Picture this: turkey sizzles in the oven, gravy bubbles on the stove, and three relatives argue over football in the living room. Meanwhile, your kids announce they are bored for the tenth time in twenty minutes. Sounds familiar? You need a quick, low-mess activity before kitchen chaos breaks out. Printable crafts step in right here to save your sanity.
Printable activities require zero prep work. Just hit print, hand over the crayons, and let your kids tackle creative holiday projects. If you want to expand your holiday lineup beyond paper, check out our guide on 14 Fun Thanksgiving DIY Crafts for Kids for more project ideas.
We gathered a top-notch list of printable activities to keep toddlers, preschoolers, and older kids busy this November. Grab your cardstock and scissors, because these 18 printable Thanksgiving crafts will make your holiday prep much easier.
1. Printable turkey wearable crown
Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like kids wearing turkey hats around the dinner table. This printable headband template lets children color, cut, and assemble their own crown. Pro tip: print on heavy cardstock so the paper feathers stand tall all afternoon.
Why kids love it
Kids get instant costume fun with this simple project. They can fill each feather with wild patterns, bold markers, or real glitter if you feel brave. Want to pair this with more hands-on artwork? Take a look at these thanksgiving art projects for kids for extra ideas.
- Skill level: Easy (toddlers and preschoolers)
- Supplies needed: Crayons, safety scissors, tape or stapler, printable template
- Estimated time: 15 to 20 minutes
2. Printable thankful turkey gratitude wheel
Teach your children about gratitude with an interactive spinner project. Kids write things they appreciate on the bottom disc and attach the turkey template on top with a brass fastener. Spin the wheel to reveal a new note of gratitude every time.
Want an easy way to spark dinner conversation? Place these completed wheels at each child’s plate so they can read their answers aloud before dessert.
3. Printable Thanksgiving color-by-number sheets
Color-by-number pages give younger children a calm focus while building basic skills. These printable sheets reveal Thanksgiving scenes like pumpkin pies, cornucopias, and turkeys as kids follow the color chart.
These sheets buy you 20 quiet minutes to mash potatoes without interruption. For dependable educational printables, parents often turn to resources from PBS KIDS for Parents to support early childhood learning through art.
4. Printable turkey place cards for the kids’ table
Give your children a real job in holiday hosting by putting them in charge of place cards. Kids color these fold-over turkey cards, write each family member’s name on the front, and set them around the dinner table.
Involving children in holiday prep builds their confidence and keeps them occupied while adults finish cooking. Your dinner table also gets personalized paper art at every seat.
5. Printable Thanksgiving Bingo game cards
Gather the cousins around the table for a lively round of Thanksgiving Bingo. This printable set includes game boards with turkeys, autumn leaves, acorns, and pilgrim hats. Use candy corn, cranberries, or mini marshmallows as game markers.
6. Printable Thanksgiving activity placemats
Skip basic table settings and turn the kids’ table into an interactive play area. Print large placemats featuring word searches, tic-tac-toe grids, mazes, and blank drawing space. Set out containers of washable crayons, and kids will sit happily through the main meal.
If your children like paper projects, you can adapt these ideas onto disposable plates using techniques from our paper plate crafts for kids tutorial series.
7. Printable 3D paper turkey craft
Add depth to paper crafts with a fold-and-glue 3D turkey model. Children color the body and feather strips, fold along the dotted lines, and glue the pieces together to make a standing paper figure.
This project builds fine motor control and spatial skills. Older kids love building these standing centerpieces for the holiday table.
8. Printable Thanksgiving scavenger hunt
Need to run off your kids’ extra energy before dinner? Send them on an indoor or outdoor scavenger hunt with a printable checklist. Kids search around the house or yard to spot fall leaves, pinecones, cozy sweaters, and hidden turkey cutouts.
This movement game burns off pre-dinner energy while adults finish kitchen chores in peace. It keeps everyone happy.
9. Printable “I Am Thankful For” pumpkin craft
Combine paper crafting with reflection by building a 3D strip-paper pumpkin. Children write things they appreciate on paper strips, then loop and staple the strips together into a round pumpkin shape.
This project creates a sweet keepsake that parents and grandparents can save. Store these paper pumpkins in a memory box to look back on as your kids grow.
10. Printable Thanksgiving finger puppets
Spark imaginative play with cut-out Thanksgiving finger puppets. This printable template features characters like turkeys, pilgrims, and woodland animals with finger slots at the bottom.
Once kids cut out and color their puppets, they can put on a theater show behind the couch for the family. It makes great post-dinner entertainment for everyone.
11. Printable Mayflower foldable boat
Turn craft time into a simple history activity. Kids color and build a floating paper boat replica of the Mayflower using printable templates and straw masts.
To add more color to art time, pair paper boat builds with washable art supplies recommended by Crayola.
12. Printable Thanksgiving cootie catcher
Bring back classic paper fun with a Thanksgiving fortune teller. This printable cootie catcher comes filled with lighthearted jokes, trivia questions, and physical challenges like gobbling like a turkey five times.
Folding cootie catchers develops hand coordination while keeping older kids laughing with family members all afternoon.
13. Printable turkey photo booth props
Capture holiday memories with quick paper photo booth props. Print templates for pilgrim hats, turkey beaks, pie slices, and funny glasses, then glue them onto wooden skewers or paper straws.
Set up a photo corner against a plain wall so kids and adults can pose together throughout the afternoon.
14. Printable Thanksgiving word search and maze worksheets
Keep kids engaged during school break with themed activity sheets. These printables feature autumn word searches, turkey mazes, and secret code puzzles designed for elementary students.
Quiet worksheets offer a calm break for children who feel overwhelmed by noisy holiday gatherings.
15. Printable cornucopia cut-and-paste craft
Help little hands practice scissor skills with a classic horn-of-plenty assembly project. Kids color individual fruits and vegetables like apples, grapes, squash, and corn, then glue them inside a printable paper cornucopia basket.
This simple cut-and-paste project teaches color recognition while reinforcing fine motor control in toddlers and preschoolers.
16. Printable corner bookmarks
Encourage cozy reading with printable origami corner bookmarks shaped like autumn leaves, pie slices, or turkeys. Kids color the templates, fold along the guides, and slip them onto their book pages.
These crafts make great handmade Thanksgiving favors for kids to give to friends or cousins.
17. Printable treat bag toppers
Sending guests home with snacks or party favors? Let your kids help package goodie bags using printable fold-over bag toppers.
Children color the toppers, sign their names on the back, and staple them over clear snack bags filled with popcorn or trail mix. For extra family-friendly project ideas, check out the holiday crafts at Good Housekeeping.
18. Printable pie slice gratitude cards
End the day with pumpkin pie printable cards. Kids color and fold paper pie slices that open to reveal handwritten notes inside.
Have kids hand out these paper pie cards to family members during dessert to share notes of appreciation around the table.
Make Thanksgiving stress-free with quick printables
Keeping kids entertained during big holiday gatherings does not take expensive supplies or hours of prep work. With these 18 printable Thanksgiving crafts, you get instant, mess-free fun that keeps kids busy while you focus on dinner.
Print out a fresh stack of templates, set up a craft table with crayons and scissors, and enjoy a relaxed Thanksgiving with your family.