Thanksgiving Games for Preschoolers

Turkey and feather games for ages 3 to 5, each under five minutes: press Pick 3 new games.

Thanksgiving Games for Preschoolers

  1. Flap As Many Times As I Show1. The grown-up holds up some fingers, from one to five. 2. The children count them aloud together. 3. Everyone flaps their wings that many times and then stands still. 4. A child takes a turn at showing the fingers. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  2. Sort the Feathers Onto Colored Plates1. Lay out paper plates colored red, yellow, orange and brown. 2. Tip a bag of large craft feathers into the middle of the rug. 3. The children carry feathers one at a time to the plate of the same color. 4. When the rug is clear, everyone looks at which plate holds the most. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 10, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: large craft feathers in four colors and four colored paper plates.
  3. Feather Hunt Back to the Nest1. While the children cover their eyes, a grown-up lays large feathers around the room in plain sight. 2. A basket in the middle is the nest. 3. Each child finds three feathers, one at a time, and brings each one back to the nest. 4. A child who has found three helps a friend look. The hunt ends when the room is clear. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: large craft feathers and a basket.

Next step Thanksgiving games for the whole house

How it works

These Thanksgiving games for preschoolers are for children of 3 to 5, who cannot read yet and should not have to wait long for a turn. Every game is under five minutes, and nobody is ever out.

Read the full guide

Preschool Thanksgiving games, in a calm order

1. Gather everyone with one of the Circle and song games. 2. Bring out the feather basket for one of the Feather games, with a grown-up beside the children. 3. Let the wiggles out with Move like a turkey, nobody out. 4. Finish sitting down, with Calm table games for the wait.

What to get ready

A bag of large craft feathers, paper plates, brown and yellow paper, a few scarves and a wooden spoon cover most of the list.

Tips
  • Play a favorite twice in a row: every game is short enough.
  • Keep the feather basket with a grown-up between games.

Questions and answers

What Thanksgiving games can 3 year olds play?

All of these. Every game starts at age 3, has no loser and needs no reading. Strut and Freeze, Nobody Out and Sort the Feathers Onto Colored Plates are the quickest to explain.

How long does each game last?

Two to four minutes, by our estimate, and each game ends with its own time. That leaves room to play a favorite again straight away.

What props do the games need?

Large craft feathers, paper plates, crumpled paper, light scarves and a wooden spoon. The list uses no small props, and every feather game keeps a grown-up sitting with the children.

Which games work at the table before the meal?

Calm table games for the wait are played sitting down with almost nothing: I Spy a Color at the Table, Copy My Taps With a Wooden Spoon and Thirty Quiet Seconds, Then One Big Gobble.

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All 30 games

Circle and song games 7

  • Clap the Thanksgiving Word 1. The grown-up says a word slowly: tur-key. 2. Everyone claps once for each part of the word. 3. Go on with pie, pump-kin, po-ta-to and gra-vy. 4. Then clap each child's name the same way, so every child hears their own. Players: 2 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • Five Turkeys on Five Fingers 1. Everyone holds up one hand with five fingers spread. Each finger is a turkey. 2. The grown-up chants: five turkeys in the yard, one walks away, how many stay? 3. The children fold one finger down and call out the number that is left. 4. Count down to none, then pop all five up again with a gobble. Players: 2 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • Hello, Turkey: Pass the Paper Tail 1. Fold a sheet of paper into a fan to make a turkey tail. 2. The first child holds the fan behind their back. The circle says hello and the child's name, then gobble, gobble. 3. That child struts once around the inside of the circle and hands the fan to the next. 4. Go on until every child has been greeted by name. Players: 4 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a paper fan.
Show all 30 games (27 more)

Circle and song games, continued

  • High Song, Tail Up; Low Song, Tail Down 1. The children hold their hands behind them like a turkey tail. 2. The grown-up sings la in a high voice, and all the tails go up above heads. 3. On a low la, the tails come down to the floor. 4. Slide the voice slowly from low to high and back, and watch the tails follow it. Players: 2 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 2 min. Props: none.
  • Is It a Turkey? Flap If It Is 1. The grown-up makes one animal sound at a time: a moo, a quack, a gobble, a woof. 2. On a gobble, the children flap their elbows like wings. 3. On any other sound, they stay as still as they can. 4. A child takes over the sounds for the second round. Players: 3 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • Pass the Paper Dinner Roll 1. Crumple brown paper into a ball as big as a grapefruit. It is a dinner roll. 2. The children sit in a circle and pass the roll around while everyone sings any song they know. 3. When the grown-up claps, the child holding it says one thing they like to eat. 4. The singing starts again. Nobody is out, and the clap comes until every child has had the roll. Players: 4 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a dinner roll made of crumpled brown paper.
  • The Turkey Says 1. The children stand in a circle around a grown-up. 2. The grown-up gives turkey orders: the turkey says flap your wings, the turkey says scratch the ground. 3. Now and then an order comes without the words the turkey says, and that one is not to be followed. 4. A child who moves anyway gives one loud gobble and carries on. Nobody sits out. Players: 3 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: none.

Feather games 8

  • Catch the Falling Feather on a Plate 1. A child stands holding a paper plate with both hands. 2. A grown-up holds a feather high above and lets go. 3. The child moves the plate under the feather as it drifts down. 4. Caught or not, the child gets a second try, then hands the plate to the next in line. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 8, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a paper plate and a large craft feather.
  • Feather Hunt Back to the Nest 1. While the children cover their eyes, a grown-up lays large feathers around the room in plain sight. 2. A basket in the middle is the nest. 3. Each child finds three feathers, one at a time, and brings each one back to the nest. 4. A child who has found three helps a friend look. The hunt ends when the room is clear. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: large craft feathers and a basket.
  • Feather on a Plate, All the Way Across 1. Each child holds a paper plate flat with a feather lying on it. 2. Everyone walks from one side of the room to the other without letting the feather blow off. 3. A feather that falls is picked up and put back, and the walk goes on. 4. It is not a race. Clap when the last child arrives. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: a paper plate and a large craft feather each.
  • Feathers for the Paper Turkey, Counted On 1. Draw a turkey with no tail on a large sheet of paper and lay it on the floor. 2. The grown-up holds up some fingers, from one to five. 3. One child counts them aloud and lays that many feathers along the turkey's back. 4. The next child gets a new number. Stop when the tail is full. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 8, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a large paper turkey and large craft feathers.
  • Find Your Color Flock 1. Hand every child one feather, so that three or four children share each color. 2. Everyone struts around the room while a grown-up hums. 3. When the humming stops, children find the others who hold the same color and stand together. 4. Collect the feathers, hand them out again and play once more. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 6 to 16, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a large craft feather for each child.
  • Red, Yellow, Red: What Comes Next? 1. A grown-up lays feathers in a row on the table: red, yellow, red, yellow. 2. The children say the colors aloud together, pointing along the row. 3. One child picks the feather that comes next and lays it down. 4. Start a new row with three colors when two get easy. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 6, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: large craft feathers in three colors.
  • Sort the Feathers Onto Colored Plates 1. Lay out paper plates colored red, yellow, orange and brown. 2. Tip a bag of large craft feathers into the middle of the rug. 3. The children carry feathers one at a time to the plate of the same color. 4. When the rug is clear, everyone looks at which plate holds the most. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 10, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: large craft feathers in four colors and four colored paper plates.
  • Which Feather Flew Away? 1. Lay four feathers of different colors on a tray, and name the colors together. 2. Cover the tray with a cloth. 3. While the children hide their eyes, the grown-up takes one feather away. 4. Lift the cloth. The children call out the color that flew away. A grown-up sits with the children and keeps the feathers out of mouths. Players: 2 to 8, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: four large craft feathers, a tray and a cloth.

Move like a turkey, nobody out 8

  • Big Turkey, Little Turkey 1. On big turkey, the children spread their arms wide, stamp slowly and gobble in a deep voice. 2. On little turkey, they tuck their elbows in, tiptoe and gobble in a tiny voice. 3. The grown-up switches between the two. 4. Finish on little turkey, and tiptoe all the way to the rug. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 2 min. Props: none.
  • The Farmer Is Coming, Tuck Down Small 1. The turkeys strut and gobble around the room. 2. A grown-up calls: the farmer is coming. 3. Every turkey tucks down small on the floor and keeps as quiet as it can. 4. The grown-up walks past, says no turkeys here, and calls all clear. The gobbling starts again. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • Flap As Many Times As I Show 1. The grown-up holds up some fingers, from one to five. 2. The children count them aloud together. 3. Everyone flaps their wings that many times and then stands still. 4. A child takes a turn at showing the fingers. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • Follow the Head Turkey 1. The children line up behind one child, who is the head turkey. 2. The head turkey walks around the room doing one move, and the line copies it. 3. After a short lap, the head turkey goes to the back of the line. 4. The next child leads with a move of their own. Every child gets a turn in front. Players: 3 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
  • Peck the Corn Together 1. Scatter yellow paper balls, each as big as a child's fist, across the floor as corn. 2. The children make a beak with one hand, fingers against thumb. 3. They peck up one ball at a time and drop it in the bowl in the middle. 4. Everyone works together until the floor is clear, then counts the corn aloud. Players: 2 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: yellow paper crumpled into large balls and a bowl.
  • Strut and Freeze, Nobody Out 1. The children strut around the room like turkeys while a grown-up pats a drum or a box. 2. When the drum stops, every turkey freezes. 3. The grown-up admires the statues and starts the drum again. 4. Nobody is sent out for wobbling. Change the move each time: strut, flap, peck. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a drum or an empty box.
  • Up to the Roost, Down to the Yard 1. Lay a long strip of tape on the floor. The strip is the roost. 2. The grown-up says morning, and the turkeys strut all over the yard. 3. The grown-up says night, and every turkey hops onto the strip and tucks its head under a wing. 4. Whisper morning very quietly to see who is listening. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: a strip of tape on the floor.
  • Wiggle Your Tail Loose 1. Tuck the end of a light scarf into the back of each child's waistband as a tail. 2. Everyone dances and wiggles to shake their own tail loose. Hands stay on heads. 3. Nobody touches anyone else's tail. 4. When a tail falls, its turkey waves it in the air and keeps dancing until every tail is down. Players: 2 to 15, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: a light scarf for each child.

Calm table games for the wait 7

  • Copy My Taps With a Wooden Spoon 1. The grown-up taps a short pattern on the table with a wooden spoon: tap, tap, wait, tap. 2. The children tap it back on the table with their hands. 3. Go on with a new pattern each time, never more than four taps. 4. Pass the spoon so that a child can make the next pattern. Players: 2 to 10, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: a wooden spoon.
  • Does It Go on the Dinner Table? 1. The grown-up names one thing at a time: mashed potatoes, a shoe, a spoon, a bathtub. 2. Thumbs up if it belongs on the dinner table. 3. Thumbs down if it does not. 4. Let a child name the next thing. The sillier, the better. Players: 2 to 12, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
  • I Spy a Color at the Table 1. The grown-up picks something everyone can see and gives its color: I spy something orange. 2. In the usual game the spy gives the first letter. A color takes its place here, because nobody at this table reads yet. 3. The children point and guess. 4. The child who finds it chooses the next color. Players: 2 to 10, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
  • Set the Table on the Outline Mat 1. On a sheet of paper for each child, draw around a plate, a cup, a fork and a spoon. 2. Give each child a paper plate, a paper cup and a real fork and spoon. 3. The children lay each thing on its outline. 4. Clear the mats and do it again with eyes on the grown-up's mat only. Players: 1 to 8, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a paper mat with outlines, a paper plate and cup, a fork and a spoon for each child.
  • Small Pie, Medium Pie, Big Pie 1. Cut three circles from brown paper in three sizes, and call them pies. 2. Mix them up in front of a child. 3. The child lays them in a row from smallest to biggest. 4. Add a fourth pie, and then a fifth, for a child who finds three easy. Players: 1 to 6, with a grown-up. Time: 3 min. Props: paper circles in three to five sizes.
  • Tell the Turkey Puppet 1. A grown-up wears a paper bag puppet with a turkey face. 2. The puppet goes around the table and asks each child one thing: what do you want on your plate? 3. The child whispers the answer to the puppet. 4. The puppet tells the whole table in a gobbling voice. Players: 2 to 10, with a grown-up. Time: 4 min. Props: a paper bag turkey puppet.
  • Thirty Quiet Seconds, Then One Big Gobble 1. The grown-up says the turkeys are asleep and starts a timer for thirty seconds. 2. Everyone at the table stays as quiet as a sleeping turkey. 3. A giggle does not stop the clock. 4. When the timer sounds, the whole table gives one enormous gobble together. Players: 2 to 20, with a grown-up. Time: 2 min. Props: a timer.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for children of 3 to 5 at a preschool party or the children's end of the house, in our own words. Player ranges and minutes are our estimates. Every game is under five minutes, has no loser and needs no reading, and a grown-up plays in each one. The list uses no small props, and a grown-up sits with the children in every feather game. That toys and games with small parts for ages three to five carry a choking warning was read on 2026-10-03 in the federal labeling rule, 16 CFR 1500.19: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.19. The usual rules of the traditional games were checked on 2026-10-03 against English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Simon_Says, Hot_potato, Follow_the_leader_(game), I_spy, Musical_statues. Licence: own work