100+ Thanksgiving Jokes for Kids, Sorted by Age and Type

Why Thanksgiving Jokes Are Worth the Groan

A good joke gives your kid something to do at the table besides wait for food. Telling one, even a simple one, means picking the right moment, saying the words clearly, and watching for a reaction. That's a lot of practice packed into one bad pun about a turkey.

It also gives a quiet kid an easy way into a loud room. Handing your 4-year-old one joke to memorize before Thanksgiving dinner gives them a specific, doable job: walk up to Grandpa, say the line, wait for the laugh. You don't need a lesson plan for this. You just need a joke your kid can actually remember.

Easy Thanksgiving Jokes for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

These Thanksgiving jokes for preschoolers skip the wordplay and lean on goofy images instead, since that's what actually gets a laugh out of a 3-year-old. They double as Thanksgiving jokes for kindergarteners just as easily. A teacher putting together Thanksgiving jokes for kindergarten circle time can grab any of these without reading ahead first to check they're appropriate.

1. What does a turkey wear to a party? Its feather coat.
2. Why did the turkey cross the playground? To get to the other slide.
3. What do you call a turkey on Thanksgiving? Stuffed.
4. What does a baby turkey say? "Peep, peep, gobble!"
5. Why did the pumpkin sit on the porch? It wanted to see the parade.
6. What's orange and wears a turkey costume? A pumpkin that got confused.
7. What do you call a sleepy turkey? A snoozer.
8. Why did the turkey wear sneakers? So it could run from dinner.
9. What's a turkey's favorite game? Hide and gobble-seek.
10. Why did the corn blush? It saw the salad dressing.
11. What does a turkey say when it's happy? "Gobble-dee-doo!"
12. What's a pumpkin's favorite sport? Squash.
13. Why did the turkey join the choir? It had the drumsticks for it.
14. What do you call a turkey that won't share? A gobble-hog.
15. Why did the little turkey go to time out? It was too gobbly.

Thanksgiving Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids

Thanksgiving knock knock jokes work for almost any age because the back-and-forth does half the job for you. Your kid just has to remember three lines and deliver the last one with a straight face.

1. Knock knock. Who's there? Turkey. Turkey who? Turkey-lly, I'm just here for the pie.
2. Knock knock. Who's there? Harvest. Harvest who? Har-vest your jacket, it's cold outside!
3. Knock knock. Who's there? Gravy. Gravy who? Gravy-ly, I need more on my potatoes.
4. Knock knock. Who's there? Yam. Yam who? Yam so hungry, is dinner ready yet?
5. Knock knock. Who's there? Pecan. Pecan who? Pecan someone your own size!
6. Knock knock. Who's there? Stuffing. Stuffing who? Stuffing much, how about you?
7. Knock knock. Who's there? Cranberry. Cranberry who? Cranberry open the door, my hands are full of pie!
8. Knock knock. Who's there? Wishbone. Wishbone who? Wish-bone you'd let me in already.
9. Knock knock. Who's there? Pumpkin. Pumpkin who? Pumpkin the brakes, dinner's not ready yet!
10. Knock knock. Who's there? Butter. Butter who? Butter save room for dessert.
11. Knock knock. Who's there? Turkey again. Turkey again who? Turkey again and again, this bird keeps coming back!
12. Knock knock. Who's there? November. November who? November mind, I forgot my joke.
13. Knock knock. Who's there? Feast. Feast who? Feast your eyes on this table!
14. Knock knock. Who's there? Candy. Candy who? Candy turkey come out and play after dinner?
15. Knock knock. Who's there? Dishes. Dishes who? Dishes a lot of food for one table.

Turkey Jokes Kids Can't Resist

Turkeys get most of the attention on Thanksgiving, and they get most of the jokes too. These children's turkey jokes lean on the bird's gobble, its feathers, and its bad luck for landing on the dinner table.

1. Why did the turkey cross the road twice? To prove it wasn't chicken.
2. What key won't open any door? A tur-key.
3. Why don't turkeys ever get invited to card games? Too many people pluck.
4. What do you call a turkey that tells jokes? A real comedi-hen.
5. Why did the turkey get a time-out at school? It kept gobbling during quiet time.
6. What's a turkey's favorite day of the week? Chewsday.
7. Why did the turkey run onto the football field? It heard it was for the Turkey Bowl.
8. What do you get when you cross a turkey with a banjo? A turkey that can pluck its own strings.
9. Why did the turkey stay home from the gym? It was already stuffed.
10. What sound does a turkey's alarm clock make? Gobble gobble, wake up!
11. Why did the turkey refuse dessert? It was already full of itself.
12. What's a turkey's least favorite month? November, obviously.
13. Why did the turkey cross the ocean? To get to the other tide.
14. What do you call a turkey that's bad at hiding? Easy to spot.
15. Why did the turkey sit in the tree? It heard the branch had good views of dinner.
16. What do you call a turkey with no feathers? Thanksgiving dinner, basically.
17. Why did the turkey act so calm? It was trying not to ruffle any feathers.
18. What's a turkey's favorite instrument? The drumstick, naturally.
19. Why did the turkey start a band? It already had the drumsticks.
20. What do turkeys say before a big meal? "Let's not overdo it." Then they do it anyway.

More Kids Thanksgiving Jokes About Food and Pilgrims

Not every kids Thanksgiving joke needs a turkey in it. Mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and the Pilgrims themselves all hold up just as well, and these children's thanksgiving jokes spread the attention around the rest of the table.

1. What's the best thing to put into a pumpkin pie? Your fork.
2. Why did the cranberries turn red? They saw the turkey get carved.
3. What did the mashed potatoes say to the butter? You're melting my heart.
4. Why was the pie in such a good mood? It was feeling fruity.
5. What do you call a potato that's always complaining? A grumpy spud.
6. Why did the Pilgrim plant seeds in his pants? He wanted his jeans to grow.
7. What did one plate say to the other? Dinner's on me.
8. Why couldn't the family finish their Thanksgiving dinner? The turkey wasn't cooperating.
9. What's a Pilgrim's favorite kind of music? Plymouth Rock.
10. Why did the corn go to the doctor? It had an earache.
11. What did the little corn say to the mama corn? Where's pop corn?
12. Why did the sweet potato cross the road? To prove it had the guts.
13. What do you call a nervous Pilgrim? A chicken, apparently, since turkeys are brave.
14. Why did the stuffing get a promotion? It really filled the role.
15. What did the napkin say at the end of dinner? I've been through a lot today.
16. Why don't you ever see Pilgrims in a hurry? They always took the Mayflower.
17. What do you call a pie that tells jokes? A real smarty pie.
18. Why did the gravy boat get lost? It didn't have a very good map.
19. What's a pumpkin's favorite thing to read? A good pie-ography.
20. Why did the green beans look so proud? They finally made the cut.
21. What did the fork say to the Thanksgiving dinner? Pleased to meet you, I'll be digging in.
22. Why was the Thanksgiving table so tall? It had a lot to look forward to.
23. What do you call a Pilgrim who skips dessert? Unheard of.
24. Why did the pumpkin pie go to school? To become a little smarter, pie-ece by pie-ece.
25. What did the turkey say to the computer before dinner? I'll be logging off now.
26. Why do Pilgrims make bad secret-keepers? Everyone always hears about the Mayflower Compact.
27. What's a Thanksgiving tree's favorite subject? Branch-ing out.
28. Why did the roll feel left out? Everyone kept passing right by it. Then someone finally buttered it up.
29. What do you call a Thanksgiving ghost? Casper the Friendly Feast.
30. Why did the whole family cheer when the pie came out? Because that's the best part, and everyone already knew it.

Thanksgiving Dad Jokes for Kids

Thanksgiving dad jokes for kids are built to make everyone groan a little, which is exactly the point. These work best delivered slowly, with a straight face, right before someone passes the potatoes.

1. I'm thankful for spell check. I don't know how to taco 'bout anything without it, and also that's not even the right holiday.
2. What did the turkey say before it told a joke? This one's gonna kill. Then it didn't, and everyone groaned instead.
3. I was going to tell a Thanksgiving joke about gravy, but it's a bit too thin.
4. Why don't Pilgrims ever get cold? They always bring their own Plymouth coats.
5. I told the turkey a joke. It didn't laugh. Tough crowd, tough bird.
6. What do you call it when a turkey gets a compliment? Flattery with a side of gravy.
7. I was going to carve the turkey myself this year, but I decided to wing it.
8. Why did the dad get stuck carving the turkey every single year? Someone has to take one for the team.
9. What do you call a turkey who's also a musician? A rock-and-roll gobbler.
10. I used to hate Thanksgiving leftovers. Then they grew on me, which is also what happened to the bread I forgot in the fridge.
11. Why did the dad put the turkey in the freezer the night before? He wanted everyone to see him pull off "cold turkey."
12. What's the difference between a turkey and a drum? You can actually tune a drum.
13. I'm trying a new diet this Thanksgiving. I see food, and then I eat it.
14. Why did the scarecrow get invited to Thanksgiving dinner? He was out-standing in his field, and he's great at passing the corn.
15. What do you call a dad who tells Thanksgiving jokes? Tur-key to the whole family's groaning this year.

Pair the Laughs With Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

Once your kid's told their joke and gotten their laugh, give them something quiet to do with their hands before the food's actually ready. Keiki World keeps a full set of Thanksgiving coloring pages. You'll find turkeys, pumpkins, and harvest scenes sized for little hands.

Print one that matches whatever joke just got the loudest reaction, like a turkey page after the turkey jokes or a pie after the food jokes. It's a quiet, hands-on way to fill the gap between the appetizers and the main meal. It also gives a wiggly toddler or a bored 6-year-old something to do besides ask when dinner's ready.

Helping a Shy Kid Tell Their First Joke

Some kids need a little practice before they'll say a joke out loud in front of relatives. Run through it with them a few times earlier in the day. Let them pick exactly who they want to tell it to, and skip the pressure to perform for the whole table right away. One person laughing is plenty for a first try.

If your kid gets a kick out of saying the same line until it's just right, that's the same muscle Keiki World's speech games build on. The repetition that makes a joke work is the same repetition that makes a new word stick.

Thanksgiving jokes are also just one piece of a bigger day. If you're looking for more ways to fill the hours before dinner, Thanksgiving activities for kids article has other ideas that don't involve a screen.