12 Thanksgiving Treats for Kids That Keep Little Hands Busy While the Turkey Roasts

Thanksgiving treats for kids are the secret to a calmer holiday kitchen, because a busy child is a happy child while the turkey roasts. Instead of shooing little ones out of the way, set up a snack station at the kids table and let them build their own edible turkeys, pumpkins and pilgrim hats. Most of these ideas need no oven at all, just a few pantry staples, some candy eyes and plenty of imagination. The ones that do need heat or a knife are easy for an adult to prep ahead, so children can handle the fun part of dipping, stacking and decorating. You will find sweet treats, savory bites and a few fruit and veggie options to balance out the pie. Pick two or three, lay out the supplies and let the little chefs get to work..

Chocolate Strawberry Turkeys

Chocolate strawberry turkeys have turned into one of the most shared Thanksgiving ideas on Facebook Reels this fall, and it is easy to see why. Once an adult melts the chocolate, even preschoolers can dip each berry, press on candy eyes and tuck a fan of candy corn behind it for tail feathers. The finished platter looks like a flock of tiny turkeys strutting across the table. For even more ideas, Taste of Home has a big roundup of Thanksgiving treats for kids worth bookmarking..

You will need: 1 pound large strawberries, 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, candy eyes, 1 cup candy corn, red decorating gel.

How to make it: 1. Wash the strawberries and dry them completely. 2. An adult melts the chocolate and oil in 30 second bursts, stirring until smooth. 3. Kids dip each berry, leaving the leafy top showing, and set it on parchment. 4. While the chocolate is soft, press on two candy eyes and a candy corn tip as the beak. 5. Push three to five candy corn pieces into the back as feathers. 6. Add a small red gel wattle and chill for 15 minutes.

Acorn Cheese Bites

Not every one of these Thanksgiving treats for kids has to be sweet, and these little acorns prove it. Small balls of cheddar get a round cracker cap and a pretzel stick stem, and suddenly a basic cheese plate looks like something from a woodland storybook. Children love rolling the cheese, and the job keeps small fingers busy for a good twenty minutes. A savory nibble before dinner may help take the edge off hungry tummies, too. Serve them on a wooden board with grapes for a pretty, grab and go appetizer.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese, 3 ounces softened cream cheese, 24 mini round buttery crackers, a handful of thin pretzel sticks.

How to make it: 1. Mix the cheddar and cream cheese until it holds together. 2. Kids roll the mixture into teaspoon size balls. 3. Press a mini cracker on top of each ball as the acorn cap. 4. Break pretzel sticks into short pieces and push one into the top of each cap as the stem. 5. Chill for 20 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving Treats for Kids: No-Bake Cookie Turkeys

These no-bake cookie turkeys are pure assembly line fun, and they are a favorite at school parties for good reason. A chocolate sandwich cookie stands up as the tail, candy corn feathers slide right into the cream filling, and a mini peanut butter cup becomes the round little body. A chocolate malt ball makes the head. Kids can line up every piece in small bowls and build a whole flock in minutes. Check for nut allergies first and swap in chocolate covered caramels if needed.

You will need: 12 chocolate sandwich cookies, 12 mini peanut butter cups, 12 chocolate malt balls, 1/2 cup candy corn, candy eyes, a tube of chocolate frosting, red decorating gel.

How to make it: 1. Gently press five candy corn pieces, points in, into the filling at the top of each cookie. 2. Set a peanut butter cup on a plate and use frosting to stand the cookie up behind it. 3. Glue a malt ball on top of the cup with a dab of frosting. 4. Add candy eyes, a candy corn tip beak and a red gel wattle. 5. Let the turkeys set for 15 minutes.

Pilgrim Hat Treats

Pilgrim hats are among the oldest Thanksgiving treats for kids, and they still vanish first from the dessert tray. A chocolate covered cookie or a flat round pretzel makes the brim, an upside down mini peanut butter cup makes the crown, and a ribbon of yellow frosting adds the hat band. A tiny square of yellow candy finishes the buckle. Older kids can pipe the frosting themselves while little ones handle the stacking. You can make a full dozen in under half an hour with no oven at all.

You will need: 12 round chocolate covered cookies or flat round pretzels, 12 mini peanut butter cups, yellow frosting in a piping bag, small yellow square candies, 2 tablespoons melted chocolate.

How to make it: 1. Unwrap the peanut butter cups. 2. Dab a little melted chocolate in the center of each cookie. 3. Press a cup upside down onto the chocolate as the crown. 4. Pipe a band of yellow frosting around the base of the crown. 5. Press a yellow candy onto the band as the buckle and chill for 10 minutes.

Clementine Pumpkins

Of all the Thanksgiving treats for kids here, this is the easiest and maybe the healthiest. Peel a clementine and you will notice its natural ridges already look like a tiny pumpkin. Poke a short piece of celery into the top for a stem and the transformation is complete. Kids as young as three can peel and decorate these on their own. Citrus is rich in vitamin C, which is linked to healthy immune function, so these make a smart snack between all the sweets. Pile them in a bowl as a bright centerpiece for the kids table.

You will need: 10 clementines, 2 celery stalks, a few fresh mint leaves (optional).

How to make it: 1. Peel the clementines, keeping each one whole. 2. An adult cuts the celery into thin 1 inch strips. 3. Kids press one celery strip into the center top of each clementine. 4. Tuck a mint leaf beside the stem if you like. 5. Serve within a few hours so the fruit stays juicy.

Apple Turkeys With Raisin Feathers

Apple turkeys are classic Thanksgiving treats for kids, born as a classroom project, that works just as well at home on Thanksgiving morning. A whole red apple becomes the body, and toothpicks threaded with raisins, grapes or mini marshmallows fan out from the back like feathers. A grape on a toothpick makes the head. Every turkey turns out a little different, which is half the fun. Because toothpicks have sharp points, this one is best for kids five and up with an adult nearby. Once the photos are taken, the fruit comes right off the picks for snacking.

You will need: 4 red apples, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup green grapes, 1 cup mini marshmallows, round toothpicks, candy eyes, a little peanut butter or frosting.

How to make it: 1. Wash the apples and lay them on their sides so they sit flat. 2. Kids thread raisins, grapes and marshmallows onto six to eight toothpicks each. 3. Push the toothpicks into the back of each apple in a fan shape. 4. Thread a grape onto one more toothpick and push it into the front as the head. 5. Stick on candy eyes with a dot of peanut butter.

Thanksgiving Treats for Kids: Cereal Treat Pumpkins

Crispy rice cereal treats are already a kid favorite, so shaping them into little pumpkins is an easy win. A few drops of orange food coloring go into the melted marshmallow, then kids roll the mixture into balls once it is cool enough to handle. A pretzel stick stem and a green candy leaf finish each one. If your family loves these, our crispy rice treat recipes have plenty more ways to dress up the classic. Butter little hands first so the mixture does not stick.

You will need: 3 tablespoons butter, 10 ounces mini marshmallows, 6 cups crispy rice cereal, orange gel food coloring, pretzel sticks, green candy melts or green fruit leather for leaves.

How to make it: 1. An adult melts the butter and marshmallows over low heat. 2. Stir in food coloring until bright orange, then fold in the cereal. 3. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. 4. Kids butter their hands and roll 2 inch balls, pressing in light lines with a spoon handle. 5. Push a pretzel piece into the top of each and add a green leaf.

Turkey Cupcakes

Turkey cupcakes are classic Thanksgiving treats for kids because they let little ones skip the baking and jump straight to the best part, the decorating. Start with plain cupcakes from your own kitchen or the bakery case, frost them with chocolate, and set out bowls of candy corn, candy eyes and orange candies. Kids poke candy corn into the back for feathers and build a face on the front. No two turkeys look alike, and that is exactly what makes them charming. Decorate them the morning of the big meal.

You will need: 12 baked cupcakes, 2 cups chocolate frosting, 1 cup candy corn, candy eyes, orange candy coated chocolates, red decorating gel.

How to make it: 1. Spread or pipe chocolate frosting on each cupcake. 2. Push five or six candy corn pieces into the back half as feathers. 3. Add two candy eyes toward the front. 4. Press on an orange candy as the beak. 5. Draw a small red gel wattle under the beak.

Thanksgiving Treats for Kids: Mini Pumpkin Pies

Mini pumpkin pies give kids a real baking job without the stress of a full size crust. Store bought pie dough cut into circles fits neatly into a muffin tin, and children can press in the dough, spoon in the filling and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon. The little pies bake in about 20 minutes, so they are ready long before the turkey. Kids love having their own personal pie at dinner, and grownups love that nobody fights over the last slice. Add a swirl of whipped cream right before serving.

You will need: 2 refrigerated pie crusts, 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, whipped cream.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 375 F. 2. Kids cut 12 dough circles with a 3 inch cutter and press them into a greased muffin tin. 3. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, milk and spice. 4. Spoon filling into each cup almost to the top. 5. An adult bakes them 20 to 25 minutes until set, then cool and top with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin whoopie pies are soft, cakey cookies sandwiched around a fluffy cream cheese filling, and they may be the most grown up looking Thanksgiving treats for kids on this list. An adult handles the oven, but children can scoop the batter, mix the filling and do the final squish. A dusting of powdered sugar on top looks like a first snow. They are sturdier than a slice of pie, which makes them perfect for small hands. Bake the cookies a day ahead and fill them on Thanksgiving morning.

You will need: 1 box spice cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, 4 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F. 2. Kids stir the cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and oil into a thick batter. 3. Scoop tablespoon mounds onto lined sheets and bake 10 to 12 minutes, then cool. 4. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. 5. Spread filling on half the cookies, top with the rest and dust with powdered sugar.

Turkey Veggie Tray

A turkey veggie tray is the snack board that gets kids to actually eat their vegetables before the big meal. Arrange carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and olives in curved rows so they look like tail feathers, with a bowl of dip as the body. Children can sort and place every vegetable themselves, which may help picky eaters feel more curious about trying them. As Thanksgiving treats for kids go, it is a crunchy, colorful break from all the sugar, and grownups will happily graze on it too. Ranch or hummus both work well.

You will need: 2 cups baby carrots, 4 celery stalks cut into sticks, 2 cups broccoli florets, 2 cups cauliflower florets, 1 cup olives, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup ranch dip or hummus, 1 yellow bell pepper.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry all the vegetables; an adult cuts the celery and pepper. 2. Set the dip bowl near the bottom of a large tray. 3. Kids lay the vegetables in curved rows fanning out above the bowl. 4. Make a head from a pepper slice with olive eyes. 5. Cover and chill until serving.

Caramel Apples to Finish Your Thanksgiving Treats for Kids

Caramel apples are a fall tradition kids never outgrow, and a Thanksgiving batch is easy to pull off together. An adult melts the caramel and handles the hot pot, while kids push sticks into the apples and roll the dipped fruit in chopped peanuts, sprinkles or crushed graham crackers. Smaller apples are easier for little hands to hold. Set them on buttered parchment to firm up while dinner finishes. Slice them into wedges for younger children, since biting a whole apple can be tricky with wiggly teeth.

You will need: 6 small apples, 6 wooden treat sticks, 1 bag (11 ounces) soft caramels, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 cup chopped peanuts or sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the apples well and remove the stems. 2. Kids push a stick firmly into the top of each apple. 3. An adult melts the caramels with the milk over low heat, stirring until smooth. 4. The adult dips each apple and lets the extra drip off. 5. Kids roll the bottoms in peanuts or sprinkles and set them on buttered parchment for 20 minutes.