Thanksgiving Activities for Adults, Kids and Everyone in Between
The best Thanksgiving activities fill the long hours around the meal: a morning turkey trot, a parade breakfast, a thank-you video premiere, a thankful tree, handprint place cards for the kids, a cider tasting for the adults and a walk after dinner. Mix one morning activity, one for the kids' table and one gratitude activity, and the day has a shape.
A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and it's one of the 14 ideas.
| Activity | Best for | When | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey trot | Teens and active adults | Morning | 1 to 2 hours |
| Parade breakfast | Little kids and grandparents | Morning | 3 hours, in the background |
| Thank-you video premiere | Families with someone far away | Between dinner and pie | 10 minutes |
| Thankful tree | All ages | All day | 15 minutes to set up |
| Handprint turkey place cards | Ages 3 to 8 | Before dinner | 30 minutes |
| Kids' pie crust station | Ages 5 and up | Late morning | 45 minutes |
| Fall sensory basket | Babies and toddlers | Any time | 5 minutes to set up |
| Cider or wine tasting | Adults | Before dinner | 30 minutes |
| The side-table puzzle | Seniors, quiet guests | All day | Ongoing |
| Family recipe interview | Grandparents and teens | Afternoon | 20 minutes |
| Morning volunteer shift | Families with older kids | Morning | 2 to 3 hours |
| The after-dinner walk | Everyone | After dinner | 20 minutes |
| Football and a movie | Everyone on the couch | Evening | As long as you like |
| Holiday card photo | Families who send cards | Afternoon light | 15 minutes |
What are the best Thanksgiving activities for the whole day?
Thanksgiving day activities work best when they match the rhythm of the day: something outside in the morning, something calm while the turkey roasts, and something together after the meal. These four set the tone. For table games, our list of Thanksgiving games for family covers trivia, charades and a dozen more, so they're not repeated here.
1. A morning turkey trot
Sign up for a local 5K and run, walk or push a stroller. Turkey trots have become one of the biggest race days of the year: RunSignup counted 1,109,909 people in 936 Thanksgiving Day races on its platform in 2024. Wear the costume, earn the pie.
- Time needed: 1 to 2 hours, plus the drive
- Cost: Race fees, often $25 to $50
Best for: Teens, active adults and families with a jogging stroller.
Why it works: Everyone gets out of the house while the cook gets the kitchen to themselves.
2. A parade breakfast
Put the parade on the TV, set out cinnamon rolls and coffee, and let the kids vote on their favorite balloon. Hand them a checklist of balloons to spot. Grandparents get to sit with the little ones while the kitchen works.
- Time needed: 3 hours, in the background
- Cost: Breakfast you'd make anyway
Best for: Little kids and grandparents.
Why it works: It keeps the youngest guests busy during the busiest cooking hours.
3. The thank-you video premiere (a Tribute group video)
Two to three weeks before Thanksgiving, start a Tribute and send the link to everyone, coming or not: the cousins abroad, the uncle on a work trip, the grandparents who stayed home. Ask each person to record a short answer to "What are you thankful for this year?" Then premiere it on the TV between dinner and pie.
Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.
- Time needed: 10 minutes at the table; open it 2 to 3 weeks ahead so people have time to record
- Cost: Free to start a draft; you pay from $35 when you publish and start collecting videos
Best for: Families with people who can't be at the table this year.
Why it works: Unlike a video call, nobody has to be online at the same time, and the whole room watches together.
4. A thankful tree
Put a few bare branches in a vase and cut leaves from colored paper. Through the day, guests write what they're thankful for on a leaf and hang it with string or a clothespin. By dinner, the tree is full.
It's one of the simplest gratitude activities for Thanksgiving, and there's research behind it. In a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough found that people assigned to list things they were grateful for showed higher well-being on several measures than people who listed hassles.
- Time needed: 15 minutes to set up, then all day
- Cost: Branches from the yard and colored paper
Best for: All ages, including guests who would rather not talk in front of a group.
Why it works: Gratitude goes on display without anyone giving a speech.
What are Thanksgiving family activities for kids?
Short, hands-on jobs suit kids best, and the good ones end up on the table. These three cover toddlers to tweens.
5. Handprint turkey place cards
Kids trace their hand on brown cardstock, color the fingers as feathers and write a guest's name on each one. Tracing, cutting and gluing are good fine motor practice for preschoolers. Fold each card so it stands, and the table is set.
- Time needed: 30 minutes
- Cost: Cardstock, crayons and safety scissors
Best for: Ages 3 to 8.
Why it works: Kids see their work at every seat, and the adults learn where to sit for once.
6. A kids' pie crust station
Give the kids leftover pie dough, small cookie cutters and a rolling pin. They cut leaves and turkeys for the top of the pies, or bake them on their own with cinnamon sugar. The shapes don't have to be perfect.
- Time needed: 45 minutes
- Cost: Leftover dough and a few cookie cutters
Best for: Ages 5 and up who like to help in the kitchen.
Why it works: Kids eat dessert with pride when they made the top of it.
7. A fall sensory basket for babies
Fill a low basket with things that are safe for little hands: a small pumpkin too big to fit in a mouth, a paper bag that crackles, a soft felt leaf and a wooden spoon. Set it on a blanket near the grown-ups. Infant Thanksgiving activities don't need to be more than this, as long as an adult is watching.
- Time needed: 5 minutes to set up
- Cost: Things you already own
Best for: Babies and toddlers.
Why it works: The baby stays happy on the floor while the family eats.
What are fun Thanksgiving activities for adults?
Adults want something to sip, something to do with their hands and a reason to talk. These Thanksgiving activities for adults fit around the cooking.
8. A cider or wine tasting
Ask three guests to bring a bottle of hard cider, wine or a local nonalcoholic cider. Pour small tastes, cover the labels and score each one before dinner. The winner picks the dinner music.
- Time needed: 30 minutes
- Cost: Bottles the guests bring
Best for: Adults waiting for the turkey to rest.
Why it works: It keeps people busy and out of the cook's way.
9. The side-table puzzle
Set a 1,000-piece puzzle on a card table in a corner. Guests drift over between conversations and add a few pieces. By Sunday, someone finishes it.
- Time needed: All weekend
- Cost: A puzzle, about $15 to $25
Best for: Thanksgiving activities for seniors, introverts and anyone who needs a break from the crowd.
Why it works: It gives quiet guests a place to be part of things without performing.
10. A family recipe interview
Ask a teenager to interview a grandparent about one family recipe while it's being made. They record it on a phone: where it came from, who taught them, what goes wrong. Picture your grandmother explaining, for the fifth time, that the secret to her stuffing is "enough butter."
- Time needed: 20 minutes
- Cost: Nothing
Best for: Grandparents and teens.
Why it works: The family gets the recipe and the voice that goes with it.
11. A morning volunteer shift
Many food banks and shelters need help on Thanksgiving morning, and many fill their slots weeks ahead. Sign up in early November. Older kids and teens can often serve meals or pack boxes with a parent.
- Time needed: 2 to 3 hours
- Cost: Nothing
Best for: Families with kids 12 and up.
Why it works: Gratitude lands harder after a morning spent helping others.
What Thanksgiving activities work for everyone after dinner?
After the meal, energy drops and the couch wins. These family activities for Thanksgiving day work with full stomachs.
12. The after-dinner walk
Twenty minutes around the block before pie. Bring the dog and the stroller, and let the kids lead. Compared to collapsing on the couch, it makes room for dessert and gets the cousins talking.
- Time needed: 20 minutes
- Cost: Nothing
Best for: Everyone who can walk a few blocks.
Why it works: Conversations happen side by side that never happen across a table.
13. Football and a movie
Split the evening: the game in one room, a holiday movie in the other. Make a vote of it for the movie pick, and keep leftovers and pie within reach.
- Time needed: As long as you like
- Cost: Nothing
Best for: The whole family, in two camps.
Why it works: Nobody has to choose between rest and company.
14. The holiday card photo
Everyone is dressed and in one place, which happens maybe twice a year. Take the holiday card photo in the late afternoon light, with a phone on a timer. Do one serious shot and one where everyone holds a drumstick.
- Time needed: 15 minutes
- Cost: Nothing
Best for: Families who send cards in December.
Why it works: It checks off a December job while the whole family is together.
How do you plan Thanksgiving activities without overloading the day?
Pick three, not fourteen. One in the morning (the trot or the parade), one for the kids before dinner, and one gratitude activity at the table. Put a teen in charge of the kids' crafts and a grandparent in charge of the puzzle.
Set up anything that needs time, such as the thank-you video or a volunteer shift, two to three weeks ahead. Hosting friends too? Our Friendsgiving ideas cover themes and activities for a friends-only night.
What comes after Thanksgiving activities?
December. Many of these carry straight into the next holiday: the thankful tree becomes an advent branch, the puzzle stays out, and the video idea works just as well for a Christmas toast. See our Christmas party activities for adults and our full holiday season guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are fun Thanksgiving activities for the whole family?
A morning turkey trot, a parade breakfast, a thankful tree, a thank-you video premiere and an after-dinner walk all work for every age. Mix one active idea with one calm one.
What are good Thanksgiving activities for adults?
Adults enjoy a cider or wine tasting, a side-table puzzle, a recipe interview and a morning volunteer shift, which give them something to do around the cooking. They work best before dinner or after the kids leave the table.
What are Thanksgiving gratitude activities for kids?
For kids, try a thankful tree, handprint turkey place cards with a thankful note inside, or a short thank-you video recorded for a relative. Keep each one short and hands-on.
What Thanksgiving activities work for teens?
Teens tend to like the turkey trot, running the recipe interview on a phone, and being put in charge of the kids' craft table. Giving them a job works better than giving them a game.
How can family members far away join Thanksgiving activities?
Ask them to record a short thank-you message ahead of time and play it at the table, or add their leaf to the thankful tree over a video call. A group video gives them a turn on their own schedule.
What can you do on Thanksgiving if you're not cooking?
Run a turkey trot, volunteer at a food bank, take charge of the kids' activities or set up the thankful tree. Hosts are grateful for anyone who takes a job off their list.
👉 Start a thank-you Tribute and give everyone a turn at the table, even the ones far away.
