Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers are more than cute crafts. They’re a meaningful way to connect, teach gratitude, and make lasting memories.

Here at Homeschool Preschool, we know your time and energy are valuable. You want purposeful activities that are easy to prepare and fun to share. That’s why we’ve gathered our best Thanksgiving ideas all in one place. You can skip the overwhelm and enjoy the season with your little learners.

You’ll find crafts, printables, sensory play, STEM fun, and movement games that inspire curiosity and joy. Each activity is simple, meaningful, and designed to make Thanksgiving both fun and intentional. So grab your favorite supplies, gather your preschoolers, and get ready to make sweet memories this Thanksgiving season.

Why Thanksgiving Matters for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It’s a chance to teach big ideas in simple, meaningful ways.

For preschoolers, this season is the perfect time to explore:

• Gratitude: Learning to say “thank you” and notice the good things in their world
• Kindness: Practicing empathy, generosity, and caring for others
• Connection: Building traditions that help kids feel safe, seen, and included
• Early learning: Boosting fine motor, vocabulary, and thinking skills through themed play

With the right activities, Thanksgiving becomes a season of warmth, growth, and togetherness — one little moment at a time.

How to Use This Post + Planning Tips

This guide is packed with ideas, but don’t feel like you have to do it all. Use what fits your season, your schedule, and your little learners.

Here are a few ways to make the most of it:

• Pick your pace
  Stretch activities across a few weeks, or focus on just one or two favorites. Go with the rhythm that works for your home or classroom.
• Mix low-prep with hands-on
  Balance easy printables with more involved crafts to avoid burnout (for you and your kids).
• Use what you have
  Check your stash before heading to the store. Paper scraps, markers, leaves, and beans go a long way.
• Follow their lead
  Offer simple choices: “Would you like to do the turkey craft or the play dough tray today?”
• Plan for flexibility
  Holidays can be hectic. Keep a few grab-and-go ideas on hand (like coloring pages or quiet table activities) for busy days or downtime.

Materials You’ll Often Need

Here’s a quick supply list to keep nearby:

• Construction paper
• Glue sticks
• Safety scissors
• Washable markers or crayons
• Googly eyes, feathers, buttons
• Pipe cleaners, pom-poms
• Tissue paper scraps
• Dried beans, corn kernels, or rice
• Printable pages from this post (or your favorite pack)

Tip: Keep a small bin of seasonal craft supplies ready for November — it makes setup quick and easy!

Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers

This section is your activity hub — packed with playful, hands-on ideas to help preschoolers explore Thanksgiving through art, movement, storytelling, sensory play, and gratitude.

Feel free to mix and match, follow your child’s lead, and revisit your favorites throughout the month. These ideas are perfect for both home and classroom use!

Thanksgiving Crafts & Art

Preschool Thanksgiving crafts are more than cute keepsakes. They build fine motor skills, encourage creativity, and give kids a chance to express their understanding of the season.

• Paper Plate Turkey — A sponge‑painted feather effect sets the base; once dry, children glue on a head, beak, wattle, and googly eyes to bring their turkey to life.
• Turkey Paper Bag Craft — Use a plain paper bag as your canvas: add construction paper wings, wattle, and a beak to transform it into a fun turkey puppet.
• Paper Plate Turkey Craft — Similar to our sponge style, this version offers alternate embellishments and ways to layer feathers for texture.
• Paper Bag Turkey Craft — A variant on the bag puppet: decorate with torn paper, feathers, or even natural materials from outdoors.
• Thanksgiving Paper Turkey Craft — A simplified, approachable turkey craft ideal for younger preschoolers or quick activity slots.
• Toilet Paper Roll Turkey Craft — Turn a recycled cardboard roll into a turkey body, then add feathers and features for a cute, compact craft.
• Turkey Paper Plate Craft — This one blends watercolor-style feather effects with expressive features to give kids a chance to experiment with color and layering.

???? Be sure to also check out our Thanksgiving Directed Drawing printables. Each page includes a step-by-step drawing guide that helps preschoolers (and early elementary kids) draw cute Thanksgiving motifs, such as turkeys, pumpkins, and more. It pairs beautifully with your hands-on crafting time.

Thanksgiving Literacy & Storytelling

Thanksgiving is more than crafts. It’s an invitation to slow down and spark language, imagination, and connection with stories, words, and shared conversation. Here are some literacy‑rich ideas:

• Read-aloud & extension: A Turkey for Thanksgiving — Use the activities to deepen comprehension, retellings, and related crafts after reading.
• Thanksgiving Alphabet Practice — Use themed letter cards, letter hunts, and tracing sheets to bring the alphabet to life in a holiday context.
• The Littlest Pilgrim & Follow-up Activities — After reading, invite children into discussion, sequencing, or writing prompts tied to the story.
• Gratitude Journal for Kids — Encourage children to illustrate or write small notes about gratitude daily. Use prompts, pages, and connector ideas from this journal.
• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey — Use fun sequencing cards, retell games, and movement extensions to bring this silly story into your Thanksgiving week.
• How to Catch a Turkey — Turn this book into an interactive hunt: prediction charts, drawing responses, or “turkey traps” you design together.
• Feed the Turkey Alphabet Game — A playful way to reinforce letters: “feed” the turkey cards with matching alphabet pieces, and celebrate each correct match.
• Turkey Trouble Printable — Use this fun printable pack as a literacy warm-up or table activity: match words, unscramble, or write descriptive words.
• Turkey Alphabet Games for Preschoolers — Rotate through several alphabet games (matching, tracing, hunt & find) to keep children engaged with letters

Thanksgiving Math Activities

With a Thanksgiving twist, math becomes playful—and preschoolers love discovering patterns, counting, and sorting around holiday themes. Below are ideas designed to deepen and extend math learning.

• Free Thanksgiving Color‑By‑Number — A simple, fun way to practice number recognition and following directions.
• Counting Turkey Feathers — Count the feathers on each turkey and match them to the correct number. This is perfect for one-to-one correspondence and number recognition.
• Counting Sets of Turkeys — Count how many turkeys are in each group or scene, then match the total to the correct number. A great way to practice set recognition and early graphing skills.
• Thanksgiving Color‑By‑Numbe — A gentler version designed especially for younger preschoolers who are just beginning to recognize numbers.
• Counting & Graphing Activity — Combine counting with data skills: count Thanksgiving-themed items, then graph results (favorite turkeys, pumpkins, leaves, etc.).
• Turkey Color‑By‑Number — A fun and festive way for preschoolers to practice number recognition and fine motor control. Kids follow a color key to reveal a hidden turkey picture.
• Turkey Math Worksheets — This printable pack focuses on number tracing, counting sets, matching numbers, and more—all with adorable turkey-themed graphics.

Thanksgiving Picture Books

Thanksgiving is a season full of stories—about gratitude, family, tradition, and kindness. These read-alouds are perfect for circle time, bedtime, or any quiet moment when you’re ready to slow down and connect.

Here are a few favorites that pair beautifully with the activities in this post:

• Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
  A classic introduction to the meaning of Thanksgiving for little learners. Bright illustrations and relatable ideas make this a wonderful read-aloud to pair with gratitude crafts.
• Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
  A cozy, rhythmic story about friendship and gratitude as Bear hosts a feast with help from his woodland friends. A perfect conversation starter about how we all contribute something special.
• Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
  Kids love this silly tale of a turkey trying to escape the Thanksgiving table by disguising himself in clever costumes. Great for retelling, sequencing, and character voices.
• The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene
  Told in gentle, lyrical rhyme, this book introduces the Pilgrims’ journey and the first Thanksgiving celebration in a preschool-friendly way.
• I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for Kids by Sheri Wall
  A simple, sweet book that encourages young children to reflect on what they’re grateful for. Great for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers.

Remember — you don’t have to do it all. These Thanksgiving activities are meant to inspire, not overwhelm. Pick one or two that light you up, follow your child’s curiosity, and come back later if you’re craving more.

???? Save this post for next year!
Pin it, bookmark it, or print your favorite ideas to revisit each November as your traditions grow.

If you’re teaching older preschoolers or K–2 students, you may want to gently introduce a more thoughtful lens on Thanksgiving’s history. Books like We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell or conversations about Native American cultures can help create a more inclusive classroom or home learning environment.

Here at Homeschool Preschool, we believe in honoring curiosity, kindness, and the many ways families and teachers make this season meaningful.

You’ve got this — one little thankful moment at a time. ????