Back in the day, Thanksgiving break was just two days, but now? Many schools have the whole week off, which means this week can feel like a marathon with kids home all day and energy levels sky-high. If your nanny, family assistant, or you (hi, default parent!), is burning through the usual games and playground visits, don’t worry. We’ve got engaging, creative and fun Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers that will keep little hands busy, little minds engaged, and your (or your nanny’s) sanity intact.
Why Caregivers Should Have Thanksgiving Activities in Their Back Pocket
A preschooler’s energy stops for nobody—not even a stressed out default parent or nanny staring down a long, rainy Thanksgiving week. Instead of turning to your normal memory games or building yet another Magna-tile tower, curb the “I’m bored” blues with a seasonal activity that builds excitement for Thanksgiving. For caregivers—whether you’re a family assistant, nanny or parent—a Thanksgiving activity will provide structure to your day and reduce the overwhelm that holidays can bring. Bonus: they just might become traditions your little ones look forward to year after year.
The Best Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers
Preschoolers are at that amazing age where they are enthusiastic for most activities, are eager to learn, and are working to improve their fine motor and critical thinking skills (read: any activity is a chance to educate). Here are 10 activities that will delight them:
1. Thankful Turkey
Created by Susie of Busy Toddler fame, this thankful turkey may be one of our all-time favorite Thanksgiving activities. Great for preschoolers, school-aged kids and yes, even grown-ups, this Thankful Turkey requires just a few simple supplies like colored paper, a pen and glue or tape. Once you cut out your turkey (we suggest tracing a turkey on construction paper and then have your preschooler cut this part out themself to practice their fine motor skills), ask your kiddos to list things they are thankful for. Explain what gratitude is and urge them to think about what they’re grateful for and why. The answers will be heartfelt, thoughtful and even humorous.
2. Thanksgiving Parade, DIY-Style
The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade may be a spectacle on TV, but you can still get your kids involved in the festivities by hosting your own parade right at home. Get out the costume box or make your own Thanksgiving-inspired hats and masks. March around the house or if it’s a nice day, take the parade outside.
3. Pumpkin Bowling
They’ll be out of their gourd for this activity. Set up your bowling lanes by using plastic water bottles or leftover paper towel tubes as pins, while mini pumpkins serve as bowling balls. Pumpkin bowling can double as a math activity. After each turn, have your preschooler count the number of pins they hit down and how many remain.
4. Thanksgiving Sensory Bins
Setting up a Thanksgiving Sensory Bin may take some prep work, but the end result encourages independent play (read: some time to yourself!). Take any sort of container like a plastic storage bin, shoebox or large tupperware and fill it with a base of rice, dried corn kernels or dried beans. Next, find thematic Thanksgiving toys or knick knacks to put in the bin like leaves (real or fake work great), acorns, pine cones, small pumpkins, feathers, pom poms or even trucks and Hot Wheel cars. Any toy or small item will work great (we love the flexibility this activity affords). Last but not least, add in spoons, bowls, scoops or cups to encourage interactive play.
One thing to remember is that if you have a baby around or your child is still putting things in their mouth, you will want to carefully supervise this activity—or skip it all together.
5. Thanksgiving Dance Party
We love a good dance party, especially on rainy or snowy days when playing outside isn’t optimal. Make your next dance party a festive one. Start with this Thanksgiving kids playlist, perfect for the preschool aged set.
6. Feed the Turkey
This Thanksgiving activity for preschoolers requires a brown paper bag, markers or crayons, a spoon, and any sort of ball (like a bouncy ball or pom-pom). On one side of the bag, you’ll draw a turkey face. Where the mouth is supposed to be, cut a hole that’s a few inches in diameter, big enough to fit a spoon in. At this point, you can have your kids decorate the turkey. Once that’s done, hang the turkey bag on the wall or place it on a chair at your child’s eye level. Give them a spoon and have them place the ball or pom-pom on the spoon to “feed” the turkey. To make this more of a challenge you can create an obstacle course between your child and the turkey. For example, you can place pillows on the ground they have to walk around or a tiny box they have to step over, depending on your child’s age and gross motor abilities.
7. Thank You Placemat
We love an activity that doubles as decor. For a simple take on a Thanksgiving placement, provide a large piece of construction or white paper for your child, draw an outline of a turkey and “Happy Thanksgiving” in big block letters. Let them color in your DIY coloring page/placemat. Alternatively, there are options for printable Thanksgiving placemats, which you can print out and decorate.
8. Turkey Roll and Cover
Fun Learning for Kids has a great Thanksgiving activity that promotes counting (and for the older kiddos, arithmetic and more complex math equations). For preschoolers, start by printing out this page or simply create your own. You’ll also need buttons, beans or some other item to cover up the numbers and a dice. Have your preschooler roll the dice and whatever number they get, you’ll have them cover it up on the turkey. For older kids, you can ask them to roll two dice and add the two numbers up, the sum which they’ll then cover with a button.
9. Pipe Cleaner Beading
To help improve their fine motor skills, take a bunch of pipe cleaners and beads and have your preschooler put the beads on each pipe cleaner. Once they’ve decorated a handful of pipe cleaners, you can use these decorated pipe cleaners as turkey feathers (simply glue or tape them to an empty toilet paper roll).
10. Thanksgiving Handprint Craft
Despite its higher-than-average messy factor, we are big fans of a good handprint craft. We promise you’ll look back at their little hands and wonder how they were once so small. A Little Pinch of Perfect has a great idea that incorporates both their hands and feet for a memorable turkey craft that is definitely refrigerator-worthy!
Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers: Your New Holiday Tradition
Whether you’re a nanny, family assistant, or the default parent on duty, having a few themed activities up your sleeve can turn Thanksgiving week from “how are we going to fill all this time?” into “wow, that actually went fast.” Because Thanksgiving week with kids at home doesn’t have to mean you’re survival mode.These Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers will keep little hands busy, help build traditions, and give everyone a reason to look forward to the holiday.
FAQs: Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers
What are simple craft supplies to have at home?
Here’s a list of supplies we like to have handy. We keep them all in a box or drawer to try and stay organized. While the below aren’t mandatory, they do make ad hoc activities with any caregiver easier:
- Washable markers
- Crayons
- Construction paper
- Glue sticks
- Tape (washi tape is great for littles)
- Kid scissors
- Popsicle sticks
- Pipe cleaners
- Pom poms
- Stamps and ink pads
When can my child start participating in Thanksgiving crafts and activities?
Thanksgiving activities and crafts are ideal for any age. Yes, even babies! Of course, the complexity and level of involvement depends on how old your kiddo is, but every activity is a chance to entertain them and can serve as a teachable moment. For babies, you can do something as simple as stacking cups and then knocking them over, singing songs and reading Thanksgiving-themed books. As your child matures and gets older, you can start involving them in even more complex activities. The sky’s the limit!
My nanny and I don’t love to do crafts but I still want to create magic. What should I do?
Don’t overthink it! A Thanksgiving craft or activity for preschoolers doesn’t have to be a pre-planned, hours-long, involved activity. It can be simple. After all, a preschooler’s attention span can last only so long. Magical moments and new traditions can be created anytime and anywhere. If you or your nanny don’t love crafts, we suggest starting small (and again—don’t overthink it!). Start with a piece of paper, crayons or markers and glue. You can have your preschooler try to trace shapes, lines or color in the lines. If you want to help them improve their fine motor skills, introduce cutting with kid scissors. Even if the activity isn’t totally themed, we can guarantee your little one will enjoy the quality time they’re having with you or their nanny.
