Kids Thanksgiving recipes and ideas. (2024)

We've included here kids Thanksgiving recipes and Thanksgiving ideasfor kids. Thanksgiving recipes can often times be time consuming ora whole gourmet meal but we have some simple fun ideas for how toget your kids involved in the Thanksgiving preparation.

Kids Cooking Activities Teaching Materials

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What Was for Dinner at the First Thanksgiving?

The first thanksgiving was a celebration of harvest with pioneersand Native American Indians. Traditionally back in 1621 theyprobably had deer, wild turkeys, fish, duck, goose, wildcranberries, blueberries, cherries, carrots, turnips, onions,cabbages, and corn. Deer was probably the main dish compared toturkey now a days. It was a feast to celebrate freedom, harvest, andfriendship and lasted for three days.

Start a Gratitude Tradition thisThanksgiving

A great Thanksgiving idea for kids is to start a gratitudetradition. Did you know that when the pilgrims first came to Americathey had very little to eat that first winter? They were allotted 5kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce. A wonderfultradition to start is handing out 5 kernels to each person aroundthe dinner table and each person has to think of 5 things they aregrateful for. It is a great reminder that we are all blessed withlots of food and many wonderful things to be grateful for.

Kids Thanksgiving Recipes: Decorating your Table

Baked Cornucopia Centerpiece

• Homemadebreaddough (find a recipe here)
• or frozen bread dough
• 1 egg white
• Aluminum foil, pizza pan or heavy duty foil

Roll foil pan or large sheet of heavy foil into a cone shape. Twistthe end to form a horn shape. Spray foil with cooking spray andplace on cookie sheet. Roll bread dough out into large rectangle.Cut into 10 strips about 1 ½ inch wide. Start at end of cone shapeand wrap bread strips around and pinch ends together.

Overlap strips so no foil is showing. Continue laying down stripsand wrap around pinching ends together until completely filled. Youcan add a braided edge with remaining pieces of dough. With pastrybrush, brush egg white all over bread. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bakeat 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cover with foil and bake 20 minuteslonger. Allow to cool and remove foil. Use as a decoration withautumn fruits and vegetables of choice.

Harvest Feast Centerpiece

• 3-4 Pillar candles of varying sizes
• harvest vegetables such as green beans, asparagus, carrotsticks, other vegetables

Place a rubber band around each pillar candle. Tuck green beans orother vegetables under the rubber band so that they are lined up allaround the candle. Wrap a pretty ribbon or satin ribbon on top ofthe rubber band so that the rubber band isn't visible. Place on apretty platter and tuck fresh fall leaves or flowers around bottomof platter. These candles look great around a table with yourfavorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Kids Thanksgiving Recipe Snack Mix: Class Cornucopia Trail Mix

This activity works well for a cooking group or class. Before theactual cooking day, have each student bring in 1 Cup of something toshare in a cornucopia trail mix. Such as raisins, nuts, popcorn,bite size snacks, dried fruit, etc. Sugar cones look likecornucopias. At Thanksgiving the Pilgrims and the Indians sharedtheir food together and had a feast this is a fun way to get kids toact out the same idea.

The kids add all their ingredients to a large bowl, stir it togetherand fill their cornucopia sugar cones.
Or try this mix for the holiday:

• Pretzels (that symbolize arms folded in thanks and pray)
• Candy corn (see the gratitude tradition further on)
• Circle shaped cereal (circle of unity)
• Dried fruits (represent fruits available at harvest time)
• Seeds or Peanuts (represent planting new crops)
• Goldfish Crackers (fish was available and part of the firstthanksgiving dinner)

Pour ingredients in large bowl and stir together. Serve in sugarcone cornucopias or a fun serving bowl.

Mini Cornucopias

Using Buglessnack chips, (they are shaped like mini cornucopias) add a dotof frosting inside. Place 3-4 Runt candies or Trix cereal on top ofyour frosting. Either of these are shaped like fruit so it makes afun cornucopia snack.

How Can Kids Help with the ThanksgivingMeal?

For young kids, Thanksgiving dinner is something they aren't usuallyable to help with considering cooking dinner is centered around thestove and lots of hot dishes. If your kids are old enough, get theminvolved in cooking the turkey. It is a rather easy task. Or pickout another kids Thanksgiving recipe and find a task or two for themto help with.

How to Cook a Turkey

Every turkey you buy will tell you just how to cook it but it is notas scary or as difficult as some may think. Wash it, place it in aroasting pan and place it in the oven. If your kids are too youngfor cooking, another idea is to use Cornish hens. Kids can handle iteasy, wash it and stuff if and place it in the baking pan. Then theyfeel a little more like they are part of the meal preparation.

Kids Thanksgiving Recipes for Making Pies

Kids can easily help with making pie dough or rolling out the dough.Here is a recipe for pie crust. If they can't do the cooking theycan definitely get in on the prep work. And this is part of thethanksgiving meal that can be done ahead of time.
ApplePieRecipe
PumpkinPieRecipe

Make Mini Pies

For a fun kids Thanksgiving recipe, use pie dough and cut out 5circles with a 4 inch wide bowl and reserve scraps for strips. Press5 circles into muffin tins. Press up sides. Fill with your favoritepie filling and top with strips. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes.You can try this with any type of pie and kids can make their ownand enjoy the benefits of their labor.
Check out our pie recipes here.

Thanksgiving Relish Tray

Put your kids in charge of the relish tray. If they are too young tocut vegetables for the tray have an adult cut and place in a bowl.Then put the kids in charge of designing and creating the platter.Let their creativity soar by having them design a turkey out of thevegetables. They can use red, green, and yellow peppers as feathersand other vegetables for the head and bodies. This is a greatproject for the younger chefs although the older chefs would enjoyit also.

Or prepare a fruit platter

Have the kids help with the entertainment and fun. Try these Printable Thanksgiving Recipes and Games

Turkey Fun Recipes

Turkey Hand Print Cookies

• Sugar Cookie dough
• White frosting
• Candy corn for beaks and feet
• Red hots for eye

Roll sugar cookie dough out on a floured surface. Place a kids' cleanhand on the dough and with toothpick trace around hand. Remove theirhand then cut out with a sharp knife. Place on a greased cookiesheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Continue with alldough. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool. Have kidsdecorate with white frosting, a candy corn beak, 2 candy corn feetand a red hot for an eye.

Striped Turkey Cookies

You will need:

• Oreo cookies
• Frosting
• Striped chocolate cookie
• Malt milk balls or Hershey kisses
• Candy corn

Directions
Use an Oreo cookie for the base of your cookie. With a dab offrosting, place a striped chocolate cookie on the end, with thestriped part showing out. You may have to cut a sliver off the endto make it flat. Add a dab of frosting to front and add a maltedmilk ball for a head. Add a candy corn tip for his beak.

Turkey Bread

Use homemade bread dough or you can buy frozenbread dough to make this turkey. Shape dough into a turkey body andadd feathers, feet and a neck and head. Lay on a greased cookiesheet and press dough together to form turkey. Bake until goldenbrown at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool for a few minutes while you prep the color. Meltbutter and add a few drops of food coloring for the feathers. With apastry brush, brush color on the feathers.

Fruit Loop Apple Turkey

Each child can have their own apple to work with. Have the adult orkid chef place 5 toothpicks into the apple. Have a bowl of fruitloop cereal (or other circle 0 shaped cereal) available. Kids canfill up the toothpicks until the turkey feathers are all full. Placea mini marshmallow on the top to keep the fruit loops from fallingoff. For a turkey head use a toothpick and insert raisins almost tothe end then place a green olive at the end. These turkeys are lotsof fun for kids to put together.

Turkey Fun Toast Snack

Cut out a turkey from a piece of bread with a turkey shaped cookiecutter. Have kids add candy corns for feathers and a raisin for aneye with peanut butter or cream cheese as their glue. Pieces offruit leather also work well for feathers.

Turkey Pancakes

Using something as easy as pancakes of different sizes and fruitslices you can create a fun breakfast, brunch or addition to theThanksgiving table.

Turkey Popcorn Balls

Use arecipe for popcorn balls, add a dried applefor a head and fruit roll-ups to make feathers.

Turkey Fun Toast Snack

Cut out a turkey from a piece of bread with a turkey shaped cookiecutter. Have kids add candy corns for feathers and a raisin for aneye with peanut butter or cream cheese as their glue. Pieces offruit leather also work well for feathers.

Cookie Turkeys

A fun variation of the turkey cookie using sugar cookies, peanutbutter cups (body), malted milk balls (head), white mints( eyes),frosting and candy corn. A fun way for kids to create their owncooking craft project while you are waiting for the turkey to cook.

Nutter Butter Turkeys

Kids Fun Thanksgiving Recipes

Pilgrim Hats

• Chocolate striped cookie
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds intervalsuntil melted. To make pilgrim hat treats, place a chocolate stripecookie on serving platters with the chocolate side facing up. Dipmarshmallows into melted chocolate chips. You can stick a toothpickor fork into marshmallow then dip. Place dipped marshmallow on topof chocolate cookie. You can draw a yellow buckle with yellow icingif desired.

Hereis one of our readers step by step directions on making these funcookies.

Mini Indian Corn Cakes

• White or yellow cake mix and ingredients needed, according topackage directions
• Vanilla frosting
• Reese's pieces candies or other candies that come in orange,yellow or brown colors

Prepare cake mix according to directions. Bake in small mini loafpans. Allow to cool. Take out of pan and frost with vanilla frostingcovering all sides except the bottom. Layer candies all over the topand sides of cake to look like Indian corn kernels.

Turkey Cupcake Ideas for Kids

Learn how to make these cupcaketurkeys here.

Turkey Leftovers

Turkey Sweet Potato Soup

• ½ Cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 5 Cups turkey broth**
• 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 Cups cooked turkey, shredded or cut in cubes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ Cups corn

Saute onion in butter. In soup pan, add broth, potatoes, turkey,onion, salt and corn. Simmer for 20 minutes until sweet potatoes aretender.
Forturkeybroth: boil your leftover turkey bones with a full pot of water for1 hour. Then strain off broth and reserve for soup. You can also usethis for a great turkey soup.

Turkey Panini

Panini is like a grilled cheese sandwich. For this sandwich place aslice of turkey between two slices of cheese and grill or fry inpan.

Barbecue Turkey Rolls

Add barbecue sauce to shredded turkey and serve on rolls orcroissants.

Turkey Casseroles

Use your leftoverturkey in some turkeycasserole recipes.

Share your Kid Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes

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