Do you want to get your kids out of the kitchen and keep them busy on Thanksgiving without breaking the bank? We got some free and fun Thanksgiving activities that the whole family will love.
Best part is that they are easy, cheap, don’t require any special tools or equipment, and are super FUN for the whole family. Whether you want outdoor thanksgiving games for kids or indoor thanksgiving activities for adults, I’ve got you covered.
Fun Indoor Thanksgiving Activities for Kids at Home
Thanksgiving is all about gratitude. These Thanksgiving activities for kids are not only fun; they are curated to inspire gratitude from the kids and the entire family.
Read on to find the perfect ideas for your family.
1. Thank you charades
Ask your kids what they are thankful for and let them act out their answers. Try to guess what they are saying.
2. Pumpkin praise
With everyone seated around the table, pass a pumpkin or other safe object. The person holding the pumpkin gets to share what they are thankful for. Go round and round until you exhaust ideas or time runs out.
3. Thanksgiving hide and seek
Write or print the individual T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G letters and hide them in different places around the house. Let the kids work together to find them. With each letter they find, have them share what they are thankful for.
This game is always a solid hit in my home. The perfect way to keep them occupied and out of the kitchen.
4. Pictorial Thanksionary
I don’t know if thanksionary is an English word, but it is in our home. We have this tradition where every year, we take turns drawing the things we are thankful for. And as the artist draws, we try to guess what they are drawing.
You can then store all the artwork in a folder to admire every once in a while. It will remind you of the things you’re grateful for and give you a good laugh about your artistic journeys.
5. Thanksgiving flashlight fun
This Thanksgiving activity is simple and fun. Switch off the lights and shine a flashlight at different items or people. The kids thank God for what the light shines on and say why they are grateful.
This will definitely be a great hit. I don’t know why kids love being in the dark so much, unless of course it is time to sleep.
Learning Thanksgiving activities for kids
6. First letter challenge
Together, think of things you are grateful for that start with the letters T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G. For example, toys, turkey, trust for letter t. Home, ham, husband, honey for h, and so on.
7. Songs
Sing Thanksgiving songs together as you clap and dance to the beat. You can create a playlist on your phone or TV that your family can enjoy while doing other things like making breakfast or cleaning the house. Or just stand around and dance to the songs. There are no rules to it, just make it your own in a way that helps the whole family create some fun Thanksgiving memories.
8. Thank you cards
Together with your kids, draw and design thank-you cards. Use crayons, stickers, or glitter to add pomp and color to the cards. Let each person write down what they thank God for and color their entries in different colors and designs.
9. Thanksgiving name game
Write down each of your names and find something to thank God for about that person that starts with each letter. For example, Kate might look like, K-Kind, A-Affectionate, T-Trustworthy, E-Eloquent.
10. A to Z thanks
List things you’re grateful for for each letter of the alphabet. For example, Air, Bananas, Cat, Drum, Eggs, Friends, Grandma, Home, etc.
11. Thanksgiving sticker decorating
Print out images of turkeys or pie and let the kids decorate them with stickers. At the end of the activity, they’ll have had fun and you’ll have a souvenir for memories.
12. Shake your tail feathers
Put feathers in empty tissue boxes. Then tie them with pantyhose or a belt around the waist of the players so that the boxes are in the middle of their backs. They need to shake until all the feathers fall out. The first person to empty their box wins.
13. Color your table
Instead of the traditional table cloth, find a white canvas for the kids table. Then have them draw and color on it. You won’t have to ask them twice to sit at the table. This activity is so fun even the adults will want a spot on this table.
Outdoor Thanksgiving Activities for Kids and Adults
14. Thanksgiving Scavenger hunt
A Thanksgiving scavenger hunt is another free and fun Thanksgiving activity that’s perfect for outside. Run outside and find different colors, smells, and items to thank God for. Give everyone a list of things they need to find, like dried flowers or mini pumpkins. My kids love carrying baskets that they fill with things they thank God for. We use some of the collectibles in other activities like drawing and coloring.
15. Butternut squash bowling
Keep the kids occupied for hours with this simple activity. Have them arrange butternut squashes or water bottles and knock them down with a ball or any other round object you have. Number the squash to keep track of points or note down who knocks down the most number of pins.
16. Pile leaf jumping
This one is simple and lots of fun. Rake piles of leaves together and jump in. Adults included.
17. Outdoor gratitude circle
Sit outside in a circle and share what you are grateful for. You can make it an art project and write them on leaves, stones, or paint and add them to the family memories stash.
18. Make story stones
Let the kids collect stones,pick a theme, then draw or paint on them. You could also cut out pictures of different characters like animals or cartoons from old magazines and stick them to the stones. Then take turns telling stories using the stones and let everyone’s creativity run wild.
More creative outdoor activities for Thanksgiving
19. Football
Thanksgiving and football go hand in hand. This year, instead of just watching a few games, run outside, team up, and let the best team win. Great way to burn that extra slice of pie.
20. Bird watching
Sit outside with the kids and try to identify the birds that fly by. You could also carry binoculars for that bird’s eye view. What do you know about the birds you spot? This is another fun learning activity for the young ones.
21. Outdoor storytelling
Gather around outside and share stories or fun family memories. Bonus point if you can do this around a campfire.
22. Thanksgiving obstacle course
Create an obstacle course with activities such as relays, sack races, jumping over pumpkins, or carrying turkey feathers on spoons.
23. Stuff the turkey
Make turkeys out of brown bags. Then place them on a table outside. Let people take turns trying to ‘stuff’ the turkeys with balls of fabric or tissue paper.
24. Pumpkin pie eating contest
Eating contests are a classic any time of the year. Bake several pies and let your family compete to see who can eat the most. Baking the pies is another fun Thanksgiving indoor activity kids will love. Under adult supervision, of course.
25. Pumpkin race
Another classic activity on this list of fun Thanksgiving activities for the whole family. Form teams and draw a finishing line. Let the players try to get their pumpkins across the line. This game is fun because the pumpkins will be going in all directions apart from towards the finish line.
Thanksgiving Activities for The Whole Family
Most of these fun Thanksgiving activities will also teach the kids. For example, the alphabet games are wonderful for my toddler. They love singing and reciting things for each letter.
I hope these easy indoor and outdoor Thanksgiving activities for kids and adults make this year’s edition memorable. You might love some of them so much you decide to make them a Thanksgiving tradition. I’m always on the lookout for free Thanksgiving activities for kids we can enjoy together. Let me know which activities are a hit in your home. I’d love to try them out.
