There's something special about slowing down during November and helping kids notice the good things in their lives. Gratitude can be a pretty abstract concept for younger children, but a simple activity like this "I Am Thankful For" Printable gives them a concrete way to think about what they love, appreciate, and feel thankful for.
Whether you use it at home, in a classroom, or around the Thanksgiving table, this thankful printable for kids is an easy way to start conversations about gratitude.
Quick Look: Thanksgiving "I Am Thankful For" Printable
- 🖍️ Activity Time: 10-20 minutes
- 👧 Recommended Age: Preschool through elementary age
- 🦃 What You Need: Free printable template, crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- 📄 Printable Format: Instant PDF download, ready to print at home
- 🍂 Best For: Thanksgiving activities, classroom lessons, family gratitude activities, or Thanksgiving Day
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy and simple to adapt for different ages
- 💡 Why this Works: This simple Thanksgiving gratitude activity gives kids a fun and meaningful way to think about the people and things they are thankful for while encouraging conversations about gratitude.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
If you're looking for more simple ways to slow down and connect as a family this Thanksgiving, you might also enjoy our Thanksgiving Scattergories game. It's an easy activity to pull out during the holiday season and get everyone talking and laughing together. Our Thanksgiving Handprint Poem is another simple craft that works well for preschool and elementary-aged kids.
Jump to:
Questions to Help Kids Think About Gratitude
Before starting your I Am Thankful For activity, it can be helpful to give kids a few prompts to get them thinking. Gratitude doesn't always come naturally to young children, and they may need a little help coming up with their answers.
Here are some of our favorite questions to ask:
- What does it mean to be thankful?
- What are some things in your life that you love?
- Who are you thankful for?
- What made you laugh or smile today?
- What is something that makes you feel happy?
- What is something you are thankful to have?
- What is something someone has done for you that made you feel special?
- What does it look like to show gratitude to someone else?
Another fun way to set the stage for a Thanksgiving gratitude activity is to read a book about thankfulness together. One of our favorites is Bear Says Thanks.
If your kids enjoy activities like this, our Thankful Tree Craft is another fun way to practice gratitude throughout November. Instead of filling out their thankful thoughts all at once, kids can add leaves to their tree as they think of new things they appreciate.
Materials Needed
You only need a few simple supplies to make this Thanksgiving craft:
- I Am Thankful For turkey printable- the free PDF download is towards the bottom of this post
- Markers, crayons, colored pencils, or other coloring supplies
- Optional: feathers, stickers, glitter, or other craft supplies for decorating
Ways To Use This I Am Thankful For Printable
There are lots of ways to use this Thanksgiving I Am Thankful printable at home or in the classroom. It's designed to work for a wide range of ages, so you can easily adjust the activity based on your child's writing and developmental skills. Here are some ideas on how to use this printable:
1. Let younger kids dictate their answers
For preschoolers and younger children who aren't writing independently yet, ask them what they're thankful for and write their answers on the turkey feathers for them. Then let them color and decorate their turkey. This is a great opportunity to talk about what gratitude means without expecting a young child to come up with written answers on their own.
2. Have older kids write their own answers
Kids who are comfortable writing can fill in each feather themselves. Encourage them to think beyond just things they have and consider people, experiences, places, or simple everyday things that make them happy.
3. Use it as a Thanksgiving countdown
There are six feathers on the turkey, so you can use this as a simple countdown to Thanksgiving. Have your child fill in one feather each day for the six days leading up to Thanksgiving. This gives you a small daily gratitude practice without adding another complicated activity to your November schedule.
4. Use it as a Thanksgiving placemat
Print one turkey for each person and put them at the table on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone can fill in their own feathers and then share their answers during Thanksgiving dinner. This is one of my favorite ways to use the printable because it turns a simple coloring activity into a family conversation.
Don't forget to hang up your child's finished turkey somewhere you can see it throughout November. It's a sweet reminder of all the things they thought of when they stopped to consider what they are thankful for.
I Am Thankful For Free Printable Template
Ready to make your own thankful turkey? Fill out the form below to receive your free I Am Thankful For printable PDF.
This Thanksgiving worksheet is free for personal use at home, you're also welcome to use it in your classroom. You'll receive a digital PDF that you can download and print. Please note that once you have added your email below an email will be sent to your inbox, this can take up to 15 minutes to send. Please check your junk or spam folders if you don't see it in your inbox.
The printable is designed to print at 8 x 10 inches. If you're planning to add feathers, stickers, or other craft materials, I recommend printing it on cardstock. Regular printer paper works well if you're simply coloring with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
I Am Thankful For Printable FAQs
This I Am Thankful For printable is a simple gratitude activity that gives children a place to write or draw the things they are thankful for. This Thanksgiving turkey version includes six feathers that kids can fill in with people, things, experiences, or other blessings in their lives.
One of the simplest ways to teach gratitude is to talk about it regularly and help children notice the good things in their everyday lives. Asking questions like "What made you smile today?" or "Who are you thankful for?" can help make the idea of gratitude more concrete for young children.
Activities like this Thanksgiving printable can give kids a fun, hands-on way to practice thinking about what they appreciate.
This thankful turkey printable can be used as a Thanksgiving classroom activity, morning work, a writing prompt, or a gratitude activity. Younger students can draw or dictate their answers, while older students can write complete sentences on the feathers. You can also display the finished turkeys on a classroom bulletin board or wall throughout November.
Other Thanksgiving Activities For Kids
If you're looking for more Thanksgiving activities for kids, here are a few of our favorites:
If you tried this I Am Thankful printable or any other craft on our blog please let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
I would like the free template please
Hi Mikaela- we would love for you to have this printable! If you scroll down towards the end of the post there is a tan/brown box that you can put your email information into and it will be emailed to you! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Hi! I have tried entering my email a few times to get the turkey printable but have not received it. Is there another way to get it? Thank you!
Hi Laura- Thanks so much for letting us know. Sometimes our emails get filtered into spam or junk folders by email providers so I just sent you an email with the link to the printable. I hope you enjoy this activity!
I have put my email a couple of times in your site today and I still can’t get anything in my mailbox that will let me print out your stuff. I even checked my spam and junk.
Hi Ashley- thanks so much for reaching out! I just resent you an email with both printables you were looking for 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
I would like the printable too.
[email protected]
Thank you.
Hi Shar- If you scroll down towards the end of the post there is an orange box where you can put your email and the template should automatically be sent to you! 🙂
Very interested in this turkey printable. Our Sunday school class would really enjoy it
Oh this would be a perfect (super simple!) Sunday school craft! You just need to put in your email address into the orange box towards the end of this post and it will be emailed to you! Please send us an email if you have any troubles getting this- Happy Thanksgiving!
How do we receive the template
Hi! I just resent the email with the link to the PDF file for you to use, make sure to check your spam and junk folders as sometimes our emails get filtered out of the inbox folder. I hope you enjoy this!
I still haven't received this link and I filled out my info.
Hi Emily- It looks like the email made it your way but please let me know if you had any trouble accessing the printable! Sometimes the email can take a few minute to send so I'm glad it made it to you!
I sent my email and I didn't received anything yet.
Hi Cinthya- Thanks for reaching out! It looks like the printable made it to you (sometimes the email servers can have a little lag time) but please let me know if you had any troubles accessing the printable turkey!