This FREE printable Thanksgiving Parade scavenger hunt – a fun family activity for Thanksgiving morning!
We have quite a few scavenger hunt ideas for Thanksgiving –
- the printable Gratitude Scavenger Hunt – which can be done as a photo hunt or writing activity
- the printable What’s on Your Phone Thanksgiving Hunt – an awesome one to play with all ages!
And now – a Thanksgiving Parade scavenger hunt too!
One of our family traditions is to watch the Macy’s parade together on Thanksgiving morning — kind of the calm before the storm (of family and food 😉 so I thought why not create a fun game to go with it!
Grab a copy of our newest scavenger hunt & keep kids entertained for a bit 😉
Thanksgiving Parade Scavenger Hunt (FREE printable!)
Scavenger hunts are fun, easy and a great (learning) challenge for kids too! They help to increase attention spans as kids hunt down items, offer a fun opportunity for learning new words and challenge kids to pay attention to details.
All that fun learning wrapped up in a quick & easy printable game!
This Thanksgiving Day Parade Scavenger Hunt can be used with almost any parade — the ones you watch on t.v. or even if you’re attending a live parade event. One of the traditions at our house is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while still in our holiday pj’s – it’s an unspoken rule at our house 🙂
If you’ve ever watched a parade with kids, you know they ask a lot of “when will we see …” questions. So this hunt will keep them focused on watching for all those fun balloons and entertainment during the parade — plus, it will give all us cooks a little more time to get things ready while the kids are kept busy too 😉
Since we always like to pair almost any activity with a book, here are a few fun parade-related reads along with affiliate links to each one!
Balloons Over Broadway — is the true story of Tony Sarg who created the helium balloons that are used in parades!
Milly and the Macy’s Parade — a great historical look at the beginnings of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade — how the first parade in 1924 was organized by Macy’s employees!
Thanksgiving Parade — a board book perfect for younger readers who might be watching their very first parade!
And based on a favorite movie, Miracle on 34th Street is also a wonderful read aloud during the holidays! If you’ve ever watch the movie, you’ll know that the story begins on Thanksgiving Day when Santa visits New York City during the parade.
If you’re looking for more holiday reads, see these 10 Thanksgiving Books about Gratitude & Thankfulness!
Printable Thanksgiving Day Parade Scavenger Hunt
We’ve included both easy to find and somewhat harder challenges on the scavenger hunt list so kids of all ages will enjoy the hunt! If you’re attending a local parade that may not have balloons, just look for parade floats with the same theme or items.
Keep an eye out for the following items when you’re watching the parade:
- a turkey
- a traffic light
- a marching band
- people holding balloon ropes
- a choir singing holiday songs
- Christmas lights on a building
- someone wearing mittens (might be a big challenge depending on the weather 😉
- an elf
- an animal balloon or float
- a police officer on a motorcycle
- a superhero balloon or float
- Broadway show dancers (or any dancers)
- a kid wearing a hat
- a balloon/float from your favorite show
- someone riding a bike
- Santa Claus
And if your family enjoys scavenger hunts, be sure to pop over and see our *newest* hunt — the FREE Gratitude Photo Scavenger Hunt — it’s perfect for kids, tweens, teens and adults to do this Thanksgiving!
If you’re looking for more fun ideas for keeping kids entertained on Thanksgiving, be sure to see these 10 Printable Thanksgiving Games for Kids & Adults too!
Or check out the Printable Thanksgiving Coloring & Activity Pack for TONS of fun ideas for all ages!!
Grab a FREE copy of the Thanksgiving Parade Scavenger Hunt here!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
More Holiday Scavenger Hunt Ideas:
Thanksgiving Photo Scavenger Hunt (free printable!)
Gingerbread Scavenger Hunt for Kids (free printable!)