20 Simple Thanksgiving Activities for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is a time for exploring gratitude, family traditions and seasonal changes. It also offers plenty of opportunities for early literacy, which involves much more than learning letters and words — listening, speaking, vocabulary, rhyming and storytelling all play an important role.

Here are some simple Thanksgiving activities, songs and stories to enjoy with preschoolers at home or in the classroom.

Art and Sensory Play

Here are some ideas for Thanksgiving-themed crafts and sensory play:

1. Thankful Handprints

Children make painted handprints and, once dry, they can share things they are grateful for. The teacher or parent then writes one idea on each finger.

2. Shape Turkey

Provide children with a selection of pre-cut shapes such as circles, triangles and rectangles. They build their own turkeys by using a large circle for the body, a smaller circle for the head, triangles for the beak and simple rectangles or ovals as feathers.

This activity helps children recognise and combine shapes while creating their own turkey picture.

3. Handprint Feathers Turkey

Trace around each child’s hand or make painted handprints and cut them out once dry. Children then glue their colourful handprints behind a simple brown turkey body shape to create bright tail feathers.

If children cut out their own handprints, the activity also gives them useful cutting practice.

4. Feather Collage

Glue feathers, fabric strips or paper scraps onto simple turkey outlines to create colourful tail feathers.

5. Make Scented Playdough

Make a batch of easy, no-bake playdough and add a lovely autumn or Thanksgiving scent. Here are some simple scent ideas:

• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin spice
• Apple spice
• Vanilla
• Cocoa

6. Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

Set up a tub filled with corn kernels, pumpkin seeds and leaves, along with scoops, spoons and cups. Children can explore the textures, pour and scoop the materials and enjoy simple sensory play.

Supervise closely, particularly with younger preschoolers, or substitute larger sensory materials if needed.

Music and Movement

Here are some fun theme songs and remakes of traditional songs, all by The Kiboomers, followed by movement game ideas:

7. If You're Thankful and You Know It

Teach your children this adaptation of the traditional tune If You're Happy and You Know It, with lyrics like If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands; stomp your feet; shout I am; do all three.

8. Wheels on the Bus Thanksgiving Song

In this version, the wheels on the bus go round and round, the turkeys go gobble, the leaves go flutter, the pumpkins go bounce, the corn goes munch, the apples go crunch, and the kids say I Am thankful!

9. Thanksgiving Freeze Dance

Play this version of the popular music game Freeze Dance and encourage children to follow the actions and dance, gobble, flap and hop, until the music stops and they have to freeze!

For more themed songs and rhymes, see these Thanksgiving songs for preschoolers.

10. Egg and Spoon Race

Children love this simple movement game.

Have children race or take part in a relay while balancing a plastic egg, small foam ball or pom-pom on a spoon.

11. Turkey Tag

For this fun chasing game, give each child a light scarf or ribbon to tuck loosely into the back of their waistband — this becomes their “turkey feather”. One or two children are the “farmers” and try to gently pull out the feathers.

Turkeys move around by waddling, flapping or tiptoeing, trying to keep their feathers safe. When a turkey loses their feather, they step out to the side and do a short action (such as three turkey flaps or a quick waddle on the spot) before rejoining the game with their feather tucked back in.

Keep the play area spacious and the game slow and gentle so it stays fun and cooperative.

Literacy and Stories

Use these Thanksgiving stories and language activities to explore gratitude, kindness and seasonal ideas with preschoolers.

12. I Am Thankful

This short story by Sonali Fry is a great introduction to this theme. It has lots of simple and practical examples of everyday things that we may be grateful for.

13. Thankful Fur You!

Cannoli and the other dogs are worried that their owners are going to cancel Thanksgiving. They decide to be extra good and show how thankful they are.

14. Category Game

Play a category game to build vocabulary and improve memory. The category is “Our Thanksgiving Table”.

Go around the group – or go back and forth with your child – and invite each person to add one type of food they would like to see on their Thanksgiving table. Each word can only be used once, and if someone repeats a food, they must think of an alternative.

Early Maths

Use Thanksgiving-themed sorting, sequencing and pattern activities to build early maths skills through play.

15. Turkey & Pumpkin Size Sequencing

Print the sequencing cards below and have the children place them in order from smallest to biggest, and then from biggest to smallest.

16. Turkey Feather Patterns

Cut out a simple turkey body and provide coloured paper feathers, craft feathers or feather-shaped cutouts.

Have children create repeating patterns with the feathers, such as red-yellow-red-yellow or red-orange-yellow-red-orange-yellow.

For an extra challenge, ask them to copy a pattern you make first or create their own pattern for someone else to continue.

Dramatic Play and Social-Emotional Learning

Pretend play and simple discussions can help children explore gratitude, family traditions and the social side of Thanksgiving.

17. Thanksgiving Feast Pretend Play

Set up a simple dramatic play area with play foods, placemats, napkins and a few basic cooking props. Children can prepare, serve and share a pretend Thanksgiving meal, practising social skills, turn-taking and rich language as they role-play together.

18. Harvest Market Role Play

Set up a small market stall with baskets of pretend produce and a simple scale. Children take turns being the buyer and the seller, weighing the fruit and vegetables, filling baskets and exchanging play money.

This encourages practical maths skills and social interaction as they negotiate and role-play together.

19. Gratitude Circle Time

After reading I Am Thankful or playing the read-aloud, invite the children to spend a moment in quiet reflection, thinking about the things they are most grateful for. They can then share one thing each that they are grateful for, such as warm clothes or a pet.

Give each child a small piece of paper or card to draw their idea. Write their words underneath with a marker and then display all the pictures together to create a class “wall of gratitude”.

20. Family Traditions Discussion

Invite children to share simple traditions or routines their families enjoy at this time of year, whether or not they celebrate Thanksgiving. They might talk about cooking a favourite dish, going for a walk, visiting relatives or enjoying a special activity at home. This helps children recognise and value their own experiences while learning about the similarities and differences within the group.

I hope these ideas help you bring some simple Thanksgiving-themed play and learning into your classroom or home.

For more seasonal ideas, explore these fall activities, pumpkin theme activities, or browse the full list of preschool themes and activities for year-round inspiration.