9 Fun and Easy Thanksgiving Activities for Toddlers (Kid-Tested!)
If you’re searching for fun Thanksgiving activities for toddlers, I’ve got you covered! I have a two-year-old and a three-year-old, and they absolutely loved every single one of these ideas. They’re hands-on, simple to set up, and perfect for keeping little ones busy while you soak in the holiday season.
Some of these are playful crafts, while others are more like Thanksgiving games for toddlers. We did these together leading up to Thanksgiving, and it was such a fun way to talk about thankfulness and make sweet family memories.
Whether you’re planning a calm day at home or need something to entertain your kids while cooking the big meal, these easy Thanksgiving activities are perfect for little hands and big imaginations.
9 Easy Thanksgiving Activities for Toddlers
Here are a few supplies that might be helpful for these activities! And if you don’t have everything on hand, don’t worry at all. I used whatever I could find around the house, and my toddlers still loved every single activity. Feel free to get creative and make these work for your family!
Now let’s get into the activities!
P.S. — If you only try one of these, I highly recommend the first one. Our paper plate turkey aim game kept my kids busy for days!
1. Paper Plate Turkey Aim Game
Instructions:
Draw (or print) a few turkey faces and stick them onto 3 paper plates with different point values (I did 10, 20, and 30). Use double-sided tape to put the plates on the wall, then let your kids throw a soft ball to try to “hit” the turkeys. If they’re old enough, you can keep score — but my toddlers just loved aiming and throwing! Such a fun and simple gross motor activity for kids.
2. Turkey Q-Tip Color Match
Instructions:
Draw a simple turkey on a paper plate (or a shoebox — it actually works even better!) and poke small holes in all the feathers. I did about three holes per feather. Using markers, color the ends of Q-tips and cut them in half. Then let your kids match the Q-tips to the holes with the same color. It’s such an easy, hands-on way to practice color recognition with a little Thanksgiving twist!
3. Match and Paste Fall Items
Instructions:
Print a few big fall-themed pictures (turkey, pumpkin, squirrel, etc.) and cut them out. Then trace each one onto a large sheet of easel paper. Your toddler’s job is to match the cut-out picture to the outline and glue it in place. If your child is a little older, you can rotate or flip some of the outlines to make it more challenging. Simple, fun, and great for visual matching!
4. Scavenger Hunt
Instructions:
Depending on where you live, this can be an indoor or outdoor activity. Create a simple Thanksgiving-themed scavenger hunt with items like a turkey, pumpkin, apple pie, leaves, or anything seasonal you have around the house or yard. My toddlers love holding a little checklist and searching for each item! If you’re doing it outdoors, make sure to collect leaves for our next activity!
5. Find and Stick Fall Leaves
Instructions:
Draw a big leaf outline on a sheet of easel paper and add small pieces of double-sided tape inside the outline. Then use real leaves you’ve collected outside and let your toddler stick them onto the tape to fill in the shape. It turns into a beautiful fall collage, and kids love the sensory feel of the crunchy leaves! For added fun, hide the leaves around the house first and let your toddler search for them before sticking them to the paper.
6. Turkey Dot Sticker Feather Match
Instructions:
Draw or print a turkey with big, colorful feathers. Give your toddler dot stickers and have them match each sticker to the feather with the same color. It’s super simple to set up and such a great fine motor activity. My kids always love anything with stickers, so I always make an efforts to have lots of dot sticker activities!
7. Grateful Turkey
Instructions:
This is the most classic Thanksgiving craft for kids — I used to make these every year when I was little! Cut, draw, paint, or print a simple turkey, and then help your kids write one thing they’re grateful for on each feather. I love this activity for toddlers because it introduces emotional awareness in such a simple, sweet way. It’s a beautiful way to start talking about gratitude together as a family.
8. Turkey Feather Color Sort
Instructions:
Cut out as many paper feathers as you’d like, using different colors of construction paper. Mix them up in a pile and let your toddler sort them by color. I’m using the little buckets from the Learning Resources Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set, and they work perfectly — we use them for all of our color-sorting activities! This activity is super simple to set up and great for early learning.
9. Dot Sticker Leaf
Instructions:
Draw a big leaf on a sheet of easel paper and give your child some fall-colored dot stickers to decorate it. Older kids can try to place the stickers inside the lines — my 3-year-old really enjoyed that challenge — but my 2-year-old wasn’t quite there yet, so his goal was simply to get the stickers somewhere on the paper! It’s such an easy, no-mess activity that toddlers absolutely love.
I hope this list of Thanksgiving activities for toddlers gives you a few easy, fun ideas to try this season.
With two crazy toddlers, I know how much these simple activities can brighten up a morning and create lasting memories. Even a few minutes of playful connection can make the whole day feel calmer and more enjoyable.
I hope you and your little ones have the best time trying these out — and that they bring lots of laughter and happy chaos to your Thanksgiving week!
