Thanksgiving is probably one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with kids in the church! The highlight of November (at least for me) is our Thanksgiving Feast for kids! Every year, I try to combine eating yummy food with some fun Thanksgiving activities for kids that will help them stay focused on being grateful for all that God has given them. It’s so easy to fall into a trap of finding stuff to complain about that we lose sight of the many blessings we receive from the Lord. And this Thanksgiving Feast focuses their attention back to the Lord.
If you’ve never hosted a Thanksgiving Feast for the kids in your church, I want to share with you some ideas that you can use to host a fun event for your church kids! I hope you will find some ideas in this post helpful and will have fun focusing on gratitude as you eat!
Time/Date of Event
In our town, our students get a week out of school for Thanksgiving. This is usually a time when families travel, so I like to host our Thanksgiving Feast the Sunday BEFORE school gets out (for us this year it’s November 14). This event is part of our Sunday night program and it lasts for 2 hours. But, you can do this on a Wednesday night and you can even shorten the time. Whatever works best for your church!
Decoration Ideas
I LOVE to decorate for events! Here are some ideas for decorating your space for the Thanksgiving Feast:
Table Decor
- Use yellow, orange, or brown plastic tablecloths. Or you can even cover the tables with light brown butcher paper so kids can draw on the tables.
- Set the table like you would for a meal at home: placemat, plate, napkin, fork (spoon or knife if needed), and a cup. Include salt and pepper shakers.
- You can find inexpensive Thanksgiving tableware at Walmart, Oriental Trading, or Hobby Lobby.
- For the placemat, I like to use interactive ones…something they can draw or color on. I have found ones at Hobby Lobby or Oriental Trading (or you can even download this FREE one I created below).
~The table centerpiece could be pilgrim hats (I found some at Party City), turkey decor (check Party City or Amazon), or even Happy Thanksgiving balloons. I found this cute balloon at Party City.
Photo Booth
I LOVE photo booths! I like to use plastic tablecloths as the backdrop. They are simple to use. Just staple one end over a piece of string. Then when you add more tablecloths, you will bunch them together. You can add a “Happy Thanksgiving” banner to the top. Or you can even attach paper turkeys to the backdrop. And you need props, too! I found some super cute turkey and pie slice props at Party City one year. Or you can do an interactive photo booth and line a wall with butcher paper. Decorate the top with Happy Thanksgiving or We Give Thanks. Use paper leaf cutouts or turkeys to decorate the sides. Then let the kids come and write down things they are grateful for. Here are some of ours from years past:
Costume Dress-Up
To make it even more fun, have kids come dressed like a turkey! I have seen some creative costumes over the years!
Food Ideas
I have kept it simple for our Thanksgiving Feast. I provide the main course (which is usually chicken fingers) and drinks (water or juice boxes). I ask parents to bring a side dish or dessert to share (so it’s like a covered dish). We do have some allergies so I ask parents not to bring anything related to nuts/peanuts. The kids then go through the line and the volunteers serve them what they would like.
Game Ideas
You need to play some fun games at your Thanksgiving Feast! Here are a few ideas:
Stuff the Turkey
This game requires paper bag turkeys and paper ball wads. See this website on how to play the game and make the turkeys!
Shake Your Tail Feathers
This game requires an empty tissue box, feathers (I used ping pong balls), and a piece of rope. See this website for details of how to play this game.
Thanksgiving Bible Bingo
Use this Thanksgiving Bible Bingo game for a fun way to open the Word and learn verses about being grateful while playing a fun game!
Feather Race
Kids are each given a feather. They must blow their feather from one end of the playing space to the other (use a table or small section of the room). They cannot use their hands. They are only to blow the feather with their mouth. First one to the finish line, wins!
No Leftovers
For each team you will need 3 cups, 3 pieces of plastic food (lightweight), and a Nerf gun. Turn the cups over and place the plastic food on top of the cups. Players will get 3 chances to knock the food off the cup. After they have had 3 tries, they run back to their team and pass off the Nerf gun. Repeat until all players have had a turn. Keep score (give one point for each one knocked off). Team with the most points, wins!
Crafts/Activities
You also will want to do some Thanksgiving crafts or activities with the kids at your feast! Here are a few ideas:
Things I Am Grateful For Printable
This printable is customizable! You can download this resource and create one for each child in your church. You can customize the child’s name, year, and age. Then they write down what they are thankful for! All you need is a FREE Canva account! After each child was finished, I laminated them and sent them home as a keepsake for families.
Turkey Headband
You can create your own or use this simple craft from Oriental Trading.
Color Your Own Inspirational Turkey Stand-Up
This craft from Oriental Trading would make a great centerpiece for the family Thanksgiving dinner table!
The Gratitude Alphabet
Download this printable below! Kids will come up with something they are thankful for that begins with every letter of the alphabet!
Bible Verse Turkey Hunt
This is like a scavenger hunt with Bible verses! You will hide the turkeys (which includes a word from a Bible verse) around the room or whole church if you like! Once all pieces are found, kids will work to put together the Bible verse. To download this set, just subscribe to my blog! Enter your email address in the blue subscription box at the top of my home page. Then you will get access to my Family Bible Study Library that is filled with lots of FREEBIES including the Bible Verse Turkey Hunt!
The Thanksgiving Feast for kids is such a fun event! I hope you found some inspiration from this blog post to host one for your church kids! It’s such a fun event that focuses on gratitude and blessings from the Lord!