Thanksgiving activities for kids for the long weekend

The best Thanksgiving activities for kids give them something fun to do while dinner cooks, during the meal and after everyone has finished eating. A few printed coloring pages, a homemade word search, a scavenger hunt and simple family games can fill the holiday without turning your day into another big project.

This plan is for parents, grandparents and caregivers spending Thanksgiving with children ages 3 to 10. It works for a busy house full of cousins or a quieter family gathering, and you can spread the activities across Thursday and Friday. Print what you need the night before, put a small basket of supplies within reach and let the children choose what sounds fun.

What to print before Thanksgiving Day

A little preparation the night before saves you from searching for a printer while the turkey is in the oven. Choose two or three activities for Thursday and keep a few extras ready for Friday. You don't need to print every page available. A small collection gives children choices without leaving you with a stack of unused worksheets.

Start with Thanksgiving-themed pictures. Our Fall coloring pages have seasonal designs that work well for younger children and older kids who enjoy filling in details. You can also choose pages from Cute coloring pages if you have children who prefer friendly characters and simple pictures. Print a few different designs rather than giving everyone the same sheet.

Print two or three coloring pages for each child.
Prepare one Thanksgiving word search with words chosen by the children.
Print one or two easy mazes for younger children and harder ones for older kids.
Choose dot to dot pictures for children who enjoy connecting numbered points.
Prepare one thankful scavenger hunt with household items and simple clues.
Keep extra blank paper and crayons available for drawing.

Thanksgiving activities while the turkey cooks

The hours before dinner can feel long for children. Adults are checking the oven, setting out dishes and trying to finish several jobs at once. This is a good time for activities that children can start independently, put down when needed and return to later.

Set up a small coloring station at the kitchen table or in another room close to the adults. Put out crayons, colored pencils and the printed pages in a shallow basket. Younger children can work on large, simple pictures, while school-age children might prefer smaller details. Our Easy coloring pages for toddlers and preschoolers are a good starting point if a three-year-old gets frustrated with crowded designs.

Once the coloring has settled into a comfortable routine, bring out the Thanksgiving word search. Use the Word search maker to create a puzzle with words the children suggest. Try turkey, pumpkin, gravy, stuffing, family, parade, pie, leaves and thankful. Let older children help enter the words and check the finished puzzle before printing.

What if the children finish everything early? Give them a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt around the house. Ask them to find a pumpkin picture, something orange, a family photograph, a wooden spoon, a candle and something that reminds them of autumn. For preschoolers, use pictures or read each clue aloud. Older children can follow written clues and work in pairs.

Keep the kids' table busy during dinner

A kids' table can make Thanksgiving dinner easier, especially when several cousins are visiting. It doesn't need elaborate decorations or special equipment. Give each child a placemat-sized sheet of paper, a few crayons and one activity they can work on while waiting for the food.

Try a Thanksgiving placemat drawing. Ask the children to draw the meal they are looking forward to, their favorite part of the holiday or something they appreciate about their family. You can write each child's name at the top before dinner. The drawings also give grandparents and other relatives something to talk about when everyone sits down.

For a table with mixed ages, print different difficulty levels. A four-year-old might enjoy a picture with large spaces to color, while an eight-year-old can work through a word search or a more involved maze. Our Printable mazes for kids offer another option for children who like finding their way through a puzzle. Keep the instructions short so children don't need an adult beside them for every step.

How many copies should you prepare? Print one activity sheet per child, plus two or three spares for a table of cousins. If you have six children, for example, prepare eight or nine copies of a popular activity. Younger siblings sometimes want the same picture as an older child, and an extra sheet can prevent an argument over the last copy.

After a large meal, children often need a change of pace. Some will want to run around, while others will be happy to sit with a grandparent and finish a picture. Start with something that allows everyone to join without requiring the whole family to follow a strict set of rules.

A paper gratitude chain is an easy activity for the living room. Cut colored paper into strips and give each person one or two pieces. Ask everyone to write or draw something they are thankful for. Younger children can dictate their answer to an adult or draw a picture instead. Join the strips into loops and connect them to make a chain. Hang it somewhere visible for the rest of the weekend.

You can also hold a family pie-tasting vote. Cut small portions of the available pies and give everyone a chance to taste them. Ask children to vote for their favorite, then count the votes together. If you have several kinds of pie, let children draw a picture of the winner or make a simple paper award. Check for allergies before serving samples, and keep portions small.

For a quieter group, bring out the drawings made at the kids' table. Ask each child to explain one part of their picture. Don't turn it into a test or ask everyone to give a long speech. A few minutes of conversation is plenty, especially for children who feel shy around a large group.

Make Friday at home feel like part of the holiday

Thanksgiving activities don't have to end when the dinner dishes are washed. Friday is a good day for using the pages you saved and giving children a little more freedom to choose what they want to do. You might have visiting relatives staying over, or you may simply want a relaxed day at home.

Put the remaining printables on the table after breakfast. Children can finish their word searches, swap mazes or color another Thanksgiving picture. If you have several children, let them exchange pages when they finish. A child who completed an easy puzzle on Thursday might enjoy trying a harder one on Friday.

Try a second scavenger hunt with a different set of clues. This time, ask children to find something soft, something shaped like a circle, a book with an animal on the cover, a leaf or something that belongs to another family member. Keep the search inside if the weather is unpleasant. Older children can write their own clues and hide them for younger siblings or cousins.

Friday is also a good time for a family drawing challenge. Give everyone the same prompt, such as drawing the Thanksgiving meal from memory or inventing a new kind of turkey. Set a timer for 10 minutes if the children enjoy a challenge, then let everyone explain their picture. There is no need to choose a winner. The funny details are usually the best part.

Adjust the activities for children ages 3 to 10

Children in this age group won't all enjoy the same activities, even if they are close in age. A three-year-old may want to color the same turkey for 15 minutes, while a nine-year-old is ready to invent a word search for everyone else. Let the difficulty match the child rather than expecting everyone to finish the same task.

For ages 3 to 4, use large pictures, chunky crayons and scavenger hunt clues that you can read aloud. Keep activities short and offer help when a child gets stuck. Drawing a picture of something they like about Thanksgiving is a perfectly good answer to a gratitude activity.

For ages 5 to 7, try word searches with familiar holiday words, simple mazes and dot to dots. Children at this age often enjoy completing a page on their own and showing it to an adult. Give them a choice between two activities instead of handing over a whole pile of worksheets.

For ages 8 to 10, add a little responsibility. Ask them to create the word search, write scavenger hunt clues or help younger cousins with a puzzle. They can also keep score during the pie vote or write down the family's favorite Thanksgiving memories. Give older children room to make the activity their own, but don't make them responsible for entertaining everyone.

The easiest plan is to prepare more than one kind of activity and let children move between them. Some will want to draw, some will prefer puzzles and others will be happiest helping with a family game. Keep the supplies handy and let the day unfold at its own pace.

Questions parents ask

What are some easy Thanksgiving activities for kids?

Try Thanksgiving coloring pages, a homemade word search, simple mazes and a scavenger hunt around the house. After dinner, children can make a gratitude chain or vote for their favorite pie.

What can preschoolers do on Thanksgiving?

Preschoolers can color large pictures, follow simple scavenger hunt clues and draw something they are thankful for. Keep crayons and paper within reach, and offer help when they need it.

How do you keep kids entertained on Thanksgiving Day?

Prepare a small collection of printables before the holiday and set out different activities throughout the day. Use coloring and puzzles before dinner, placemat drawings during the meal and family games afterward.