These 27 Thanksgiving Episodes for Kids Are a Must-Watch for Turkey Day 2026

Perhaps you’re counting on screen time to keep the kids from getting underfoot while you prepare a massive holiday feast; or maybe you’re realizing that after gorging yourself on said feast, there’s not much to do but change into sweatpants and cozy up with a family-friendly holiday special. Well, friends, you can easily cover both bases with our roundup of the best Thanksgiving episodes for kids to watch in 2026, which includes comedic relief from the likes of Garfield and the Rugrats, tender family moments courtesy of Full House and just about everything in between. And to make things extra special, consider serving some fancy appetizers or easy Thanksgiving apps that both kids and adults will love. (Parents while you’re watching try some bubbly prosecco cocktail pairings.)

Here, my 27 favorite Thanksgiving episodes for kids (plus, where to stream them).

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: Y7
• Run time: 25 minutes

In the first half of season 2, episode 9, Llama Llama and his group of friends are pioneers who invent a new holiday to show their gratitude to the various adults that serve the community. In other words, this one is a wholesome watch for the toddler and pre-K crowd that avoids the troublesome history behind the actual holiday.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: NR
• Run time: 25 minutes

You know the holiday season is in full swing when the Charlie Brown specials become readily available for streaming. Here, the Peanuts gang attempts to pull off a perfect fall harvest feast—despite their limited culinary skills—and, as always, the show’s signature comedic stylings are guaranteed to charm the whole family. For what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving episodes for kids, and VP of Editorial Content Candace Davison agrees, writing:

“I love A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It's so sweet to see the lengths Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Woodstock go to make a special feast for their friends, even though they don't know how to make anything fancier than toast. As a kid, I dreamed of a party like that, full of friends and laughter, even if it meant we were snacking on jellybeans and pretzel sticks over stuffing and green bean casserole. It's heartwarming and sweet; good for all ages.”

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 26 minutes

This holiday special from the Sesame Street crew serves up just what you’d expect from the beloved, long-running series: a multicultural celebration full of community love. My kids and I have always appreciated the diversity of the cast and the social-emotional learning that Sesame Street offers, and Thanksgiving is a particularly fitting occasion for kids of any age (yes, I mean that!) to tune in. This one gets an A+ from me.

• Suitable For: Kids ages 3+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 23 minutes

This wholesome and funny show for little kids is really all about gratitude, so it should come as no surprise that the holiday special nails the Thanksgiving message. Tune in for a festive watch, complete with catchy tunes, and a healthy dose of social emotional learning, thanks to a band of friends who spread the notion of thankfulness to those who need to learn it the most.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 3+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 25 minutes

The holiday special (Season 3, Episode 29) of this interactive, hit TV series for toddlers and preschoolers involves guessing what the ever-mysterious pup, Blue, is thankful for. Having shown this and many other Blue’s Clues episodes to my kids when they were toddlers, I can say with confidence that you will be thankful for a show that keeps the little ones thoroughly engaged while you attend to other tasks.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 3+
• Rating: All
• Run time: 23 minutes

Much like Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer is an interactive show that promises the little kid crowd more than just a passive viewing experience. This time, the bilingual protagonist needs some help from your clever kid in order to fix a Thanksgiving Day parade snafu.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 23 minutes

The rivalry between Mayor Goodway and Mayor Humdinger is still going strong in this Paw Patrol holiday special—and, per the usual, it’s Mayor Humdinger who is on the wrong side of Thanksgiving history. The plot isn’t particularly original—needless to say, the pups save the day and Adventure Bay has its feast—but chances are your pup-obsessed toddler won’t mind a predictable ending amid his queue of Thanksgiving episodes to binge (with appropriate screentime breaks, of course).

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 23 minutes

No Care Bears episode would be complete without some force of evil for the cuddly protagonists to fight, and this 1986 Thanksgiving special is no exception. This time, it’s Sour Sam—a villain who has a diabolical plot to ruin the holiday by foisting crabby apple pies on the town. Fortunately, the team of do-gooders manages to save the day with some help from Gram Bear’s Star Baker skills.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 3+
• Rating: G
• Run time: 63 minutes

The whole Hundred Acre gang—Christopher Robin, Poo, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Gopher, and Owl—have worked hard to prepare a unique Thanksgiving spread. Alas, the feast is lacking some key components (think: turkey, cranberry sauce and pie for dessert) that the friends must hunt down in order to save the holiday.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 3+
• Rating: Y7
• Run time: 27 minutes

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood devotes a full episode to the festive theme of giving thanks with a brief, but treasured visit from Grandpere Tiger, followed by a community-wide celebration known as “Neighborhood Thank You Day.” My kids are older now (8 and 10), but we still have a nostalgic fondness for Daniel Tiger and I think this holiday special is particularly valuable—namely because the episode ensures that the messaging about gratitude isn’t overshadowed by, you know, food and bounty (i.e., excess).

• Suitable For: 3+
• Rating: NR
• Run Time: 10 minutes

In case you missed it, Olivia the Pig is a preschool-friendly, animated sensation—adapted from the namesake book series by Ian Falconer. Here, we have a made-for-TV holiday special that ties into and expands upon the corresponding book in which the beloved and oh-so-precocious pig shows off her skills as a turkey-whisperer in the most hilarious way (i.e., with lots of warbling).

• Suitable For: 3+
• Rating: NR
• Run Time: 5 minutes

Peppa's Aunt Dottie arrives and introduces the children to the concept of Thanksgiving. One trip to the supermarket, three pumpkin pies, one jelly, and no turkey later, the entire Pig clan gathers around the table to share what they're thankful for.

• Suitable For: 3+
• Rating: NR
• Run Time: 6 minutes

Tofu and Tia are grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, thinking about who to invite. On their way home, they meet Bill, an orphan selling newspapers so that he can buy dinner. Instead, Tofu and Tia invite Bill to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them. What turns into an invitation for one becomes a heartwarming gathering.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 4+
• Rating: G
• Run time: 24 minutes

Garfield, the fattest and laziest of cats, is put on a diet by his vet (and his owner’s love interest) in this uproarious, Emmy award-winning holiday special from 1989. Watch it after the Thanksgiving feast and the whole fam will find the antics of this food-loving feline particularly entertaining.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 7+
• Rating: Y7
• Run time: 21 minutes

Here, a holiday special from Animaniacs—a wildly popular animated comedy musical series from the 90s—in which the Warners must protect their beloved pet turkey and its newly hatched babe from Miles Standish, a hungry bully with a hankering for roasted bird. (Spoiler: Wit > brawn.)

• Suitable for: Kids ages 6+
• Rating: Y
• Run time: 24 minutes

Grandpa wins a competition for a free Thanksgiving turkey, only to discover the prized bird is still alive. Hilarity ensues when the iconic gang of babies grow attached to the main course and everyone has to settle for cereal. This cartoon is cute and clever enough for the whole family to enjoy.

"Parents, put this on just for the sheer nostalgia," Davison says. "I love how the show captures the last-minute frenzy of trying to create a memorable meal—which, in this case, becomes truly unforgettable when the turkey is alive—and it's just fun to watch."

• Suitable for: Kids ages 8+
• Rating: Y7
• Run time: 24 minutes

As is his custom, the football-headed kid known as Arnold sets out on a quest to discover the true meaning of things when the tenants of the boarding house get too caught up bickering to give thanks. This thought-provoking holiday special has positive messages and, like most Hey, Arnold episodes, it has aged remarkably well.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 6+
• Rating: Y7
• Run time: 22 minutes

Patrick Star is off to celebrate Turkey Day with his mother's relatives. It wouldn't be a proper Bikini Bottom holiday without a little chaos, and the family delivers. Police chases, fights over the TV, missing turkeys, family fights and a relative who turns all the husbands she doesn't like into furniture. Will the Stars get to tuck into their Thanksgiving feast? Only time will tell.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 10+
• Rating: PG
• Run time: 23 minutes

This offbeat episode from the Steven Universe series is one to put on for the kids when you need ‘em out of the kitchen. The plot, which features extraterrestrials and a mysterious newcomer, is adequately complex and perfectly entertaining, and the Thanksgiving theme—albeit understated—emphasizes the spirit of togetherness and the importance of holiday traditions.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 7+
• Rating: PG
• Run time: 24 minutes

Laugh, cry and get overwhelmed by early 90s nostalgia with this holiday special, in which the oh-so wholesome Full House cast strive to make their first Thanksgiving without Pam—the deceased mother of D.J., Stephanie and Michelle Tanner—a memorable one.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 12+
• Rating: PG
• Run Time: 21 minutes

The humor in this fresh and clever sitcom about a Taiwanese immigrant family will likely go over the heads of younger children. That said, tweens, teens and parents will delight in the fierce adult-sibling rivalry that ensues when the Huang family has the privilege of hosting the holiday feast. Fact: I recently binge-watched this entire series with my Chinese-American partner and can personally vouch for its awesomeness. Start with the Thanksgiving special and don’t stop there.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 7+
• Rating: Y7
• Run Time: 24 minutes

Fans of this Nickelodeon throwback already know that there’s never a dull moment for the adventurous Thornberry family, and Thanksgiving is no exception. This episode, which finds the clan in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, involves a holiday invitation from grandma and a difficult decision to make about whether or not to celebrate the occasion stateside.

• Suitable for: Kids ages 7+
• Rating: Y
• Run Time: 23 minutes

A turkey that has escaped from the local Thanksgiving parade seeks refuge with CatDog and the conjoined siblings do their very best to hide it…in a very interesting place. Needless to say, you can expect lots of animal mayhem and comedy from this cartoon ode to Thanksgiving.

• Suitable For: Kids ages 8+
• Rating: TV-PG
• Run Time: 12 minutes

This comical show about cartoon teen superheroes features over-the-top characters and mile-a-minute dialogue, replete with witty humor that comes at such a pace you might miss half of it. That said, the Thanksgiving episode, which involves a character inviting a homeless family of rats to the holiday feast, does serve up quite a few laughs…and maybe some positive messages, too? (To be honest, this is really just a lot of animated comedic entertainment, so if you’re really looking for substance, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.)

• Suitable For: Kids ages 8+
• Rating: TV-PG
• Run Time: 36 minutes

If you have a soft spot for the original Full House (and don’t we all?), then you will surely feel all warm and fuzzy when watching the holiday special from the reboot, Fuller House. Tune into Season 2, Episode 6 of the newest iteration and watch the Tanner-Fuller family navigate all the chaos that comes with hosting a crowd. Did DJ bite off more than she could chew? Well, you’ll just have to watch to find out. My prediction: you will be so entertained by the family-friendly humor that you will channel the Thanksgiving spirit and binge the rest of the series—at least that’s what happened when I tuned in with my kids.

• Suitable For: Kids ages 10+
• Rating: TV-14
• Run Time: 42 minutes

It’s Thanksgiving time in Stars Hollow in Season 3, Episode 9 of this beloved mother-daughter dramedy. Here, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore are doing the whole Thanksgiving circuit, making appearances at four different feasts. The result is a holiday full of romantic tension, family dysfunction, funny mishaps and, of course, friendship. In case you missed it, I just rewatched the entire series with my tween daughter and don’t regret a minute of it—and while some of the other episodes in the series are a little more risqué, I can vouch for this Thanksgiving episode as being wholesome enough for the 10 and up set.