Free Thanksgiving coloring pages for preschool and kindergarten

How teachers and parents use them

Preschool and kindergarten teachers use Thanksgiving coloring pages as morning work, a quiet center, an early-finisher folder, or the activity on the table while families arrive for a Thanksgiving feast. At home they buy you twenty calm minutes while the turkey is in the oven, and they travel well to grandma's house in a folder with a box of crayons.

Coloring is also real fine-motor practice. Holding a crayon, staying near a line and filling a shape all build the hand strength children need for writing. Ask your child to name the colors they choose, count the feathers on the turkey, or tell you one thing they are thankful for when the page is done.

Age range

These pages are drawn for toddlers, preschool and kindergarten (about ages 2 to 6). Shapes are big and outlines are thick, so there are no tiny cells to frustrate small hands. First and second graders enjoy them too, and the color by number and I Spy packs below give that age a little more challenge.

Print tips

A few things make the pages easier to use:

• Print portrait at 100% or 'fit to page' on US Letter. A4 printers work with 'fit to page'.
• Regular copy paper is fine for crayons. Use cardstock for markers or paint daubers so the ink doesn't bleed through.
• Black-and-white printing is all you need, which saves color ink.
• Classroom set? Print one copy, check it, then photocopy for the class.