plate that you will use for dinner and place it on the paper.

2. Ask your toddler to trace around the bottom of the plate and then remove the plate.

3. Cut out the outline of the circle and help your toddler glue the feathers all around the outline of the circle.

4. Place them at the dinner table and place the plates at the center of the paper circle to make a beautiful feathery decoration.

7. Colorful Feather Hunt:

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You Will Need:

• Lots of colorful feathers

How To:

1. Hide the feathers around the house and give interesting clues to your toddler that will be age appropriate.

2. Let your toddler explore and try to search for the colorful feathers. You can also try and hide the feathers in such a way that they are color coordinated with the place where you hide them. For instance, you can hide a green feather in a green couch or a red feather near a red cushion and so on.

8. Handheld Pumpkins:

You Will Need:

• An empty egg carton
• A pair of scissors
• Glue
• Ice cream stick
• Orange paint
• Paint brush
• Green pipe cleaner
• Construction paper in green

How To:

1. Cut the top and the bottom part of the egg carton so that you have the entire cup that holds the egg inside.

2. Close it shut with the help of the glue. Poke an ice cream stick through the bottom so that your toddler can hold it up.

3. Use the orange paint to paint the egg carton piece and set it aside for some time till it gets completely dry.

4. Cut out a leaf shape from the construction paper and bend the green pipe cleaner to make a small loop. Glue both on the top of the egg carton piece to make the top of the pumpkin.

9. Thank You Place Cards:

You Will Need:

• Cardstock
• Colored pens

How To:

1. Fold the card stocks in half to make place cards for all your guests and write each name on top.

2. Next, ask your toddler to write a thank you message or just scribble a beautiful drawing inside that card for that particular person.

4. Make sure your toddler does it for all the place cards.

5. Place them back on the table to make your guests smile.

10. Natura Note Cards Or Place Cards:

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You Will Need:

• Lots of fallen leaves
• Card paper
• Paints
• Paint brushes
• Old newspaper
• Colored pens

How To:

1. Place the leaves on an old newspaper and let your toddler color one side of the leaves using the paints and brushes.

2. Fold the card paper in half and place it with the front side up.

3. Now ask your toddler to press down one leaf on the top of each card to create a beautiful imprint. Keep placing all the cards to the side so that they can get completely dry.

4. Once they are dry, you can ask your toddler to make scribbles or drawings inside or write messages.

5. You can use these leaf imprint cards as thank you cards or use them as place cards on the dining table too.

One of the loveliest thanksgiving activities for preschoolers.

11. The Turkey Trot Race:

You Need:

• Comfortable running or walking shoes for your toddlers and yourself

How To:

1. Almost all towns have a turkey trot on the morning of Thanksgiving so make sure you check at your local places and find out the venue and time.

2. Get your toddler ready and make sure they wear comfortable shoes. You can also help your toddler prepare in advance by going for a short walk or run each day before the real turkey trot takes place.

3. If required, you can also carry your toddler’s stroller with you, so that you can help your toddler rest if the little one gets tired.

12. Catering Toddler:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• An apron that will fit your toddler

How To:

1. Let your toddler help out with you at the dining table in serving the guests.

2. Make sure your toddler has washed hands and is wearing an apron.

3. You can create a special dish that will only be served by your toddler.

4. Your toddler can take it around for everyone and serve it one by one to the guests, or you could set up a serving station where everyone has to come and ask your toddler for it.

13. Thank You Collage Place Mats:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• Lots of pictures or cut outs from magazines
• Construction paper
• Glue

How To:

1. Ask your toddler about all those things that your toddler would like to say thank you to or that have made your toddler smile. Make lots of copies of each picture so that you can create lots of placemats with the same images.

2. Each time your toddler picks an object, help your little one glue it on the construction paper.

3. Once the entire paper is filled, you can get it laminated and use it as a placemat.

14. Helping With The Corn:

You Will Need:

• A corn cob
• A spoon
• A big bowl

How To:

1. Set your toddler in a comfortable place and show them how to take out the corn kernels.

2. Place the corn cob inside the bowl and let your toddler take out the kernels using the spoon.

3. Use the corn as part of your dinner and tell everyone how your toddler helped you!

15. A Hand Turkey Bird Feeder:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• Plain paper
• Pencil
• A pair of scissors
• Peanut butter
• Bird seeds
• String

How To:

1. Help your toddler trace out the shape of a palm on the paper and cut out the outline using the scissors.

2. Slather it with peanut butter and cover it entirely with bird seed.

3. Poke a small hole at the top with the tip of the pencil and insert the string through it, making a loop that you can use to tie.

4. Put it outside on a tree or near a bird house and see the birds coming over to feed. Your toddler will love spotting out the birds.

It is an amazing thanksgiving activities for preschool, isn’t it?

16. Pumpkin Designer Art:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• A small pumpkin
• Black paint
• Paint brush
• Masking tape
• A pair of scissors

How To:

1. Cut different designs and shapes from the masking tape and help your toddler paste them on different spots all over the pumpkin.

2. Next, help your toddler paint the entire pumpkin with black paint. Keep it aside to dry so that the paint will not come off on your toddler’s hand during the next step. You can also leave it to dry overnight.

3. Show your toddler how to take out the masking tape shapes. Your toddler will love seeing the magic shapes that will come out from between the black paint on the pumpkin.

17. Thanksgiving Head Band:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• Felt in different colors
• A big embroidery needle
• Embroidery thread
• A pair of scissors
• Glue
• Feathers

How To:

1. Help your kid cut out lots of shapes of leaves from the felt.

2. Put the thread through the needle and if the needle is blunt, you can also let your toddler try putting the thread in.

3. Keep adding the felt leaves and help your toddler thread through them so that they will form a full headband around your toddler’s head. Once you have sewn on enough leaves, close it in a loop.

4. Tie the feathers at the back.

18. Thank You Tree On A Window:

Image: coffeecupsandcrayons.com

You Will Need:

• A big window on which you can create the tree
• Brown paper or old brown paper bags
• Scrap construction paper in different colors
• A pair of scissors
• Colored pens
• Tape

How To:

1. Tear out the brown paper bags or use the brown paper and scrunch them up. Next, roll them up or tear them up in such a way that they take the form of a long tree trunk. Make more such roll ups and use them to form the branches around the tree trunk.

2. Tape up the tree trunk and the branches on your window glass. Now ask your toddler to start taping up the leaves all around the branches.

3. Once all the leaves have been put up, ask your toddler to write down one name or thing on each leaf that they are thankful for or would like to say a thank you to.

19. Thank You Turkey Decorated Basket:

Image: jdaniel4smom.com

You Will Need:

• A small table basket made of jute, wicker, or any string based material on which you will be able to clip up the feathers
• Paper plate
• A pair of scissors
• Construction paper in different colors to make the feathers
• A pair of googly eyes
• Small pins
• Colored pens
• Brown paint
• Paint brush

How To:

1. Help cut out a turkey face using the paper plate. You can ask your toddler to paint it in brown on both the sides before adding it to the basket. Set it aside to dry.

2. Once the paint dries up, let your toddler glue up the googly eyes.

3. Make a small triangle for the nose and a tongue and help your toddler glue them on the turkey’s face. Now glue the face of the turkey on one edge of the basket, which will be the front portion of the basket and will help form the body of the turkey.

4. Cut out lots of leaf shapes from the construction papers and ask your toddler to write out the things that make them the most thankful or the names of people whom they would like to thank.

5. Now pin these leaves around the basket to form the full turkey bird in its colorful feathers.

20. Leaf Decoration For The Window:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• Lots of leaves from the garden or back yard
• Tape

How To:

1. Help your toddler to collect as many leaves as possible in a big basket. Try and get as many different colored leaves as you can to make it look more interesting.

2. Once you have enough leaves to hang up on your window as a decoration, pull out the tape and place it face up on the table or any other even surface.

3. Show your toddler how to place the leaves one by one on the tape so that they start sticking to the tape.

4. Make one taped string of leaves first before you move on to the rest. Once your toddler has made it, stick it up on the window.

5. Make as many more as your toddler wants.

21. Teach How To Greet A Relative:

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Thanksgiving is a season of greeting family and friends and meeting many of them after a long time, so it is important that you prepare your toddler for the same.

You Will Need:

• Nothing

How To:

1. Make sure that your toddler knows who is who by teaching them the same in advance.

2. You can show your toddler family albums and point out at pictures calling out the name by which your toddler has to address the relative.

3. To make sure that your toddler is comfortable to address the relative by the time it will be Thanksgiving, start doing it at least a few weeks in advance.

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Author

Debolina RajaMA (English)

Debolina Raja came into the writing world while she was playing around with words and participating in various literary events. She found her writing interest in various genres such as health, wellness, parenting, relationship, and brand management and gained more than five years experience in it.

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