Category: Printables

A printable Thanksgiving placemat for kids is the perfect way to get your kids excited about their Thanksgiving meal, and possibly keep them busy until it’s time to carve the turkey.

Mamas, you know what it’s like when you’re trying your best to get dinner on the table, but your little people get impatient and hungry.  I’ve been there and done that many a time!  Just like at restaurants, kids having to wait for a meal at home can leave them a little cranky or hangry. The very first time, years ago when my son was smaller, that I saw a restaurant offer a small coloring book and pack of crayons, I thought it was absolute genius!  It was probably one of the first times we were able to sit through a meal in peace!

This fun activity placemat features a word search, coloring fun, and a pumpkin patch maze. Add in a few small packs of crayons and/or pencils and you can count on your kids being occupied while you are trying to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table. My son is 13, but he still loves a good word search.  Ditto for my students at school!  Word searches are a great way to introduce or reinforce some holiday vocabulary words.  Coloring gets those creative juices flowing and mazes get those little brains thinking critically to figure out the puzzle.  It may just look like lots of fun, but your kids will be soaking up some skills as well.

This printable Thanksgiving placemat would be great to use at home, in your classrooms for Thanksgiving feasts, or wherever you may be traveling to for your holiday get-togethers.  Want your free download to print?  Just click on the picture above, or follow this link.

Need more great Thanksgiving activity and snack ideas?  Check out my Thanksgiving posts.

Do you remember playing charades as a child?  I loved playing with my neighborhood friends.  We’d find a shade tree to sit under after playing on a hot summer’s day and we’d cool off and still have fun by playing charades.  We also played it sometimes at school if we ever had a little time to pass.  It was a fun game that didn’t require a thing but imagination.

I know from experience that it can be tough to entertain the little ones while waiting on Thanksgiving dinner to be served.  I can remember waiting with great anticipation myself as a child while the smells of my aunt’s turkey and dressing drove me crazy!  Her dressing just MAKES Thanksgiving every year.  I’m so serious!   My cousin’s and I would eventually end up outside playing while the grown-ups visited and tried to get dinner on the table in time.  I have so many wonderful memories of Thanksgivings with my family.

Are you looking for a fun way to keep the kids occupied during the Thanksgiving meal prep?  I’m here to save the day with this free printable Thanksgiving Charades game!  Just download your copy of the cards here and then get ready for some Thanksgiving-themed family fun!  Who knows, the grown-ups may even want to get in the game!

I’d recommend printing these out on card stock paper and laminating them so that they’ll last for years of fun to come.  I personally use this Fellowes laminator and it has served me well for quite some time.  I love being able to preserve things right at home so that they’ll last for a while.

Need even more ways to keep the kids occupied during Thanksgiving?  Check out this free printable Thanksgiving coloring book!  I’d love to hear from you if you try this Thanksgiving charades game with your own family!