Thanksgiving is such a fun time for kids because the family spends time together. It is one of the few times of year that there is blocks of time devoted to spending with family. Kids love to be in the middle of baking, cooking, playing games and telling stories.
If you have a 3-year-old, you know how “in the middle” feels! They adore to touch, experience and participate no matter what the adventure.
Thanksgiving Activities for 3-Year-Olds
Keep your little one busy and calm with these awesome turkey crafts for 3 year olds. The best part is some of these Thanksgiving crafts will allow your little one be part of dinner or the decorating. Everyone likes feeling helpful.
Edible Thanksgiving Activities For Toddlers
Making Butter
I love this idea to get kids to expend some energy and make a delicious part of Thanksgiving dinner! Making butter is also an old skill that everyone should know!
Lollipop Turkeys
This is a really creative use of left-over Halloween candy for Thanksgiving fun! And if you don’t have gourds to make the turkeys, you can transform the actual lollipops into turkeys!
M&M Turkey with Free Printable
This is a really cute coloring activity that uses some of that candy you have left from Halloween. Check out this cute M&M turkey free printable!
Share a Thanksgiving Treat
This is an amazing turkey treat that started with the book, The Firefighter’s Thanksgiving, and ended with the family visiting their local fire department.
Coloring Placemats For Toddlers
Make Thanksgiving Placecards
Get the kids involved in making Thanksgiving placecards for Thanksgiving dinner. This is so simple that everyone can get involved.
Simple Printable Placemats
These are precious and the perfect size for chubby little fingers to color with big crayons! These simple printable placemats lets everyone say what they are thankful for.
Printable Game Placemats
Thanksgiving dinner can be fun and games with this series of printable game placemats.
Thankful Activities For 3 Year Olds
Thankfulness Tree
Transform a window in your home into a tree full of thanks. I love the simplicity of this and how kids can really get involved…even at the age of 3.
Gratitude Basket
This adorable turkey gratitude basket has a mission of thankfulness. It would make a really cute table decoration for dinner too!
Thankful Turkey Craft
Kids can color this free printable that creates the turkey using a tin can. They will need some help with assembly, but this thankful turkey craft is so cute and recycles.
Greeting Relatives
Holidays can be challenging for your average 3 year old because there may be a lot of activity around the house with people that they are “supposed” to know. I love this article on how to help you child feel comfortable greeting relatives and being thankful to see family.
Thanksgiving Paper Crafts For Toddlers
Fall Crown
If you have a little queen or king in your house, then making a fall crown can be lots of fun.
Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
These are some of my favorite Thanksgiving coloring pages of all time. They double as placemats to increase a child’s ability to help be a part of dinner prep.
Handprint Turkeys
Two versions of one of the favorite, time-tested, Thanksgiving activity of all time, handprint turkeys!
Thanksgiving Headband
Inspired by the Native Americans who made the first Thanksgiving possible these Thanksgiving headbands are respectful and cute.
Coffee Filter Turkey
Using a salad spinner and some paint, this coffee filter turkey craft is sure to be a hit!
Paper Plate Pilgrims
This is absolutely the cutest set of pilgrims paper plate crafts…ever!
Handprint Turkey Puppets
This super cute idea transforms a handprint turkey into a puppet in need of a fall stage.
Paper Bag Turkey
Your 3 y/o may need a little help with this, but it is sure to be a family tradition after you make this paper bag turkey craft.
Paper Plate Boat
The pilgrims would be proud to sail in such a fine paper plate boat.
Handprint Turkeys with Clothes Pin Legs
All I can say is these handprint turkeys with clothes pin legs are precious and I want to make them right now.
Thanksgiving Crafts For Toddlers Ages 2-3
Play Dough Turkey
This couldn’t be cuter or more “doable”. Grab a few feathers, googly eyes and pipe cleaners and your play dough turkey might actually look like a turkey!
Pipe Cleaner Turkey
A paper plate, a hole punch, and some pipe cleaners are a really fun way to create a pipe cleaner turkey.
Plastic Bag Turkey
This Thanksgiving craft is easier than it looks because it up cycles plastic bags with the help of some pipe cleaners. It sounds simple, but this plastic bag turkey craft is super cute.
Thanksgiving-theme Sensory Bin
The base of this Thanksgiving sensory bin is…corn! Add some other seasonably textured items and you have a fun sensory experience.
Leaf Garland Decor
Get everyone involved in gathering fall leaves to decorate for the holiday! Using nature for this leaf garland decor is such a great way to use things around us to create beautiful things.
More Thanksgiving Activities
Earlier this week Kids Activities Blog featured 25+ Thanksgiving Activities for toddlers and today we are having fun with 3 year olds!
We also have these 30 fun and festive leaf art projects which are perfect for Thanksgiving and fall.
Need more? Check out these 75+ Thanksgiving arts and crafts for kids.
We have Thanksgiving ideas for the whole family!