Thanksgiving Jokes for Kids: 50 Clean Jokes for the Table

Good Thanksgiving jokes for kids are quick, clean puns about turkeys, pies, corn, Pilgrims and the parade that work for every age at the table, from a 5-year-old to great-grandma. Below are 50 Thanksgiving jokes with answers, starting with turkey jokes, then side dishes, holiday jokes, knock-knock jokes, one-liners and a harder set for kids aged 9 to 11. Most are traditional jokes with no known author; a few were written for this page. Thanksgiving in the United States falls on the fourth Thursday of November.

Why jokes belong at the Thanksgiving table

Thanksgiving brings long meals, relatives children see once a year and a lot of waiting while food is carved and passed. A few jokes give kids a role in the conversation that doesn't depend on answering "So, how's school?" A shy child who has practiced two turkey jokes has something to offer, and adults usually laugh generously.

Food puns are among the easiest jokes for young children to understand, because they can see the thing on the table: a drumstick, a pie, a bowl of corn. That makes Thanksgiving a good first holiday for learning how puns work.

Turkey jokes for kids

1. Why did the turkey cross the road? To prove it wasn't chicken.
2. What do you call a turkey on the day after Thanksgiving? Lucky.
3. Why did the turkey join the band? It already had the drumsticks.
4. What sound does a turkey's phone make? Wing, wing!
5. Why didn't the turkey want dessert? It was already stuffed.
6. What do you call a baby turkey? A goblet.
7. Which side of a turkey has the most feathers? The outside.
8. What is a turkey's favorite dessert? Peach gobbler.
9. Why do turkeys always say "gobble, gobble"? They never learned table manners.
10. What is the key to a great Thanksgiving dinner? The tur-key.
11. What do you get when a turkey lays an egg on top of a barn? An egg roll.
12. What does a turkey say when it meets an old friend? "Gobble to see you!"
13. Why are turkeys bad at dancing? They have two left drumsticks.
14. What do you call a turkey that runs really fast? Fast food.

Pie, corn and side-dish jokes

1. Why did the cranberries turn red? They saw the turkey dressing.
2. Why did the pumpkin pie go to the dentist? It needed a filling.
3. What did the gravy say to the mashed potatoes? "Don't worry, I'll cover for you."
4. Why did the corn get upset with the farmer? He kept pulling its ears.
5. Why did the apple pie cry? Its peelings were hurt.
6. What can you never eat at Thanksgiving dinner? Breakfast and lunch.
7. What do you call a stolen yam? A hot potato.
8. What did the green beans say when they reached the table? "We're so glad we bean invited!"

Pilgrim, parade and football jokes

1. What kind of music did the Pilgrims like? Plymouth Rock.
2. If April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims.
3. Why do the giant parade balloons love Thanksgiving morning? It's the one day everybody looks up to them.
4. Why do football players love Thanksgiving dinner? They can't wait to tackle the turkey.
5. Why did the police question the turkey? They suspected fowl play.
6. What do you call it when it rains turkeys? Fowl weather.
7. What dance do you do on Thanksgiving? The turkey trot.

Thanksgiving knock-knock jokes

1. Knock, knock. Who's there? Annie. Annie who? Annie-body want some pie?
2. Knock, knock. Who's there? Arthur. Arthur who? Arthur any leftovers?
3. Knock, knock. Who's there? Gladys. Gladys who? Gladys Thanksgiving, aren't you?
4. Knock, knock. Who's there? Juicy. Juicy who? Juicy how much food is on that table?
5. Knock, knock. Who's there? Pecan. Pecan who? Pecan somebody your own size!
6. Knock, knock. Who's there? Dewey. Dewey who? Dewey have to wait much longer for dinner?
7. Knock, knock. Who's there? Turkey. Turkey who? Turkey the door, it's cold out here!

Thanksgiving one-liners for kids and adults

1. Grandpa says he's most thankful for stretchy pants.
2. Our turkey was so big it needed its own chair.
3. Leftovers are the second-best part of Thanksgiving. The best part is knowing there will be leftovers.
4. My little brother gave the shortest thank-you speech ever: "Thanks. Pie?"
5. The cranberry sauce still has the ridges from the can, and that's tradition.
6. Every year the turkey sits in the middle of the table, and every year it's the first to go.

Harder Thanksgiving jokes for kids 9 to 11

1. Why can't you take a turkey to a fancy restaurant? It uses fowl language.
2. Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots.
3. What is a turkey's favorite holiday after Thanksgiving? Feather's Day.
4. What do you get if you cross a turkey with a centipede? Drumsticks for everyone.
5. How did the Mayflower show it liked America? It hugged the shore.
6. Why did the turkey become a news reporter? It loved to gobble up a good story.
7. What do you call corn that joins the army? Kernel.
8. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field.

Which jokes suit which age

Thanksgiving table games built on jokes

• Joke jar. Before the meal, write jokes on folded slips and put them in a jar or a clean bowl. Between courses, each person draws one and reads it aloud. Pre-readers can pick a slip and have an adult whisper it to them.
• Place-card jokes. Write a joke question on the front of each place card and the answer inside. Guests read theirs when everyone sits down.
• Finish the pun. Someone says a food word (pie, corn, roll, gravy) and the table has one minute to invent a joke with it. The silliest one wins the first slice of pie.
• Thankful and funny. Go around the table: each person says one thing they are thankful for and then tells one joke. The mix of serious and silly keeps younger kids engaged through a ritual that can otherwise feel long.

Making the day about thanks, too

Jokes are the fun part of Thanksgiving, but children also enjoy simple traditions that put the "thanks" back in: a paper tree with a leaf for each thing the family is grateful for, a thank-you note to a teacher or neighbor, or a bedtime question such as "What was the best moment of today?" These small habits work at any age and take a minute or two.

Stories can do the same job quietly. Our article on how the right stories help children learn, feel and grow explains how stories build empathy and connection, which is what gratitude grows from.

A story after the feast

Nori Tales writes a personalized 7-chapter book every week starring your child by name and the heroes they choose, meant to be read one chapter a night in text, illustrated or audio format. Stories follow a values-by-age program; see the Nori Tales program for 7 and 8 year olds for the topics and nightly goals at this age. If relatives have traveled far to be with you, or someone is missing from the table this year, the sample book The Unsent Postcard fits the mood: after moving to a seaside town, Nell feels herself drifting apart from her best friend back home.

Frequently asked questions

What are some good Thanksgiving jokes for kids?

Classic favorites include "Why did the turkey join the band? It already had the drumsticks" and "What sound does a turkey's phone make? Wing, wing!" They are short, clean and easy for children to retell at the table.

What do you call a baby turkey?

In the joke, a baby turkey is "a goblet," because it sounds like "gobble it." In real life, a baby turkey is called a poult, a fun fact kids can share right after the joke.

What are good Thanksgiving one-liners?

Family-friendly one-liners include "Grandpa says he's most thankful for stretchy pants" and "Leftovers are the second-best part of Thanksgiving." They work for kids and adults alike and fit well on place cards.

Are there clean Thanksgiving jokes for kids and adults?

Yes. Every joke on this page is clean. Knock-knock jokes and turkey puns suit younger guests, while history puns like "Plymouth Rock" and jokes about the meal itself get laughs from teens and grown-ups.

Are there printable Thanksgiving jokes for kids?

You can copy the jokes here onto place cards, slips for a joke jar or lunch-box notes, with the answer on the back. Kids enjoy writing and decorating the cards themselves as a pre-dinner activity.

Read together tonight

When the plates are cleared and the house is quiet, read chapter 1 of The Unsent Postcard free, no account needed, then create a free account to get a weekly personalized book with your child's name.