Thanksgiving Placemats: Printable and Handmade Ideas

Thanksgiving placemats for kids are a simple way to keep little hands busy while dinner gets ready. Print a page, let the kids color it, and set it at their place on the table. This guide covers what size to print, what paper works, how to make placemats last, and 12 ideas for what goes on them.

The quick version

1. Pick a design: a turkey to color, a "things I'm thankful for" page, or a blank frame to draw in.
2. Print on letter size paper (8.5 by 11 inches) or larger.
3. Let the kids color with crayons or markers.
4. Optional: laminate or cover with clear contact paper so it wipes clean.
5. Set one at each place.

That's all you need. The details below help if you want it to last or if you're making a lot of them.

What size should a placemat be?

A standard placemat is about 12 by 18 inches. Most home printers only print on letter size (8.5 by 11), and that works fine for a kids' placemat; plates and cups just sit on top. If you want a bigger one, you have three options:

• Use legal or tabloid paper (8.5 by 14 or 11 by 17) if your printer handles it.
• Glue two sheets together side by side to make a longer mat.
• Print at a copy shop on a larger sheet. It's usually cheap for a handful of copies.

Tip: if your printer cuts off the edges, set the scale to "fit to page" before printing. Our guide on how to print coloring pages walks through the settings.

Paper and materials

Crayons and colored pencils are best for placemats because they don't bleed through thin paper. Washable markers can soak through if kids press hard, so slip a scrap sheet underneath.

12 Thanksgiving placemat ideas

1. Turkey to color. A big turkey with feathers to fill in. This is the one most kids want.
2. I'm thankful for. A page with a title at the top and a blank space for a drawing. Add a line for their name and age.
3. Family portrait. A frame with the words "Our family" and room to draw everyone at the table.
4. Table maze. A path from the turkey to the pumpkin pie. Quiet fun during a long dinner.
5. Word search. Words like turkey, pie, corn, thankful, and harvest.
6. Connect-the-dots. A turkey, pumpkin or acorn to draw as they connect.
7. Feather pattern. A turkey body with empty feathers. Each guest writes one thing they are thankful for on a feather.
8. Fall leaves. A border of oak, maple and elm leaves to color.
9. Tic-tac-toe grid. Use small acorns and leaves as the Xs and Os.
10. Menu placemat. A drawing of the meal with spots to color each dish.
11. Pumpkin pie slice. A giant slice to decorate with crust patterns and whipped cream.
12. Autumn scene. A farm, a barn and hay bales in a fall field. Our fall crafts for kids post has more autumn ideas.

Make a placemat with a thankful theme

This is a kind of activity many families like, and it needs very little prep.

1. Give each child a placemat with a big empty space in the middle.
2. Ask them to draw three things they're grateful for. Younger kids can draw and tell you what they are, and you can write the words.
3. Put the mats out at dinner and have everyone share one.
4. Save them. Next year, you'll see how drawings change.

If you use clear contact paper, you can even save them in a folder.

Custom placemats

Every family is different, so a custom placemat can be a nice touch. You can add your family name, a turkey with the child's name on it, or a scene with a family pet. Use our name coloring page generator for a page with a name on it, or describe a scene in the AI coloring page generator, for example "cartoon turkey wearing a scarf next to a pumpkin pie."

If you'd like a whole keepsake book for the kids' table, our custom coloring book tool lets you collect several pages in one place.

Making a lot of them

For a class or a big family dinner:

• Print in batches of 10 to 20 and sort by design.
• Number or name them on the back so no one loses their mat.
• Set a color station with a bucket of crayons at the table instead of one box per kid.
• Collect leftover mats and send them home as a keepsake.

Setting up the kids' table

A good placemat does more when the table is ready for it.

• Put a cup of crayons in the middle so no one has to ask for a color.
• Use a plastic tablecloth under the mats. Crayon and marker can leave marks on wood.
• Keep a few extra sheets nearby. Someone will want to start over, and a spare mat is cheaper than a tantrum.
• Save the best one. Many families keep one mat per child, per year, in a folder. It's a nice record of how a child's drawing changes.

Handmade placemat crafts

If you'd rather build than print:

• Paper weaving. Cut slits in a sheet of orange paper and weave strips of yellow and red through them.
• Leaf prints. Press paint on a leaf, then stamp it on paper.
• Handprint turkey. Trace a hand, color the fingers as feathers and add a head and legs.
• Collage. Glue torn pieces of colored paper into fall leaf shapes.

For more crafts that work at the table, see our Thanksgiving crafts for kids.

Where to find designs

You can browse the coloring pages library for turkeys, leaves, pumpkins and fall scenes. For anything specific, a generator works well. If you want to turn a family photo into a coloring page for the center of the mat, try the photo to coloring page tool.