12 Thanksgiving Activities for Kids at Home While Dinner Cooks

Tape a big turkey body on the floor with painter's tape, then fan out six paper feathers in different colors as stepping spots. Kids hop from feather to feather, call out the color and take a turn picking the next jump. Add a rule such as "hop with two feet" or "walk like a turkey" for a second round.

Ages: 3 to 6

Prep: 5 minutes

Mess: None

Supplies: painter's tape, six sheets of colored paper, a clear hallway or living room floor

Safety: tape the paper flat so nothing slides, play in bare feet or grippy socks on hard floors, and set it up well away from the kitchen doorway.

Line up six paper cups like bowling pins and roll a small pumpkin or a soft ball along the floor to knock them over. Count how many fall, stand them up and try again. Move the cups farther back for older kids.

Ages: 3 to 8

Prep: 3 minutes

Mess: None

Supplies: 6 paper cups, 1 small pumpkin or a soft ball

Safety: mini pumpkins are hard, so use a soft ball for ages 3 to 4, roll on a rug or in a clear space and keep the lane away from fragile items and the kitchen.

Hand each child a paper bag and a short mission: find a red leaf, a yellow leaf, a very small leaf, a very big leaf and something crunchy. Walk the yard or the block with them and bring the bag back for the leaf rubbings later.

Ages: 3 to 8 (with an adult)

Prep: 5 minutes

Mess: Low

Supplies: paper bags, a yard, park or sidewalk with leaves

Safety: an adult goes along, stays away from roads and keeps leaves, acorns and berries out of mouths. Wash hands when you come in.

Give each child a light scarf or a few pieces of tissue paper and play slow music. Toss the scarf up and watch it float down like a leaf, then dance so the scarf "falls" with you. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a pumpkin.

Ages: 2 to 6

Prep: 1 minute

Mess: None

Supplies: light scarves or tissue paper in fall colors, a small speaker

Safety: keep scarves short and never tied around necks, and clear the floor of shoes and toys. Tissue paper is for waving, not chewing.

Roll a long sheet of kraft paper down the middle of the kids' table and tape the ends. Kids draw what they are thankful for, doodle a pattern or decorate their own place. It becomes the runner for dinner, so they have a reason to keep going.

Ages: 3 to 8

Prep: 5 minutes

Mess: Low

Supplies: a kraft paper roll, washable markers, tape

Safety: use washable, non-toxic markers, keep caps out of reach of children under 3 and tape the ends so nothing slides.

Draw a big turkey with an empty fan of feathers, then let kids fill each feather with round dot stickers. For older kids, assign a pattern such as red, yellow, red, yellow. It is nearly instant and takes 10 to 15 minutes of calm.

Ages: 2 to 5

Prep: 3 minutes

Mess: None

Supplies: paper, a marker, round dot stickers

Safety: stickers are a choking hazard under 3, so an adult peels them and stays close. Throw away any that fall on the floor.

Put a leaf from the walk under a sheet of thin paper, vein side up, then rub a flat crayon over it until the leaf pattern appears. Try different colors and overlap a few leaves for a collage.

Ages: 3 to 8

Prep: 2 minutes

Mess: Low

Supplies: leaves, thin paper, peeled crayons

Safety: use crayons with the paper peeled off, check leaves for bugs and dry them first, and keep leaves out of mouths.

Set out play dough in red, orange, yellow and brown with leaf cookie cutters, a rolling pin and a plastic knife. Kids roll, cut and arrange a pile of leaves or a pumpkin patch. If you need dough, use our no cook play dough recipe.

Ages: 3 to 8

Prep: 5 minutes (15 if making the dough)

Mess: Medium

Supplies: play dough in fall colors, leaf cutters, a rolling pin, a plastic knife, a baking tray

Safety: homemade dough is salty and not for eating, and small cutters are choking hazards under 3. Keep dough away from the food being cooked and wash hands afterward.

Set a tub of cool water with a small scrub brush on a towel, far from the stove. Kids scrub potatoes, carrots and apples, then line them up on a clean towel for the grown-up. It is a real job and uses the same energy as splashing.

Ages: 3 to 8

Prep: 5 minutes

Mess: High

Supplies: a plastic tub, cool water, a small scrub brush, potatoes or carrots, towels, an apron

Safety: cool water only and no knives. An adult does all peeling and cutting. Mop up spills right away, keep the station at least 3 feet from the stove and stay beside the water.

Give kids a stack of blank folded cards and crayons to decorate a card for every seat, then let them set the cards, napkins and cups on the table. Ask who sits next to whom so they feel like hosts.

Ages: 4 to 8

Prep: 3 minutes

Mess: Low

Supplies: blank folded cards or index cards, crayons, napkins, plastic cups

Safety: use plastic or paper cups only, and keep the table jobs away from hot dishes and candles. Cards are decoration, not toys for toddlers.

Cut 10 paper feathers, hide them around the living room at a child's eye level, and ask kids to bring them back to a paper turkey taped on the wall. Count them out loud, and add a rule such as "find only the red ones" for older kids.

Ages: 3 to 7

Prep: 8 minutes

Mess: None

Supplies: 10 paper feathers, a paper turkey body, tape

Safety: hide feathers in one room only, away from the stove, hot dishes and any guests carrying food. Keep a count so nothing is left on the floor to slip on.

Kids make a picture menu with three dishes, put on an apron and take orders from family members on a notepad. A parent can order "turkey, please" and wait for the "waiter" to deliver pretend food on a tray. It is a long play session for the last half hour.

Ages: 4 to 8

Prep: 5 minutes

Mess: None

Supplies: a notepad, a pencil, an apron, a tray, play food or paper cups

Safety: use unbreakable plates and trays, and keep the play restaurant out of the kitchen path. Small play food pieces are for ages 3 and up only.