🦃 Thanksgiving Games for Kids 🍂

What is on this page?

Four free Thanksgiving games for toddlers and preschoolers, all built around the same twelve autumn words: turkey, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, corn, apple, autumn leaf, acorn, squirrel, sunflower, cornucopia, scarf and thank-you card. Every word is spoken out loud and every picture is friendly, so the games work for a two-year-old as well as a five-year-old.

Which game should we play first?

1. Start with the Thanksgiving Flashcards. They name all twelve pictures out loud, one at a time, so your child has heard every word before the games ask for them.
2. Then the Leaf Pile Hunt. It is all tapping and no reading: tap a pile of leaves, find what is hiding underneath, hear its name. It suits the youngest players best, and every round hides different things.
3. The Matching Game asks a little more. Your child drags each picture onto its name, which is where a three- or four-year-old starts to connect a picture with a written word.
4. Count the Turkeys is for counting practice. The page counts along out loud, one turkey at a time, then says the answer.

For grown-ups

Thanksgiving is a good time to practise saying thank you. After a game, ask your child what they are thankful for, or make a real thank-you card together for a grandparent. Spotting the words from the games at the table, like the corn, the pie or a crunchy apple, carries the learning off the screen.

Common questions

What age are these Thanksgiving games for?

Two to five. The Leaf Pile Hunt and the Flashcards suit two- and three-year-olds; the Matching Game and Turkey Counting suit three- to five-year-olds.

Are the games free?

Yes. They play in a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no login and no download. Each game can be played through once a day for free, and the Flashcards Kids app has them with no limit.

What do children learn from them?

Twelve autumn and Thanksgiving words with pictures and sound, matching a picture to its name, and counting from one to ten.

How can we talk about being thankful?

Keep it simple and concrete: name one person, one food and one thing you did today that you are glad about. Young children understand thankfulness best through small, everyday examples.