Looking for a fun and interactive way to celebrate Thanksgiving? Try our Free Printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher!
This simple and exciting craft is a perfect addition to your fall activities for children. It’s perfect for kids at home or school.
They’ll love folding the colorful paper fortune teller and playing with friends or family while learning all about Thanksgiving.
Easy-to-follow instructions and delightful designs make it an enjoyable way to practice fine motor skills and get into the holiday spirit.
Whether it’s a fun classroom activity or a cozy at-home craft, kids will love finding the holiday surprises inside. It’s a fun way to make Thanksgiving extra special.
Benefits Of Free Printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher
The Free Printable Thanksgiving chatterbox offers various benefits, including helping children practice and improve essential developmental skills in a fun and engaging way.
As kids fold and play with the cootie catcher, they develop fine motor skills by using their fingers and hands to manipulate paper, which also enhances hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
The process of folding and assembling the paper fortune teller helps improve spatial awareness as children follow the folding steps and figure out how the pieces fit together.
As they play the paper game, they can also practice basic counting and number recognition and improve their reading skills by interacting with simple words or questions hidden inside.
Thanksgiving Printables for Kids
Add extra fun to Thanksgiving with a variety of engaging activities for kids!
From hands-on crafts to interactive games and educational worksheets, these Thanksgiving-themed ideas are perfect for family gatherings, classroom celebrations, or at-home learning.
These activities capture the holiday spirit while encouraging creativity, learning, and joyful moments together.
- Thanksgiving Word List and Handwriting Practice
- Thanksgiving Food Worksheet
- Thanksgiving Word Tracing
- Thanksgiving Spot The Difference Printable
- Thanksgiving This or That Questions Printable Worksheet
How Does Reading Prompts Support Literacy?
Reading prompts in the Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher is a fun way for kids to boost their literacy skills without even realizing it.
Each prompt encourages them to recognize words, understand simple sentences, and even think about what they mean—all of which build reading comprehension.
As they open each flap and discover new phrases, kids practice sounding out words and connecting them to Thanksgiving themes.
This makes reading feel like an interactive game rather than a task, which keeps them engaged and excited to learn.
It’s a playful approach to building reading skills that’s perfect for the holiday season.
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What’s Included in These Thanksgiving Activities?
Get ready to print and play! This printable set includes three fun-filled pages, each designed to add some holiday spirit to your activities.
On the first page, kids will find a Thanksgiving-themed cover to color that says “Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher.”
The second page is where the real fun kicks off!
You’ll find a numbered square from 1-8 decked out with Thanksgiving designs, and inside each flap, there are little prompts and questions to explore.
Kids will love opening each section to find a new holiday-themed surprise or activity that keeps them engaged and entertained.
Finally, the third page is a step-by-step guide on how to cut and fold the paper fortune teller.
With clear, easy-to-follow instructions, kids can learn how to put their craft together all by themselves—or with a little help if needed.
It’s the perfect mix of creativity, skill-building, and holiday fun, all packed into three simple pages that are perfect for home or the classroom.
Recommended Items Needed for This Printable
To bring this printable to life, you’ll just need a few simple supplies.
First, print out the pages and we recommend using the Epson EcoTank printer, which is helpful when you print a lot.
Prepare a pair of child-safe scissors that will be needed for cutting out the cootie catcher.
Keep pencils or markers nearby to help write down answers or notes if desired.
With these simple items, kids will have all they need to dive into this fun Thanksgiving activity and really enjoy themselves.
Ways to Use This Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher
There are so many fun ways to use this printable, making it a versatile activity for kids!
At home, you can use it as a fun family game. Take turns picking numbers, then open the flaps to reveal Thanksgiving-themed prompts that spark conversation, storytelling, or even creative answers.
It’s a playful way to practice reading, comprehension, and communication.
In the classroom, it can serve as a fun icebreaker, helping students learn more about each other while talking about holiday traditions, favorite foods, or what they’re thankful for.
Teachers can also incorporate it into lessons, encouraging kids to answer the prompts in writing or draw pictures related to Thanksgiving.
For quieter moments, it’s a great tool for creative writing, where kids can expand on the prompts with their own stories.
The interactive nature of the paper game lets kids engage with the holiday in a hands-on way, making learning festive and fun.
How Does Playing with Friends Improve Communication?
Playing with friends is an excellent way for kids to improve communication skills because it gives them lots of opportunities to practice speaking and listening in real-life situations.
When they play games like using the free printable Thanksgiving Cootie Catcher, they often need to explain how the game works, share their thoughts on the prompts, and take turns asking or answering questions.
These simple exchanges help kids become more comfortable expressing themselves and understanding others.
They also learn how to ask for help, make requests, and negotiate, all of which are key to effective communication.
Additionally, playing together builds confidence in using language, whether they’re telling a story or sharing a joke.
Additional Free Kindergarten Activities
Explore a wide range of fun, educational resources designed especially for kindergarteners.
These printables include themed crafts, interactive worksheets, and playful activities that help young learners build essential skills.
Perfect for home or classroom use, each printable provides a creative, engaging way to support early learning.
- Turkey Crafts for Kindergarten
- Chicken Life Cycle Activity
- Bat Worksheets For Kindergarten
- Money Memory Game Printable
- Apple Books for Kindergarten
Books About Thanksgiving
Celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving with stories that bring the holiday’s traditions and themes to life.
These Books About Thanksgiving offer heartwarming tales, historical insights, and fun adventures that help kids explore gratitude, family, and the joy of gathering together.
These books are perfect for storytime, whether you’re cozy at home or in the classroom, and they add a meaningful touch to the Thanksgiving season.
The Night Before ThanksgivingPete the Cat: The First ThanksgivingA Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Peanuts)Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit!The Crayons Give ThanksFancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet: With More Than 30 Fabulous Stickers!
This activity is a simple yet engaging way for kids to celebrate Thanksgiving while developing key skills like fine motor coordination, communication, and literacy.
It offers a creative, hands-on experience that can be enjoyed at home or in the classroom, making it a versatile addition to any holiday lesson plan or family activity.
With its fun prompts and easy-to-follow instructions, this cootie catcher is a great way to make learning festive, interactive, and full of holiday cheer.
If the download form is not showing below, please click this link to get your Thanksgiving cootie catcher printable.
Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.