Thanksgiving Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers (Printables to Do at Home)

Thanksgiving activities for little ones need to be short, simple, and forgiving. A toddler or young preschooler is not going to sit through a 12-step craft. But give them a big turkey to color or a pumpkin to glue onto a scene, and they are happy.

This post covers easy Thanksgiving printables for the youngest kids, mainly ages 3 and 4, and how to set them up at home with as little mess as possible. Many of these ideas also work for younger toddlers with more help.

What works for the youngest kids

Keep these in mind when picking activities:

• Short. Five to ten minutes is a good session.
• Big. Large shapes, thick lines, big pieces.
• Simple. One step, or two at most.
• Hands-on. Coloring, sticking, gluing, and tracing with a finger.
• Forgiving. No “right” answer, or an easy one.

Easy Thanksgiving printables for ages 3-4

Big coloring pages

A turkey, a pumpkin, or a pie with thick outlines. Let them use chunky crayons or dot markers.

Cut and paste scenes

Pre-cut the pieces for younger kids. Older 3s and 4s can try snipping with safety scissors. Then glue the pieces onto a harvest scene.

Tracing lines

A dotted line from a leaf to a tree, or a turkey to its pie. Finger first, then crayon.

Short mazes

Wide paths and a clear finish. Help them trace with a finger before using a crayon.

Shadow match

Draw a line from a pumpkin to its shadow. Simple, quick, and very satisfying when they get it right.

Keeping the mess down

• Use glue sticks, not liquid glue.
• Put a tray or a placemat under the page.
• Hand out a few crayons at a time.
• Pre-cut pieces for the youngest kids.
• Keep wipes nearby.

Building a toddler Thanksgiving week

You do not need a big plan. One idea for the week before Thanksgiving:

• Monday: color a turkey
• Tuesday: a short maze
• Wednesday: cut and paste harvest scene
• Thursday: a coloring page at the table on Thanksgiving Day
• Friday: a shadow match page

One page a day is plenty.

Talking about Thanksgiving with little ones

Young kids understand Thanksgiving best through simple, concrete ideas:

• We eat a special meal with people we love.
• We say thank you for things we like.
• Fall has leaves, pumpkins, and apples.

While they color, ask, “Who will be at our table?” or “What is something yummy you like?” Write their answers on the page.

On Thanksgiving Day itself

The day can be loud and busy for a small child. New faces, new smells, and a lot of waiting. A few printables can give them a calm anchor:

• Set a coloring page at their seat so they have something to do while food is served.
• Keep two or three pages in a folder for after the meal, when grown-ups are still at the table.
• Offer a quiet corner with a page and crayons if they get overwhelmed.
• Let them give a picture away. Handing a finished coloring page to a grandparent is a small, proud moment.

Do not worry if they only color for five minutes. Even a short, calm break helps.

Including big siblings

If there is an older sibling, give them the same theme at a higher level, like a longer maze or a spot the difference page. Printurday packs have a 3-4 lane and a 5-7 lane in one file, so both kids can work on matching Harvest & Thanks pages.

Printing tips

• Use plain US Letter paper.
• Print in grayscale.
• Print at actual size so lines stay thick.

Free Thanksgiving pages to try

Download: Free Thanksgiving Activity Sampler (PDF)

Free, 6-page US Letter PDF: a cover page plus 5 mixed activity pages for ages 3-7 (Trace It and Dot-to-Dot 1 to 10 for ages 3-4, Spot the 7 Differences and I Spy for older kids, and a Roll-a-Turkey dice game for all ages). Prints fine in grayscale. For toddlers and young preschoolers, start with Trace It and the dot-to-dot.

Try Printurday this November

Start with the free sample. If your little one enjoys it, the full Harvest & Thanks pack is $6 a month, cancel anytime. It is one 52-page US Letter PDF that prints fine in grayscale, with a 3-4 lane for little hands and a 5-7 lane for big siblings.