If you are planning a Thanksgiving party at your place, we have compiled a few Thanksgiving games for toddlers to keep your children and their friends engaged. These games are easy to organize and play, and children will love them. Thanksgiving is the harvest season to showcase our gratitude and appreciation for the blessings and celebrate together. It is a day of celebration with family and loved ones, and it’s important for children to understand the history of the occasion and appreciate it properly. Thus, our list includes fun games to make the children enjoy the festival and learn more about their culture. So, read on to know more.
Key Pointers
- Thanksgiving is a festival to express gratitude for one’s blessings.
- Planning games for children can help keep them entertained and engaged.
- Turkey strut, twenty questions, and thankerchief are some unique games to consider.
- These games provide an opportunity for toddlers to learn about Thanksgiving while having fun.
Thanksgiving Games For Preschoolers
1. Pass the corn:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Corncobs
How To:
- Divide the kids into two teams. Tell them to form two lines.
- As you call out ‘go’, tell the kids to pass the corn cob to each other. The catch is that the players have to use any part of the body, except the hands.
- If the corn touches the ground, the kid has to go back to the beginning of the line.
- The team that manages to get the corn to the end of the line at the fastest time will win the game.
2. Turkey strut:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Masking Tape
- Music player
How To:
- Make turkey footprints all over the floor using the pieces of masking tape.
- As you play the music or any song, the kids have to pretend to be turkeys and strut all around the room.
- When the music stops, the little turkeys have to find the appropriate footprints to stand on.
- Play the music again and have the turkeys strut around the room.
Isn’t this a lovely Thanksgiving game for toddlers?
Quick tip3. The dinner game:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Nothing
How To:
- Have the kids sit in a circle. Tell the first player to start the game by saying “At the Thanksgiving feast, I like to eat pumpkin pie”.
- The player next to him has to repeat, “At the Thanksgiving feast, I like to eat pumpkin pie” and add another dish. For example “At the Thanksgiving feast, I like to eat pumpkin pie and turkey”.
- Continue all around the circle with each player reciting the dishes in the exact order.
- The kid who makes the mistake has to slide out of the circle and move to the front. The last person who correctly recites the Thanksgiving menu will be the winner.
4. Twenty questions:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 20 paper turkey feather cutout
How To:
- Have the kids sit in a circle. Now choose a player to select something or someone in mind related to Thanksgiving.
- One player says, “I’m thinking about a place, person or thing”. The other participant has to guess what it is by asking twenty questions. The first player can answer only in ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
- Keep the track of the score with the help of turkey feathers. Each time the player asks a question, you remove the feather from the pile.
Quick tip5. Thankerchief:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- A handkerchief
How To:
- Arrange the kids in a circle. Tell them to pass around a handkerchief while reciting the poem in unison:
Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go –
Where you’ll stop, nobody knows.
But when you do, someone must say,
But when you do, ask “What are you thankful for on this day?”
- The player who holds the handkerchief at the end of the poem will have to say aloud which thing they are most thankful for. Continue the game until every child gets a turn. This is one of the exciting preschool thanksgiving games.
6. Turkey walk:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- A Music player
How To:
- Play the music of your choice, (must be related to the holidays) and encourage the kids to move like
- Little turkeys
- Fat turkeys
- Tired turkeys
- Scared turkeys
- Happy turkeys and so on
- The funny dance movements by kids will elicit loud giggles.
7. Pumpkin hunt:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Small sized pumpkins
How To:
- Hide the pumpkins in different corners of the house.
- At the call of ‘go’, tell kids to find the pumpkin. Set the timer to 3 minutes.
- The child who finds the most number of pumpkins in the assigned time will be the winner.
Quick tip8. Corn pitching:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Corn kernels
- A large bowl
How To:
- Place the corn bowl on a table and make the kids stand at a distance of 4 feet.
- Give each toddler six corn kernels and have them take turns pitching the corn kernels into the bowl.
- Keep a track of how many kernels go inside the bowl. The kid who tosses the maximum number of kernels is the winner.
9. Find the turkey:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- A Stuffed Turkey
How To:
- Hide a stuffed turkey somewhere in the house. If you don’t have a stuffed turkey, then dress a doggy or a teddy as a turkey.
- Now have all the kids search for the turkey.
- The kid who finds the turkey gets to hide it again.
10. Who’s got the turkey:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 9 autumn leaf tokens
- 1 turkey token
How To:
- Make the children sit in a circle and tell them to pass around the tokens.
- Choose a kid sitting in the middle of the circle to find the turkey token.
- Give each player three chances and then pass it on to another child.
- Reshuffle the tokens if the player finds the turkey. Continue the game as mentioned above.
11. Thanksgiving word find
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- Thanksgiving word find puzzle sheets
- Pens or pencils
- Timer
- Prizes for winners
How To:
- Give each participant the word find puzzle sheets and pen/pencil.
- Set the timer for a specific duration (e.g., 10 minutes).
- Participants need to find and circle words related to Thanksgiving.
- When time is up, count the words each participant found.
- The one with the most words wins the prize.
12. Turkey calling contest
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- A turkey caller or a device to play turkey sounds
- Prizes for winners
How To:
- Give each participant a turn with the turkey caller or the device.
- They must imitate a turkey sound as accurately as possible.
- Judges or audience vote for the best turkey call.
- Award a prize to the participant with the most votes.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are some Thanksgiving-themed sensory activities that preschoolers can enjoy as a group?
Painting with fall colors using hands or brushes, making turkeys and autumn leaves out of homemade dough, and arranging and smelling different herbs and spices (such as cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg) can be fun thanksgiving sensory activities for children. Making a sensory bin filled with corn kernels, small pumpkins, autumn leaves, and turkey feathers can also be an interesting thanksgiving activity.
2. What non-competitive games can preschoolers play to promote inclusivity and a sense of community?
Thanksgiving games like The Dinner Game, Twenty Questions, Thankerchief, and a Thanksgiving-themed charade, where children take turns acting out different Thanksgiving-related items or actions for others to guess, are some games that can promote a sense of community.
3. How can I incorporate learning into Thanksgiving games for preschoolers?
Teaching counting or sorting colors using Thanksgiving themed objects or making different crafts with paper is a fun way to incorporate learning into these games. Reading pilgrim and Thanksgiving-based story books and discussing the history, stories, and food related to Thanksgiving will help familiarize children with traditions. Additionally, you may also watch thanksgiving movies for kids to help them learn about the traditions.
4. How can you use Thanksgiving games to teach preschoolers about gratitude and giving thanks?
Discuss with the children the importance of giving thanks, sharing, being grateful, and learning the art of kindness. Encourage children to reflect on things they are thankful for. Incorporate activities, such as creating Thanksgiving notes and cards for family, friends, and teachers. You can also use Thanksgiving quotes for kids to make the cards or notes more memorable.
The thanksgiving games for preschoolers will keep your little ones entertained while you attend to your guests. Include all the children in the activities to keep them busy while the parents have their time. These activities are easy and fun to do using readily available stationery at home. But ensure that you keep them under your supervision while they are engrossed in these games so that they do not hurt themselves or others. As part of these activities, you could also give them some Thanksgiving coloring pages to display their creativity.
Infographic: Interesting Games To Engage Young Children In Thanksgiving Party
Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity for family and friends to celebrate together. Toddlers and young children also meet their cousins and make new friends on this occasion. So, help them get acquainted with each other and engage and entertain them using the Thanksgiving-related games from the infographic below.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Illustration: Top 12 Thanksgiving Games For PreschoolersToddlers
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Gather the family and get ready for some Thanksgiving fun! Check out these 3 super fun games perfect for kids of all ages.
Community Experiences
Join the conversation and become a part of our nurturing community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with fellow parents.
Read full bio of Melissa Jakes
Read full bio of Debolina Raja
Read full bio of Deepa Thomas
Read full bio of Nisha Bharatan
