Thanksgiving Kids Table: 16 Cheap DIY Ideas That Keep Little Guests Busy and Happy

A Thanksgiving Kids Table can be the happiest spot in the whole house, or the loudest. Every host knows the moment: the turkey is resting, the grown ups finally sit down, and five little cousins start asking when pie is coming. The secret is a table that keeps small hands busy while still looking festive enough for the family photos. You do not need a party store or a big budget. Brown paper, a few mini pumpkins, some jars from the pantry and a pack of crayons can turn any low table into a cheerful little world of its own. Below are 16 cheap and easy ideas, each with a short supply list and simple steps, so you can set up the fun the night before and enjoy your own meal in peace..

Thanksgiving Kids Table Starts With a Coloring Tablecloth

The easiest way to win over little guests is to let them draw on the table. Roll brown kraft paper over a low table, tape it underneath and set out crayons at every seat. Kids start doodling turkeys and leaves the minute they sit down, and by dessert the cover is a piece of family art. Add a few mini pumpkins and paper crowns and the whole spread looks planned and festive. Afterward, cut out the best drawings and save them in a holiday scrapbook. Who in your family will draw first..

You will need: A roll of brown kraft paper, clear tape, crayons, small pots or cups, a few mini pumpkins and paper plates.

How to make it: 1. Roll the paper over the table so it hangs a few inches over each edge and tape it underneath. 2. Lightly sketch a few leaves or pumpkins near each seat to get kids started. 3. Set a pot of crayons at every place and add mini pumpkins down the middle.

Acorn Crayon Pots at Every Seat

A plain cup of crayons works, but tiny clay pots painted like acorns make each seat at the Thanksgiving Kids Table feel special. Paint the bottom light brown and the rim a darker brown, then dab on texture with a dry sponge so the cap looks real. Kids love having their own little pot, and it ends the grabbing across the table. The pots cost less than a dollar each at the craft store and can be used again next year as pencil holders. Would your kids pick a light or dark acorn?

You will need: Small terracotta pots, acrylic paint in light and dark brown, a dry sponge, a paintbrush and a box of crayons.

How to make it: 1. Paint the body of each pot light brown and let it dry. 2. Paint the rim dark brown and dab it with a dry sponge for texture. 3. Fill each pot with crayons and set one beside every plate.

Thanksgiving Kids Table Game: Gourd Bowling

When the meal ends and the wiggles start, bring out the gourd bowling lane. Mark a short lane on the floor with painter’s tape, set up mini pumpkins and gourds in a triangle and hand over a round squash as the ball. It is silly, it is free if you already bought fall decor, and it keeps little ones laughing while the grown ups clear plates. Keep score on the paper tablecloth for extra fun. A hard floor works best, so roll back the rug first. Who will bowl the first strike?

You will need: Painter’s tape, ten small pumpkins or gourds that stand up on their own and one round squash or small pumpkin as the ball.

How to make it: 1. Tape a lane about eight feet long on a hard floor. 2. Stand the gourds in a triangle of four, three, two and one at the end. 3. Take turns rolling the squash and reset the pins after each turn.

Pilgrim Hat Treat Cups

These little hats double as a snack cup and a table decoration. Paint plain paper cups black, add a cream paper band and a gold paper buckle, then set each one on a black paper circle for the brim. Turn them right side up and fill them with popcorn or trail mix for a treat that waits at every seat. Kids think they are funny, and grown ups always want one too. Make a few extra for the main table. Which treat would you tuck inside?

You will need: Plain paper cups, black acrylic paint, cream and gold card stock, black card stock for the brims, scissors and a glue stick.

How to make it: 1. Paint the outside of each cup black and let it dry. 2. Glue a cream band around the base and a small gold square buckle on the front. 3. Glue the cup to a black paper circle and fill it with popcorn.

Decorate Your Own Pumpkin Station

Give every child a small white pumpkin and let them create the Thanksgiving Kids Table centerpiece themselves. Set out washable paint in small cups, a few brushes and leaf stickers, and the table turns into an art studio. Polka dots, stripes and silly faces all look wonderful grouped together on a tray afterward. It also gives kids a little gift to carry home. Put the station on a washable cover and keep wipes nearby. What pattern would you paint on yours?

You will need: White mini pumpkins, washable paint, small cups, kid sized brushes, leaf stickers, paper plates and baby wipes.

How to make it: 1. Set a mini pumpkin on a paper plate at each seat. 2. Pour small amounts of paint into cups and add a brush to each. 3. Let kids paint, then dry the pumpkins on a tray before guests leave.

I Spy Harvest Jars

I spy jars keep kids busy for a surprisingly long time, and they look lovely on a table too. Fill clear jars with dried corn, beans and lentils, then hide small treasures inside: acorns, mini pinecones, wooden leaves or a tiny toy turkey. Children turn and shake the jars to find everything on their list. Seal the lids well and use a little glue for younger guests. Afterward, the jars become pantry decor for the rest of the season. How many treasures would you hide?

You will need: Clear jars with lids, dried corn kernels, dry beans and lentils, small acorns, mini pinecones, wooden leaf shapes and small toys.

How to make it: 1. Fill each jar about a third full with the dried mix. 2. Drop in eight to ten small treasures and top up with more mix, leaving space to shake. 3. Close the lid tightly and set a jar between every two seats.

Thanksgiving Kids Table With a Chalkboard Runner

A Thanksgiving Kids Table runner made from chalkboard fabric or painted craft paper can be wiped clean and used again every year. Kids draw pumpkins, turkeys and leaves right in the middle of the table, and the bright chalk pops against the black. It is calmer than paint and less messy than markers. Set chalk in small bowls so everyone can reach. When dinner is done, a damp cloth makes it ready for the next party. Would you choose chalk or crayons for your crew?

You will need: Chalkboard fabric or kraft paper plus chalkboard paint, a foam roller, sidewalk or regular chalk and small bowls.

How to make it: 1. Cut the fabric to run down the center of the table, or roll two coats of chalkboard paint onto kraft paper. 2. Let it dry fully. 3. Lay it down the middle and set bowls of chalk along it.

Muffin Tin Snack Boards

Little guests get hungry long before the turkey is carved, and a muffin tin snack board is the answer. Every cup holds something different, so picky eaters can choose and nothing touches. Fill one tin per two kids with apple slices, grapes, cheese cubes, crackers and carrot sticks, plus one cup of treats. It keeps kids at the Thanksgiving Kids Table while the grown ups finish cooking. You can use clean tins you already own. What would you put in the treat cup?

You will need: Clean muffin tins, sliced fruit, cheese cubes, crackers, pretzels, carrot sticks and a small handful of treats.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the muffin tins. 2. Fill each cup with a different snack, keeping wet fruit away from crackers. 3. Set one tin between every two children just before guests arrive.

Napkin Folded Turkeys

A plain napkin becomes a turkey in about two minutes, and kids giggle the moment they see one on their plate. Fold a brown napkin into a fan for the tail, then add a brown paper circle with googly eyes and a little felt beak. Older kids can learn the fold and make their own for the grown ups. Paper napkins work too if you want no washing. Practice once before the big day. Can your kids fold one by themselves?

You will need: Brown cloth or paper napkins, brown card stock, small googly eyes, orange and red felt, scissors and glue.

How to make it: 1. Pleat the napkin back and forth like an accordion and fold it in half to make a fan. 2. Glue eyes, a felt beak and a red wattle to a small paper circle. 3. Tuck the circle into the front of the fan on each plate.

Thanksgiving Kids Table Gratitude Bingo

Gratitude bingo turns the Thanksgiving Kids Table into a gentle game about being thankful. Make cards with simple pictures of a home, a pet, a sunny day, a hug or a slice of pie, and use dried corn kernels as markers. A grown up calls out each picture and asks kids to share what it means to them. Even the smallest guests can play, because there is nothing to read. It sparks sweet answers you will want to remember. What would be on your card?

You will need: Card stock, a ruler, markers or stickers with simple pictures, a bowl of dried corn kernels and a small paper bag for calling cards.

How to make it: 1. Draw a grid of nine squares on each card and fill them with simple pictures in different orders. 2. Make matching small calling cards and put them in a bag. 3. Pull one card at a time and let kids cover the picture with a kernel.

Felt Leaf Garland on Chair Backs

Chairs are easy to forget, but a garland of felt leaves makes the little seats look dressed for the party. Cut leaves from red, orange, gold and green felt and string them on twine, then drape one over each chair back. Older kids can help cut and thread while you cook. Felt does not tear, so the garlands come back out every November. They also look sweet on a mantel or stair rail afterward. Which colors would you string together?

You will need: Felt sheets in red, orange, gold and green, a leaf template, fabric scissors, a large needle and jute twine.

How to make it: 1. Trace and cut about ten leaves per chair. 2. Thread the twine through the top of each leaf with a large needle, spacing them evenly. 3. Drape the garland over the chair back and tie it at both sides.

Laminated Activity Placemats

Activity placemats give kids something to solve while they wait for the food. Draw simple mazes, dot to dot pumpkins and leaves to color, then laminate them at an office store or cover them with clear contact paper. With dry erase markers they wipe clean, so the same mats can be used at Christmas with new drawings on the back. A stack of them also saves the day on rainy weekends. Plan one per child at the Thanksgiving Kids Table plus two spares. Would your kids rather do a maze or a dot picture?

You will need: Card stock, a black marker, clear contact paper or laminating pouches, dry erase markers and a soft cloth.

How to make it: 1. Draw a maze on one side and a dot picture on the other side of each sheet. 2. Laminate the sheets or cover them with contact paper. 3. Set one at each seat with a cup of dry erase markers.

Mini Cider Bottles With Leaf Tags

Kids feel very grown up when they get their own little bottle at the table. Pour apple cider into small glass bottles, add a striped paper straw and tie a kraft paper leaf tag around the neck with each child’s name. The tags double as place cards, so there is no fighting over seats. Use plastic bottles for toddlers to avoid spills or breaks. Chill them in the fridge until the meal. What name tag would you tie on first?

You will need: Small glass or plastic bottles with caps, apple cider, paper straws, kraft card stock, a leaf template, a hole punch and twine.

How to make it: 1. Fill the bottles with cider and chill them. 2. Cut leaf shaped tags from kraft card stock, write each name and punch a hole. 3. Tie the tags to the bottle necks and add a straw at each seat.

Thanksgiving Kids Table Favor: Play Dough Turkey Kits

A play dough turkey kit gives kids something to build at the Thanksgiving Kids Table and a favor to take home. Fill small jars with brown or orange dough, then tuck a few craft feathers, googly eyes and a felt beak on top. Children roll a body, poke in the feathers and add a face. Homemade dough costs pennies and smells like cinnamon if you add a pinch. For more ideas, try these turkey crafts for kids. How many feathers will your turkey get?

You will need: Small jars with lids, homemade or store bought play dough, craft feathers, large googly eyes and orange felt.

How to make it: 1. Press a ball of dough into each jar. 2. Cut small felt triangle beaks. 3. Set the feathers, eyes and beak on top of the dough, close the lid and add one jar to each seat.

Pumpkin Tic Tac Toe Board

A wood slice tic tac toe board is quick to paint and keeps two kids happily busy at a time. Paint a simple white grid on a round wood slice and use tiny pumpkins and acorns as the X and O pieces. It looks like part of the table decor until someone starts a game. Make two or three so everyone gets a turn. Seal with a clear coat and it lasts for years. Who in your family never loses at tic tac toe?

You will need: A round wood slice, white acrylic paint, a thin brush, painter’s tape, clear sealer, five mini pumpkins and five acorns.

How to make it: 1. Tape off two lines across and two lines down on the wood slice. 2. Paint the lines white, peel the tape and let it dry. 3. Seal it and set it out with the pumpkins and acorns as game pieces.

Thanksgiving Kids Table Ideas: A Cozy Floor Cushion Setup

No spare table? Finish your Thanksgiving Kids Table with the coffee table and a pile of floor cushions. Little ones love sitting low like a picnic, and you skip the hunt for extra chairs. Cover the top with kraft paper, add small plates and a few mini pumpkins, and toss a soft blanket nearby for the after dinner slump. As the Hometalk community keeps sharing finishing touches for the Thanksgiving table, the cozy touches are what guests remember. Where would you set up your kids table this year?

You will need: A sturdy coffee table, floor cushions or poufs, brown kraft paper, tape, small plates and a few mini pumpkins.

How to make it: 1. Clear the coffee table and move it to an open spot near the main table. 2. Cover it with kraft paper and tape it underneath. 3. Arrange cushions all around and set each place with a plate and a crayon pot.