Sharing fun Thanksgiving poems for kids in the classroom and home is a fun way to get young children excited about the coming history and traditions of the Thanksgiving holiday. Younger children may enjoy these Pre-school Thanksgiving Poems.

November is here and soon we’ll cheer, Happy Thanksgiving Day!
And so my friends, it is to you I send, a wish for a yummy day!
Nana

Sharing Fun Thanksgiving Poems for Kids

Every holiday, including Thanksgiving, is a fun time to share holiday poems. These 32 fun Thanksgiving poems for kids may be familiar to you and new to the kids you’ll be sharing the Thanksgiving poems with this November.

Talk about which one of the 32 Thanksgiving poems you each thought were the most fun, and share what you think makes the poems fun. Is it the story within the poem, the rhythm and rhyme, or pictures that come to mind?

32 Fun Thanksgiving Poems for Kids

‘TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned–the dark meat and white,
but I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
the thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees…
happy eating to all—pass the cranberries, please!

I’M THANKFUL FOR TURKEY

by Kenn Nesbitt

I’m thankful for turkey.
I’m thankful for yams.
I’m thankful for cranberries,
biscuits, and hams.

I’m thankful for pumpkins.
I’m thankful for cheese.
I’m thankful for gravy,
potatoes, and peas.

I’m thankful for stuffing;
I’m nuts for the stuff.
I’m thankful for eggnog
and marshmallow fluff.

I’m thankful for whipped cream
and ice cream and pies.
I’m thankful for dad’s
double-chocolate surprise.

I’m thankful, Thanksgiving,
for good things to eat.
But mostly I’m thankful
I still see my feet.

Copyright © 2010 Kenn Nesbitt
All Rights Reserved
From www.poetry4kids.com
with permission

MR. TURKEY

(to the tune of Yankee Doodle)

Mr. Turkey, better watch out.
Thanksgiving Day is coming.
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up
In someone’s hungry tummy!
Mr. Turkey, run, run, run.
Please run away and hide.
Mr. Turkey, run, run, run.
Don’t wait around outside.

OH, WHAT A FEAST!

by Deborah P. Cerbus

Turkey and gravy
Corn on my plate.
Oh, what a feast for me.
Cranberries and stuffing
I can’t wait.
Oh, what a feast for me.
Bread and potatoes
Dessert is great.
Oh, what a feast for me.
I love Thanksgiving
Fill up my plate.
Oh, what a feast for me!

THANKSGIVING PRAYER

by Susan D. Anderson

I’m thankful for my mother, and
I’m thankful for my dad.
I’m thankful for my sisters, and
for all the fun we’ve had.
I’m thankful for my brother, Tom,
(even when he’s jerky.)
But most of all, I’m oh-so-thankful
not to be a turkey.

TURKEY IN THE BARNYARD

Turkey in the barnyard, what does he say?
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble all day.
Turkey on the table, what do I say?
Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy all day.
Turkey in my tummy, what do I say?
I ate too much on Thanksgiving Day!

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here
It comes around but once a year
If I could only have my way,
We’d have Thanksgiving every day.

A THANKSGIVING THOUGHT

The day I give thanks for having a nose
Is Thanksgiving Day, for do you suppose
That Thanksgiving dinner would taste as good
If you couldn’t smell it? I don’t think it would.
Could apple pie baking—turkey that’s basting
Not be for the smelling? Just be for tasting?
It’s a cranberry-cinnamon-onion bouquet!
Be thankful for noses on Thanksgiving Day.

THE TURKEY SHOT OUT OF THE OVEN

by Jack Prelutsky

The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there’d never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,
it smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn’t a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I’d never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn’t been popped.

I ATE TOO MUCH TURKEY

by Jack Prelutsky

I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I’m stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin’,
I’m probably going to die.

I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I’m so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.

I’m full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there’s still some dessert,
so I guess it won’t hurt
if I eat just a little bit more.

A THANKSGIVING DINNER

by Maude M. Grant

Take a turkey, stuff it fat,
Some of this and some of that.
Get some turnips, peel them well.
Cook a big squash in its shell.

Now potatoes, big and white,
Mash till they are soft and light.
Cranberries, so tart and sweet,
With the turkey we must eat.

Pickles-yes-and then, oh my!
For a dessert a pumpkin pie,
Golden brown and spicy sweet.
What a fine Thanksgiving treat!

AT GRANDMA’S HOUSE

I like the taste of turkey
Any time throughout the year
But it never
seems to taste as good
As when Thanksgiving’s here.

Could be it’s all the trimmings
That are cooked with it to eat-
But I think it’s
eating at Grandma’s house
That makes it such a treat!

A TURKEY SPEAKS

I have never understood
why anyone would
roast the turkey
and shuck the clams
and crisp the croutons
and shell the peas
and candy the sweets
and compote the cranberries
and bake the pies
and clear the table
and wash the dishes
and fall into bed
when they could sit back
and enjoy a hamburger.

HOLIDAY LETTERS

T  is for turkey on Thanksgiving Day,
H  is for “Hurry, I’m hungry!” we say.
A  is for Auntie, she works and she mends,
N  is for Native American friends.
K  is for kitchen, the oven’s on low,
S  is for silverware, set in a row.
G  is for Grandma, the one we love most,
I  is for inside, where we’re warm as toast.
V  is for vegetables, eat them we try,
I  is for ice cream on top of the pie.
N  is for never do we have enough dressing,
G  is for Grandpa, who gives thanks for our blessings.

OVER THE RIVER
(Thanksgiving Day)

Over the river and through the wood
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ling!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go
Extremely slow…
It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood~
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

A THANKSGIVING ALPHABET

By Linda Maria Child

T…Turkeys, tablespreads, being together,
H…Happiness and homes to protect us from all weather,
A…Aunts and uncles, a reunion in Fall,
N…Nieces and nephews, family members all!
K…Kind-hearted kin coming over for dinner,
S…Surely you’ll have fun, but you won’t get thinner!
G…Gourds and pumpkins, mouths open wide.
I…Indians and Pilgrims we remember with pride.
V…Very special times-there could even be snow.
I…Imagine what it was like at Plymouth long ago.
N…Never forget how the settlers led the way,
G…Giving thanks and blessing this special day.

THE THANKSTIVING DAY PARADE

By Jack Prelutsky

Thanksgiving Day is here today,
the great parade is under way,
and though it’s drizzling quite a bit,
I’m sure that I’ll see all of it.

Great balloons are floating by,
cartoon creatures stories high,
Mickey Mouse and Mother Goose,
Snoopy and a mammoth moose.

Humpty Dumpty, Smokey Bear
hover in the autumn air,
through the windy skies they sway,
I hope that they don’t blow away.

Here comes Santa, shaking hands
as he waddles by the stands.
It’s so much fun, I don’t complain
when now it really starts to rain.

The bands are marching, here they come,
pipers pipe and drummers drum,
hear the tubas and the flutes,
see the clowns in silly suits.

It’s pouring now, but not on me,
I’m just as dry as I can be,
I watch and watch, but don’t get wet,
I’m watching on our TV set.

FUNNY BIRD

A turkey is a funny bird,
Its head goes wobble, wobble,
All it knows is just one word,
“Gobble, gobble, gobble.”

TURKEY WARNING

Tell me, Mr. Turkey,
Don’t you feel afraid
When you hear us talking
‘Bout the plans we’ve made?

Can’t you hear us telling
How we’re going to eat
Cranberries and stuffing
With our turkey meat?

Turkey, heed my warning:
Better fly away;
Or you will be sorry
On Thanksgiving day.

FIVE LITTLE TURKEYS

5 little turkeys standing by door,
One waddled off, and then there were 4.
4 little turkeys under a tree,
One waddled off , and then there were 3.
3 little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were 2.
2 little turkeys in the noon day sun,
One waddled off, and then there was 1.
One little turkey better run away,
For soon will come Thanksgiving day.

IF TURKEYS THOUGHT

by Jack Prelutsky

If turkeys thought, they’d run away,
A week before Thanksgiving Day.
But turkeys can’t anticipate,
And so there’s turkey on my plate!

FAT TURKEY’S SONG

(to the tune of “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”)

Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys, fat turkeys.
Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys are we.
We walk very proudly and gobble so loudly,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble.
Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble.
Fat turkeys are we.

TURKEY

by Meish Goldish

Let’s talk turkey!
What a walk it’s got!
Strut about, strut about,
Do the turkey trot!

Let’s talk turkey,
What a shaky wobble!
Strut about, strut about,
Gobble, gobble, gobble!

MR. TURKEY SONG

I heard Mr. Turkey say,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Soon t’will be Thanksgiving day,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble,
People say that it’s much fun,
But I think I’ll run and run
And hide until the day is done,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble,

FIVE FAT TURKEYS

Five fat turkeys are we.
We spent all night in a tree.
When the cook came around,
We were no where to be found
And that’s why we’re here you see!

TURKEY HOT

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)

We cooked turkey, nice and hot,
Nice and hot, nice and hot.
We cooked turkey nice and hot
On Thanksgiving Day.

We eat turkey a whole lot,
A whole lot, a whole lot.
We eat turkey a whole lot.
It will not go away!

Sandwiches and soup are fine.
By the way, would you like mine?
Pot pie lasts a long, long time,
It’s turkey every day!

WHEN DADDY CARVES THE TURKEY

When Daddy carves the turkey,
It is really quite a sight,
I know he tries his hardest,
But he never does it right.

He makes a fancy show of it,
Before he starts to carve,
And stabs in all directions,
While we’re certain that we’ll starve.

He seems to take forever,
As we sit and shake our heads,
By the time he’s finished slicing,
He’s reduced the birds to shreds.

He yells as loud as thunder,
Just before he’s finally through
For when Daddy carves the turkey,
Daddy carves his finger too!

ALBUQUERQUE TURKEY

(Sung to Clementine)

Albuquerque he’s my turkey
Oh he’s feathered and he’s fine
He wobbles and he gobbles
And I’m awfully glad he’s mine.
He’s the best pet
You could ever get.
Better than a dog or cat.
Albuquerque he’s my turkey
And I’m awfully glad of that.
Albuquerque he’s my turkey
He’s so cozy in his bed
Because for Thanksgiving dinner
We had scrambled eggs instead.

TURKEY, TURKEY

(Sung to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Turkey, Turkey look at you
Please be careful what you do.
Thanksgiving day is almost here.
We eat turkey every year.
Go and hide out in the woods.
We’ll eat pizza like we should.

I’M GLAD I’M NOT A TURKEY

Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
A turkey, a turkey
Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
On Thanksgiving Day
They’ll stuff you and baste you
And then they will taste you.
Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
On Thanksgiving Day

MR. TURKEY

(Sung to Are You Sleeping)

Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey
Nice and fat, nice and fat
I am going to eat you
I am going to eat you
Just like that.
Just like that.

ONE FAT TURKEY

One fat turkey went strutting by
He shook his feathers and he winked his eye
He flapped his wings and his head gave a wobble
He looked and my and said, “Gobble, gobble, gobble”.

Share with readers…

  • Which of the 32 Fun Thanksgiving Poems for Kids is your favorite?  
  • Do you have a favorite fun Thanksgiving poem for kids that isn’t here? Share the title.

I’m always looking for additional fun Thanksgiving poems for kids. Write one and share it!

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