The easiest way to keep a Thanksgiving kids table happy is to plan three short stretches: something quiet at the table before the meal, something active while the adults clean up, and one game everyone can join. Set out a small stack of activity pages and crayons at each seat, have one active game ready, and keep the rules simple. Below are ten ideas that need little more than paper, pencils and a few minutes of setup.
Before the meal: quiet activities at the table
The wait between arriving and eating is usually the hardest part. Put something on every plate so kids have a job the moment they sit down.
- Placemat puzzles. Lay a maze or dot-to-dot page under each plate. Kids can work on it while food is passed around. The Kids Activity Pack ($2.99) has 30 mazes and 30 dot-to-dot pages with answer pages, so you can print a mix of easy and harder ones for different ages.
- Thankful place cards. Fold a piece of card stock in half. Kids write a guest's name on the front and one thing they like about that person inside. It doubles as a seating plan.
- Draw your plate. Hand out blank paper and ask kids to draw what they hope ends up on their plate. Compare drawings after dinner.
- Gratitude jar. Leave a jar and slips of paper on the kids table. Everyone writes or draws one thing they are thankful for. Read a few aloud during dessert.
After the meal: get the wiggles out
Once plates are cleared, kids have been sitting for a long time. Give them something that gets them moving.
- Indoor or backyard scavenger hunt. A list of things to find (a leaf in three colors, something round, something soft) keeps a group busy for 15 to 20 minutes. The Scavenger Hunt Pack ($1.99) includes 12 ready-made hunts with 8 prompts each, both indoor and outdoor, so it works whatever the weather.
- Leaf rubbing station. Collect fallen leaves, lay paper over them and rub with the side of a crayon. Older kids can label the leaves they recognize.
- Turkey relay. Split into two teams. Each runner carries a paper "feather" to a cardboard turkey and tapes it on. First team to finish its turkey wins.
Games the whole family can play
- Thankful alphabet. Go around the table naming something you are thankful for, starting with A, then B, then C. Help younger kids with hints.
- Two truths and a pie. Each person says three things about a past Thanksgiving; one is made up. Everyone guesses the fake one.
- Story chain. One person starts a story with one sentence. The next person adds a sentence. Keep going until someone ends it with "and then it was time for pie."
Traveling for Thanksgiving?
Long drives are part of the holiday for many families. Pack a clipboard, pencils and a few printed pages per child. Road-trip bingo and observation games work well because they give kids a reason to look out the window instead of at a screen. The Road Trip Activity Pack ($2.49) has 14 games, including six bingo cards. For more ideas, read Printable Road Trip Games for Kids.
A simple plan for the day
- The night before: print activity pages, sort crayons into cups, and put scavenger hunt lists in a folder.
- On arrival: show kids where the kids table is and where the activity stack lives.
- Before dinner: placemat puzzles and place cards.
- After dinner: scavenger hunt or relay while adults clean up.
- Dessert: read the gratitude jar and play one family game.
Not sure which activities fit the ages at your table? The kids activity finder suggests options by age and group size, and the free kids learning sampler is a good way to try a few pages first.
FAQ
How do I keep toddlers and older kids busy at the same table?
Give each age its own page. Toddlers can color or do simple dot-to-dots; older kids can take harder mazes or help run the scavenger hunt. Pairing an older child with a younger one as a "helper" also works well.
How many activities should I prepare?
Two or three per child is plenty. Kids usually spend 10 to 15 minutes on a page, and you want a mix of quiet and active choices rather than a big pile.
Do I need special supplies?
No. Plain printer paper, pencils, crayons and some tape cover almost everything here. A clipboard helps for car rides and backyard hunts.