These fun ideas will be a great way for your little ones to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. This list of over 40 easy Thanksgiving activities will keep your busy toddler and their little hands occupied with fantastic fun learning leading up to Thanksgiving dinner.
These easy activities will be a huge success with kids of all ages but were put together with young children in mind. Your whole family will have so much fun this holiday season playing with googly eyes, construction paper, paints, tissue paper, and more.
What do you do with a 2 year old for Thanksgiving?
Some of my favorite thanksgiving activities for 2 year olds (or any toddlers) is sensory play that has a Thanksgiving twist. For a fun way to let your littlest turkeys play without too much worry edible options are both mom and toddler approved.
Pumpkin Moon Sand
Sarah, from Making Mom Magic, has a great recipe for Pumpkin Moon Sand that makes a wonderful sensory bin. While pumpkin moon sand probably does not taste all that great it is made all from ingredients you already have in your kitchen. If young kids have a taste you do not have to worry about them getting sick.
Fall Play Dough
Another wonderful option that is edible is homemade play dough. This play dough recipe is easy to make and as a bonus it smells pretty fantastic.
What can I do with my toddler on Thanksgiving?
Sensory bins with a Thanksgiving theme do double duty at improving fine motor skills and also being the perfect activity to entertain younger kids. They are lots of fun and not just as a Thanksgiving activity for toddlers. This mom can speak from experience that they are fun for the whole family (aka for me too).
Fall Sensory Bins
This post from Ruffles and Rain Boots shares some different ways to create fun and fall themed sensory bins.
Autumn Tree Sensory Craft
Cenzererly Yours has a post here that shares a fun and great activity around painting autumn trees. She gives you several options for the painting depending on how tactile your little learner wants to get with the paints.
Pie Thanksgiving Sensory Bin
I cannot get over how cute this sensory bin is. Almost better than a slice of apple or pumpkin pie is the tiny little pretend food you create in this bin. Crystal really outdid herself when she created this fun activity.
Turkey Busy Bag
Before sitting down at the Thanksgiving table playing with these turkey busy bags from Little Ladoo will be a huge hit. They are especially helpful when you need to a few uninterrupted minutes to prepare for an influx of family members. Be sure to download the free printables to help you create the busy bags.
Turkey Playdough Kit
Playdough always makes for easy Thanksgiving crafts. It is also a great option if you want to stay mess free. This turkey play dough kit from Parenting Chaos shows you how to make a turkey body from play dough and use foam sheets and other materials to make the cute turkey face.
Best Thanksgiving Activities For Toddlers
One of the absolute best thanksgiving activities for toddlers is to really lean into the spirit of the holiday and incorporate a gratitude activity. Even your toddlers are not too little to start talking about being thankful. This list of 120 Things To Be Thankful For On Thanksgiving is a great resource for making your own gratitude list.
Fun Thanksgiving Activities
Scavenger hunts are a blast. If you live in a climate that is very cold during the fall a scavenger hunt is a great way to get the kids running around and releasing some of those wiggles.
Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt Printable
This Thanksgiving scavenger hunt from Homeschool of 1 is a good way to get started on having a scavenger hunt in your house.
Kids Nature Walk
For a fall themed scavenger hunt that gets the kids outdoors this nature walk scavenger hunt is a wonderful way to get into the thanksgiving spirit.
Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts, like this one from Confessions of Parenting, encourage young kids to explore.
Another great scavenger hunt can be found here from Lil’ Tigers.
For a free printable scavenger hunt that is in Spanish check out this great post.
Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
I never seem to have luck finding good coloring pages when I look on Pinterest. However, after reaching out to some blogger friends I have some fantastic resources for you to fill this need. These coloring pages are free and great for younger and older kids alike.
How do you teach preschoolers on Thanksgiving?
If you are looking for some more educational activities for your preschoolers and toddlers on Thanksgiving I have found some great ones! Homeschoolers will love the opportunity to involve their little learners in all of the Thanksgiving time fun. We know they want so badly to be just like the big kids. And if you are not homeschooling these are still wonderful resources to extend learning over the school break.
Preschool Thanksgiving activities are lots of fun this time of year. Learning about gratitude and the changing seasons as well as history of the holiday is a wonderful opportunity. I have gathered some fun resources and ideas for you to use. I am so excited for doing these activities in our home as well. I know that we are going to have the best time.
Dramatic Play
We all know that play is the best tool for learning. This post from 3 Boys And A Dog talks all things play and fall.
Educational Thanksgiving Placemats
“Download these three super fun Thanksgiving printable activity placemats for tons of educational fun! Kids will color by number, practice I spy, and decode a secret holiday message. They’re printed on regular sized printer paper, because that’s the perfect size for kids, plus it means there’s no extra trip to the store for special paper.”
Counting Activity for Preschoolers
This is an easy, fun, and educational counting activity for your preschoolers. Your child will work on their counting skills while still embracing the Thanksgiving themes.
Another great resource is this free math printable for your little ones. The adorable illustrations of turkeys, acorns, and other fall items make it extra special.
Reading Thanksgiving Activities For Toddlers
As an avid reader with little children who also love books I was thrilled to find this book list. Fluxing Well has shared 39 Thanksgiving Books For Kids.
Adorable Thanksgiving reading flash cards are another great way to include reading into your thanksgiving activities.
More Educational Thanksgiving Activities For Toddlers
Thanksgiving Coding Worksheets For Kindergarteners
Easy Four Season Tree Craft For Kids
The Story Of The First Thanksgiving
Fall Leaf Activities For Toddlers
Leaves are the perfect decoration for fall and Thanksgiving. Plus they make for lots of fun Thanksgiving activities for toddlers.
Easy DIY Wreath Craft
This fall wreath is perfect for Thanksgiving. Paper plates and leaves come together to make a super cute wreath any parent would be proud to decorate with.
Fall Leaf Craft
Two Kids And A Coupon has shared an awesome fall leaf craft that I have never seen before. Making the leaves is a great way to practice those fine motor skills. I am sure it would be great to use these leaves to make the fall wreath above.
Super Simple Leaf Activity For Toddlers
If you are looking to keep it super simple then this is the perfect activity for you and your toddler. Your little one will have so much fun sticking leaves to the sticky contact paper. The clean up is really easy too which is always a plus for me.
The Best Turkey Thanksgiving Projects For Toddlers
Is there any better craft project for Thanksgiving than one that includes turkeys? The turkey projects are certain to be your favorite Thanksgiving activity to do with your little ones. No two of these turkeys are alike so you will have to gobble up all of the great ideas.
Coffee Filter Turkey
Coffee filter turkeys are so much fun! This is definitely an activity where mom is going to want to be hands on to avoid marker mess going everywhere but it is so worth it.
Family Handprint Turkey
This twist on the traditional handprint turkey uses not just your child’s handprint but handprints from the entire family. I love this craft because it will also become a treasured keepsake. No matter how big or small your family this craft will turn out to be so adorable and special.
Turkey Glitter Jar
If you like the idea of sensory bins but really want to keep the mess contained then a sensory jar is a great solution. You and your toddler make this fun turkey glitter jar together and then they can play with it over and over.
Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Craft
You will love this turkey paper craft as a fun and easy craft idea for your toddlers. The turkey is simple enough to make that even toddlers, with a little help, can do it.
Delicious Apple Crafts For Toddlers
Apples, fall, and Thanksgiving just go hand in hand. These apple crafts for your toddlers are a wonderful way to have some quality time together during this Thanksgiving season. With an added bonus of being educational you won’t find any bad apples here.
Painting With Apples
Apple activities are an excellent way to combine science, art, math, and even language arts skills. Learning through play is the best kind of learning and this activity of painting with apples is a great way to get started.
Fall Apple Picking Craft
Use the free printable template and make a sweet little paper basket to fill up with your paper apples. Bring the apple picking home with this fun little project.
Apple Sun Catchers
Make these precious sun catchers with your toddler and use them to decorate the windows. They are fun to make and look so sweet on the windows as the fall sun streams through.
Thanksgiving Apple Stamping Craft
Both easy and inexpensive this apple stamping craft is one that kids will really enjoy making.
Leave a Reply