The Best Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

1. Thanksgiving History Exploration

Dive into the origins of Thanksgiving with a history lesson that’s engaging and age-appropriate. You can cover the Pilgrims’ journey on the Mayflower, the interactions with the Wampanoag tribe, the first Thanksgiving feast. You could even go up to Lincoln’s official Thanksgiving Proclamation during the Civil War! Resources like children’s books, videos, or documentaries can bring history to life (much of this is free online or at your local library). If your children are old enough, consider having them perform a reenactment or having kids write about what they think life was like for Pilgrim or Wampanoag children.

2. Gratitude Journals or Thankfulness Trees

Have each of your children start a gratitude journal (and do one yourself!). This doesn’t need to be anything fancy, a notebook or even plain paper folded into a booklet works well! Encourage everyone to write (or draw) something they’re thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. This can be a daily morning activity, helping everyone reflect on the blessings in their lives and reinforcing gratitude.

Alternatively, make a “Thankfulness Tree” out of paper, or even branches from your yard. Write things you’re thankful for on paper leaves, and hang them on the tree. This is a great visual project that your kids can watch grow over the days, and it serves as a beautiful reminder of everything you’re grateful for. You may think that it will be get harder as the days go by, but we have found that as the days go by, your heart is filled with gratitude and it is easy to come up with more ideas!

3. Thanksgiving-Themed Math Activities

Spice up math lessons with Thanksgiving-themed story problems and crafts. For younger children, use cranberries, dried corn, or pumpkin seeds as manipulatives for counting and sorting. Older students could calculate ingredient measurements, cost comparisons for Thanksgiving dishes, or create a Thanksgiving-themed graph. Veering away from your standard curriculum to make it seasonally fun can help capture your student’s attention in a unique way!

4. Pumpkin Science (and other crafts)

Bring science to Thanksgiving by doing pumpkin-themed experiments. Try floating and sinking experiments with different sizes of pumpkins to explore density. You can also dissect a pumpkin, letting kids measure the number of seeds, explore the different layers and textures of the pumpkin, and discuss the pumpkin’s life cycle. (A bonus of this one: you can roast the seeds together for a tasty treat!) For younger children, painting pumpkins is always a hit!

Other crafts can add a fun, creative element to your day and make lovely decorations. There are so many opportunities around Thanksgiving! Make Pilgrim hats, Native American headbands, handprint turkeys, and more. You can also use dried leaves, pine cones, and acorns from nature walks to create festive table centerpieces together.

5. Thanksgiving Recipe Challenge

Invite your children to help with the Thanksgiving meal by trying simple recipes. Allow them to select a favorite dish to make! Teach math and reading skills through measurements and ingredient lists. You could even have a “mini chef” challenge where each child creates a side dish. For younger kids, something easy like mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce might be just right, while older kids could try pies or casseroles with your guidance.

6. Thanksgiving Literature Read-Alouds

Set aside time for read-alouds with Thanksgiving stories and poems. Books like Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin, Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland, or Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas are wonderful choices. You also have the option to dig deeper and discuss the historical background and lessons each story brings. If you want a full list of my Thanksgiving book recommendations, I have a thanksgiving learning pack filled with activity sheets, recipes, and a book list available here! Or, fill out my contact form and I would be happy to send my book list over!

7. Family Storytelling and Oral Histories

Encourage kids to interview family members about their favorite Thanksgiving memories, traditions, or favorite recipes. This activity can connect them with older generations, spark great family discussions, and help preserve family stories. They can even create a “Thanksgiving Memory Book” to record the interviews. You never know when you will no longer be able to preserve those memories, and speaking from experience, it is so much fun to learn more about family history.

8. Thanksgiving Charades (or a family talent show!)

After a day full of learning and cooking, bring the family together for a game of Thanksgiving charades. Have each family member act out a Thanksgiving-related word or phrase, like “turkey,” “Mayflower,” or “setting the table.” It’s an easy, no-prep way to add laughter and bonding to your holiday that our family has enjoyed for years.

If your kids are older, another well=loved family tradition is to host a family talent show. Once everyone’s tummies are stuffed and the table is cleared, we migrate to the family room and pile on top of each other to watch everyone take turns telling stories, playing instruments, demonstrating hobbies, and more. If you have family from out of town or adult children, this is especially fun as a way of catching up with parts of their lives you may otherwise miss!

9. Volunteer as a Family

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to give back. If you are in the season of life where it is doable to take your family and do service projects, the opportunities are endless during the holiday season. Find a local food bank or shelter that needs volunteers, or make cards for people who may be alone during the “most wonderful time of the year.” You even have the opportunity to make this an annual tradition, reminding your kids of the importance of kindness and community.

10. Map the Mayflower Route

Make geography come alive by mapping the Mayflower’s route from England to America. Have your kids locate Plymouth, England, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, then trace the path the Pilgrims may have taken. You can dig into what it would have been like to be on the Mayflower, including things like the size of the ship, their diet, activities they could do, and more. You can even do a comparison of sailing times then and now. Map out where the Pilgrims settled once they reached the New World!

11. Thanksgiving Movie Day

After a busy week of activities, consider a cozy Thanksgiving movie day with family-friendly classics like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. Discuss the themes or takeaways after the film for a fun way to wrap up the Thanksgiving spirit.

Thanksgiving was always one of my favorite holidays as a child. Special time with family, sneaking food from grandma when she wasn’t watching, and learning more about the Pilgrims and the holiday centered around thankfulness was truly a highlight. I hope these activities help your family create a festive mood for your homeschool, and that you are able to walk away from these ideas with hearts filled with gratitude!