Looking for Thanksgiving drawing ideas that kids can actually copy? This page has 30 easy fall drawings, from six different cute turkeys to pumpkin pie, fall leaves, a cozy mug of cocoa and a friendly scarecrow.
Every idea is drawn in the same simple style with bold outlines, so kids can copy it freehand, trace it, or use it as a starting point for their own picture. The free PDF has five idea sheets and a practice page with empty boxes.
What’s in the PDF
- Thanksgiving Turkeys: six cute turkeys
- Harvest Foods: pie, corn, an apple, a pumpkin and a cornucopia
- Fall Nature: leaves, an acorn, a pinecone, a squirrel and an owl
- Thanksgiving Dinner: the roast turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and more
- Cozy Fall: cocoa, a hat and scarf, a sunflower and a scarecrow
- Your Turn: a practice page with six boxes
- A cover page, all on US Letter paper
30 Thanksgiving drawing ideas
The ideas are grouped into five sheets. Start with the turkeys if you are drawing with little kids; the harvest foods and fall nature sheets are next, and the dinner table and the scarecrow have the most details.
Thanksgiving Turkeys
Six turkeys, six personalities. They all start with the same two circles, so once kids can draw one, they can draw all of them.
Harvest Foods
Fall food is full of simple shapes: triangles, ovals and circles. These six are great for younger kids.
Fall Nature
Take the drawing outside: these six are things kids can spot on a fall walk.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Set the table on paper. These drawings make cute place cards when you add a name under each one.
Cozy Fall
Sweater weather on paper. The scarecrow has the most detail on this page, so save it for last.
What you need
- The free PDF, printed on plain US Letter paper (cardstock if you will use markers).
- A pencil and an eraser for the first light lines.
- A black fine-tip marker or felt pen to go over the final lines.
- Crayons, colored pencils or markers in fall colors: orange, red, yellow, brown and green.
- Optional: a ruler for straight lines and a coin or bottle cap to trace small circles.
Common drawing mistakes and quick fixes
- The turkey looks flat. Make the body rounder and the head smaller, and let the feathers fan out wider than the body.
- The feathers are uneven. Draw the middle feather first, then add the others in pairs, one on each side.
- The pie looks like a plain triangle. Add a thick, wavy crust along the back edge and a swirl of cream on top.
- The leaf is lopsided. Draw a straight stem first, then match the points on both sides of it.
- The drawing is too small. Use the dot grid on the practice page: aim for a drawing that is at least six dots tall.
Easy, medium or detailed: where to start
- Easiest (ages 3 to 5): the apple, the pumpkin, the maple leaf, the acorn, the mushroom and the plate with a fork and knife. Each one is a single shape with one or two details.
- Medium (ages 5 to 8): the round turkey, the baby turkey, the pumpkin pie slice, the corn, the gravy boat, the mug of cocoa, the hat and scarf and the sunflower.
- More detail (ages 8 and up): the cornucopia, the squirrel, the owl, the roast turkey on a platter, the leaf wreath and the scarecrow. These have more small parts, so they are great for older kids and grown-ups.
How to draw a simple pumpkin in 4 steps
- Draw a wide oval in the middle of your paper. Make it a little flat on the top and the bottom.
- Add a curved line on each side of the middle, from the top of the oval to the bottom. They should bend outward like the sides of a ball.
- Draw one more curved line on each side, closer to the edge. Now you have the ribs of the pumpkin.
- Add a short, thick stem on top and a curly vine with one leaf. Color it orange with a green stem.
The same oval-and-curves trick works for the pumpkin in the turkey’s arms and for any pumpkin you add next to the scarecrow.
6 Thanksgiving drawing activities for kids
- Thankful turkey: draw the round turkey and write one thing you are thankful for on each feather. Hang the turkeys in a row on the wall.
- Place cards: fold small pieces of cardstock in half, draw one idea on each and write a guest’s name underneath.
- Draw your dinner: after the meal, draw everything that was on your plate using the dinner sheet as a guide.
- Pass the paper: one person draws the turkey’s body, the next adds feathers, the next adds the face and so on around the table.
- Fall nature walk: take the Fall Nature sheet outside, look for every leaf, acorn and pinecone on it, then draw the real one you found.
- Gratitude wreath: draw the leaf wreath big, cut out paper leaves, write a thankful word on each and glue them on.
Your turn: the practice page
The last page has six empty boxes with a light dot grid. Kids pick their six favorite ideas, draw them in the boxes and write what they drew on the line. The dots help with size: count how many dots tall the drawing should be before you start.
Tips for drawing with kids at Thanksgiving
- Draw the big shapes first (the circle, the oval, the triangle) and the details last.
- Use a pencil first, then go over the lines you like with a black marker.
- Turn the drawings into place cards: fold a strip of cardstock in half and draw one idea on each.
- Make a thankful turkey: write one thing you are thankful for on each feather.
- Keep the kids busy while dinner cooks: put the PDF and a cup of crayons on the kids’ table.
Download the pages one by one
Want just one page? Click a link to open the full-size PNG, then print it or save it. The full PDF with every page and a cover is in the download box.
- Thanksgiving Turkeys idea sheet (PNG)
- Harvest Foods idea sheet (PNG)
- Fall Nature idea sheet (PNG)
- Thanksgiving Dinner idea sheet (PNG)
- Cozy Fall idea sheet (PNG)
- Practice page (PNG)
More for the holiday: how to draw a turkey step by step, Thanksgiving coloring pages, fall coloring pages and 100 gratitude journal prompts.
FAQ
What should I draw for Thanksgiving?
A turkey is the classic choice, but pumpkin pie, corn, a cornucopia, fall leaves, a squirrel or a scarecrow all work. This page has 30 ideas on five printable sheets.
What are easy Thanksgiving drawings for kids?
The easiest ones are made of simple shapes: a pumpkin, an apple, a maple leaf, an acorn and a round turkey. Start with those, then try the dinner table and the scarecrow.
How do you draw a cute turkey?
Make the head small and round and the body big and round, then add a fan of rounded feathers, short wings, stick legs and two dot eyes. See our step-by-step turkey guide.
How long does each Thanksgiving drawing take?
The easy ideas take about 2 to 5 minutes. The scarecrow, the cornucopia and the dinner table take 10 to 15 minutes with coloring.
Can toddlers use these drawing ideas?
Yes, with help. Let toddlers color the easy shapes like the apple, the pumpkin and the leaf, or trace over a printed sheet with a crayon.
Can I print just one page?
Yes. Use the single-page links above, or type the page number into the print window when you print the PDF.
Can I use these pages in my classroom?
Yes. The pages are free for personal and classroom use. Print a copy for every student, and link to this page instead of sharing the PDF file.
