With all the awesome Thanksgiving activities and crafts – there are SO MANY cool ideas to get your kids excited about this upcoming holiday.
Problem is, Thanksgiving falls between Halloween and Christmas – two of the most kid-friendly holidays.
With competition like that, traditionally it’s hard for kids to get excited about Thanksgiving… until now.
Here we’ll be looking at Thanksgiving activities, crafts, books, toys, and outfits to give you 13 great ideas to get your kids excited about the Thanksgiving holiday.
Be sure to pin this now so you can reference it later in the month leading up to this fantastic holiday.
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In This Guide:
Adorable Thanksgiving Crafts
Gratitude Turkeys from Happiness is Homemade
These little turkeys are not just adorable, they also introduce kids to the sentiment of Thanksgiving!
You can get your kids thinking about what they’re thankful for in a fun way! As an added bonus – kids come up with some hilarious stuff!
Handprint and Footprint Turkey from A Little Pinch of Perfect
I love handprint and footprint crafts! I mean, those tiny finger and toes are too cute! These handprint and footprint turkeys are so sweet! I will absolutely be making these this year!
Handprint Turkey Placemats from Meaningful Mama
These require a little more help, but the end result looks so awesome! These placemats are also a great way for kids to be involved in the holiday preparation! I also love that these can be used over again each year!
Meaningful Thanksgiving Books
Bear Says Thanks (The Bear Books)
This adorable book tells the story of a bear who has no food to share with his friends for Thanksgiving. Spoiler alert: it all works out in the end.
I adore it because Bear is constantly saying “thanks” (so it reinforces the good manners we are always trying to show) and it shows children there are multiple ways to give and show gratitude.
This is part of “The Bear Books” series by Karma Wilson, but functions beautifully on it’s own. Although I do highly recommend checking out the other books – they’re wonderful!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
This book was adapted from the beloved TV special (ahhh memories).
Let’s face it, Charlie Brown and Snoopy are classics! This is a great way to introduce them to your kids if you haven’t already.
This book has wonderful illustrations and a funny plot.
In the story, Peppermint Patty invites her and friends to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. Problem is, he can barely make toast and cold cereal. Do you think he can pull it off?
Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving
My kids love ALL the Pete the Cat books – and this one is no exception.
Actually, truth is they like this one even better because it’s a lift-the-flap book.
Lots of books out there talk about being grateful and eating Thanksgiving dinner. This kids book goes a step further and talks about the history of Thanksgiving (in a simple, fun way).
Thanksgiving Activities
Show Community Gratitude
Our family talks a lot about how thankful and lucky we are all the time: for our house, food, friends, toys, clothes, etc.
Recently we’ve been discussing how we can convey our gratitude to others.
One idea we’ve tried recently is to bring treats to community helpers.
When we go to the doctor, we try to bring a small gift (usually pastries of some sort).
Other ideas we had were for the garden center workers we visit on a weekly basis, teachers at my children’s preschool, and the garbage men who work so hard early in the mornings.
Donate Old Toys
Love love LOVE this one.
When you’re talking about gratitude, going through old toys with your kids can be a fantastic lesson on being thankful and blessing others.
Truthfully, my kids aren’t the best about getting rid of their toys. But even the littlest will come up with an item or two.
We donate the toy or give it to a nearby friend or relative. They’re happy because someone else can enjoy the you.
I’m happy because that’s one less thing I have to put away and makes room for Christmas presents (pssst… becoming more minimalistic is one of the tricks of keeping a clean house).
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Fun Thanksgiving Toys
While Thanksgiving isn’t exactly a huge toy holiday, seasonal toys are a great way to get kids into the holiday through play.
Thanksgiving-themed Legos
Lego makes some awesome Thanksgiving sets!
Around age 4, my oldest started to discover the wonderful world of Legos. Kids of ALL ages seem to love them.
Kids can build a Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving Bingo
Kids love games! Hey, I love games too!
But games that the whole family can play together and actually enjoy can be hard to find.
Thanksgiving BINGO
A great idea is to practice playing it in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Then have a big Bingo tournament with the whole family on the big day! I recommend the winner wears the Thanksgiving hat I mention below…
Sweet Thanksgiving Outfits
Unique outfits let your kids know a day is special!
I always buy special outfits for all of the holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception!
When I purchase it I show the clothes to my kids and we talk about the upcoming holiday celebration.
Here are some cute ideas of Thanksgiving outfits for the kids:
Boys Outfit:
Bonnie Jean Boy’s Tan Mock Top Turkey Pant Set
Girls Outfit:
“Hats”
This one is more of an “accessory” than an outfit, but these fun and soft Turkey Hats
On Thanksgiving we take turns wearing it and taking silly pictures. Sometimes it’s a prize, a punishment, and sometimes the person wearing it has to dance.
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, my kids play and pretend to cook them in their play kitchen.
It’s fun, nonsense, and makes me love and appreciate my family even more.
