Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to instill in our little ones gratitude and the importance of thankfulness, along with spending time with family and partaking in traditions new and old. This year’s holidays are a little weird with a pandemic going on, and many people aren’t able to see loved ones or uphold usual traditions, so all the more reason to make it special. Here are 10 Thanksgiving Activities to do with your kids, many of them are for toddlers, but most are also appropriate for older children. If you scroll to the bottom, I have in printable with the activities and templates mentioned in this post (:
If you want to give your little ones a quick history lesson on Thanksgiving, here is a little video to introduce the topic.
- Books – What better way to teach and introduce a topic than through reading books. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving books listed below.
Thanksgiving Is… by Gail Gibbons
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, by Dav Pilkey
Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr
Sharing the Bread, by Pat Zietlow Miller
A Plump and Perky Turkey, by Teresa Bateman
Thanksgiving Treat, by Catherine Stock
There was an old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, by Alison Jackson
Give Thanks to the Lord, by Karma Wilson
Thank You, Sarah, by Laurie Halsen Anderson
This is the Turkey by Abby Levine, illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye
The Littlest Pilgrim by Brandi Dougherty, illustrated byKirsten Richards
Thank You, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim
Thankful byEileen Spinelli, illustrated by Archie Preston
2. Gratitude Scavenger Hunt – Exercise your mind, body, and gratitude with this fun and free scavenger hunt from brain box.
3. Roll a Turkey – This is a great, free game made by the Unoriginal Mom – with some dice, mnms, and these free printables, you have a nice little thanksgiving activity for the kids to enjoy.
4. Feed the Turkey Sensory Bin – You all know I love The Busy Toddler, and this activity is one of the million reasons why. Simple, cute, festive, and is guaranteed to keep your little one busy (:
5. An Exercise in Gratitude – Make thankful turkeys (template in the packet) or Acorn Gratitude Banner from Creative Family Fun, both of these can also serve as decor for festivities.
6. Gratitude Pick Up Sticks – Another fun game from Teach Beside Me, for both toddlers and older aged children.
7. “Thankful For You” Notes – Template in pdf, sit down with your child and write a note to a loved one letting them know you are grateful for them and why.
8. Thanksgiving and The Eucharist Lesson – Relate the Thanksgiving meal back to the Mass, and brainstorm what the two have in common (a lesson in pdf)
9. Thanksgiving Craft – This Sponged Painted Thanksgiving Turkey Craft was too cute, and trust me – there were a lot of crafts to sort through Pinterest. I thought this one was simple enough but still crafty.
10. Bake a Thanksgiving Treat – Get your child involved in the Thanksgiving preparations and have some fun baking. A fun treat to make with the kids is the Pumpkin Pie Turnover, the recipe in the packet below!
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