Years ago, I had always wanted to host a Friendsgiving but somehow Thanksgiving would sneak up on me every year before I had the chance.

So instead of hosting one myself, I let my kids host one!

Ally and Hudson invited a few friends over for a simple afternoon Friendsgiving filled with cute snacks, fall treats, crafts and activities.

It ended up being such a fun way for the kids to celebrate their friendships before Thanksgiving, and proof that a kids Friendsgiving doesn’t need to be complicated.

You don’t need a formal invitation, a full Thanksgiving dinner or an elaborate party setup. Invite a few friends, serve some kid-friendly food, plan a craft and activity, and let the kids have fun.

If you’re planning a Friendsgiving party for kids, here are some of my favorite ideas from ours that you can easily recreate at home, at school or even on Thanksgiving Day.

How to Host a Friendsgiving Party for Kids

A kids Friendsgiving can be much simpler than a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

For ours, we just texted a couple of friends and invited them over for a fun afternoon together.

That’s really all you need!

I like to plan kids parties around four things:

Add some simple fall decorations and you’ve got a party.

Here’s what we did for Ally and Hudson’s Friendsgiving.

It’s very simple to do and so much fun for the kids. A Friendsgiving party doesn’t require an invitation, in our case we just texted a couple friends and invited them over for a fun afternoon together!

Kid-Friendly Friendsgiving Food

Instead of serving an entire Thanksgiving dinner, we made a simple lunch that felt festive but was still familiar enough for kids.

It’s nice to offer your guests a light snack or simple lunch. My daughter Ally and I made turkey sandwiches using a circle and flower cookie cutter.  Add edible eyeballs, a beak made of cheese and a gobbler made from a fruit strip and watch the sandwich come to life. They were a hit!

To dress up your party table, make apple plates with plain red plates, and brown and green construction paper cut into a stem and leaf.  My son Hudson absolutely loved helping make these for his guests.

My kids are crazy for Tree Top apple juice. Tree Top is a grower-owned co-op made right here in Washington and the only major brand that uses 100% USA apples for their apple juice and apple sauce! The apple juice cans are so darling, they were a perfect beverage for our Friendsgiving lunch! Pop a striped straw inside and even the littlest children feel like they’re getting something for big people!

More Easy Kids Friendsgiving Food Ideas

If you want to fill out the lunch table, try:

Keep it simple and choose foods you know the kids will actually eat.

Easy DIY Apple Plates

I hope you noticed that apple plate! We turned plain red paper plates into apples for the table.

This is such an inexpensive way to make basic party supplies fit the theme.

You’ll need:

Cut a simple stem from the brown paper and a leaf from the green paper, then attach them to the top of each plate.

Hudson loved helping make these for his guests.

It’s also an easy project to let your kids help with before the party so they feel like they’re part of the planning.

An Easy Fall Drink Station

For the kids, serve apple juice with striped paper straws or pour it into small cups.

For the adults, I set up a simple fall cider station.

I filled a large beverage dispenser with apple juice and added sliced apples and cinnamon sticks.

It tasted like fall and looked so pretty sitting out with vintage enamelware mugs.

You could serve:

If you’re hosting both kids and parents, having a little drink and snack station for the adults is always a nice touch.

Add cinnamon donuts or another simple fall treat and everyone has something to enjoy while the kids play.

Kids Friendsgiving Activity: Bobbing for Apples

Whenever I host a kids party, I try to plan at least one craft and one activity.

It keeps the party moving and gives the kids something to do besides asking when dessert is coming.

For Ally and Hudson’s Friendsgiving, we chose one of the most classic fall activities ever:

Bobbing for apples!

I couldn’t believe how excited everyone was to try it. Every kid wanted a turn.

If you’d rather skip traditional bobbing for apples, you could turn it into an apple-themed game instead.

Try:

Pick something that fits the age of the kids you’re hosting.

Simple Friendsgiving Party Decorations

You don’t need to buy a cart full of Thanksgiving decorations for this party.

We decorated with things that already felt like fall:

I especially loved using apples alongside the traditional pumpkins and gourds.

Apples don’t get used nearly enough in fall decor! The bright red added the prettiest pop of color to the table.

Fill bowls, baskets and cake stands with produce and you have instant party decor that doesn’t feel overly themed.

Easy Friendsgiving Desserts for Kids

What’s a party without dessert?

Because this was a smaller gathering, we didn’t need an entire dessert table. We just made a few special fall treats for everyone to enjoy.

We served:

It was the perfect amount.

For a kids Friendsgiving, I’d choose two or three desserts instead of making ten different things.

Caramel Apple Bar

Caramel apples are especially fun because they can double as dessert and an activity.

Set out toppings like:

Let the kids choose their favorites and create their own caramel apple.

Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies

You know I’m always going to find a reason to make sugar cookies!

For Friendsgiving, simple fall shapes work perfectly:

You could decorate them before the party or turn sugar cookie decorating into one of your activities.

Edible Turkey Apple Craft

After dessert, the kids made turkey apples.

This is such a cute Thanksgiving craft because it’s simple, colorful and even turns into a snack later.

It’s also a fun idea for a classroom Thanksgiving party or something to keep kids busy while everyone is waiting for Thanksgiving dinner.

What You’ll Need

I like using a muffin tin to separate all of the different pieces.

Put gumdrops in one section, raisins in another and marshmallows in another. It keeps everything organized and makes it easy for kids to grab what they want.

Use the toothpicks to create the turkey feathers and let everyone design their own.

Important: Toothpicks are sharp, so this activity needs adult supervision and may not be appropriate for very young children.

The finished turkey apples turned out so cute!

More Kids Friendsgiving Craft Ideas

If you want to add another craft or swap the turkey apples for something without toothpicks, try:

For younger kids, I’d keep the craft short and simple.

For older kids, you can set out more supplies and let them get creative.

Kids Friendsgiving Party Schedule

You definitely don’t need a strict itinerary, but having a loose plan helps keep a kids party moving.

Here’s an easy order:

ARRIVAL
Free play + snacks

LUNCH
Turkey sandwiches + simple sides

ACTIVITY
Fall game or bobbing for apples

DESSERT
Caramel apples + fall treats

CRAFT
Turkey apples or another Thanksgiving craft

HOME
Send everyone with a small treat for later

For a small group, about two hours is plenty.

Looking back at these photos years later, I still love how simple this party was.

There wasn’t a huge guest list or an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner. It was just Ally and Hudson spending an afternoon with their friends, eating cute food, making crafts and doing all the little things kids love.

And that’s really all a kids Friendsgiving needs to be.

Invite a few friends. Make some turkey sandwiches. Put pumpkins and apples on the table. Plan a craft and let the kids make memories together.

Sometimes the simplest parties end up being the sweetest.

Happy Friendsgiving!

If you make this, let me know! I always love hearing from you.

This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I actually use and love!

Photography by Laura Marchbanks

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. JENNY COOKIES HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM TREE TOP IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS/COMPANIES I LOVE.