Free Thanksgiving activities for kids in Los Angeles

The free Thanksgiving activities for kids in Los Angeles are mostly at public libraries in the two weeks before the holiday. Expect turkey crafts, gratitude projects, a Thanksgiving storytime for little ones and Native American Heritage Month programs. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and both big library systems close that day and the next, so plan library outings for earlier in the week.

We checked the organizers’ pages on November 10, 2026. Times and rooms can change, so open the link before you go. A few programs ask you to book first; we say so below.

Thanksgiving storytimes

For babies and toddlers, the Los Angeles Public Library’s Exposition Park branch at 3900 S. Western Ave holds a Thanksgiving storytime on Wednesday, November 18, from 10:30 to 11:30 am. The library describes 25 minutes of stories, songs and movement, then time to play with toys and activities. That second half makes it easier to arrive with a toddler who can’t sit still for long.

For school-age kids, LA County Library’s Clifton M. Brakensiek Library in Bellflower runs Family Storytime: Being Thankful on Wednesday, November 18, from 4 to 5 pm. It mixes stories and songs with a do-it-yourself art project about gratitude. It is for ages 5 to 12 with a caregiver.

Turkey crafts and a gratitude wreath

The Palisades branch at 861 Alma Real Drive in Pacific Palisades hosts a cardboard turkey workshop on Wednesday, November 18, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Local artist Cindy Simon leads it, and children of all ages can come with a caregiver. This one needs a reservation: the library asks you to email friends@friendsofpalilibrary.org to save a spot.

The Pio Pico Koreatown branch at 694 S. Oxford Ave makes a simple Thanksgiving paper craft with kids on Thursday, November 19, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.

In South LA, the Ascot branch at 120 W. Florence Ave turns paper plates into turkeys on Tuesday, November 24, from 3 to 4 pm.

The day before Thanksgiving, the Vernon branch at 4504 S. Central Ave holds a thankful wreath craft on Wednesday, November 25, from 4 to 5 pm. Kids write what they are thankful for and add it to a wreath. Families are welcome.

Native American Heritage Month programs

November is Native American Heritage Month, and several libraries mark it with programs for kids.

• Pottery, Lomita. At LA County Library’s Lomita Library, kids learn about Maria Martinez, the potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo, then make a coil pot with air dry clay. Thursday, November 12, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, ages 6 to 12. Register on the event page.
• Music, Canoga Park. The LAPL Canoga Park branch at 20939 Sherman Way hosts Martin Espino’s Ancient Homelands: Indigenous Music of North America on Saturday, November 14, from noon to 1 pm. It is interactive and for all ages, in English and Spanish. Kids sing in Native languages and play percussion instruments.
• Storytelling, Santa Monica. At Santa Monica Public Library’s Pico Branch, Alan Salazar hosts a storytime on Friday, November 20, from 3 to 4 pm. He shares storytelling techniques he learned growing up as a native to the Chumash Tribe.
• Instruments, El Camino Real. LA County Library’s El Camino Real Library hosts Stories, Songs & Instruments with Iwalani Venerable on Saturday, November 21, from 2 to 2:45 pm. It looks at instruments made from natural materials, for ages 5 to 12 and their families.

Library closures over Thanksgiving

The Los Angeles Public Library is closed on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27. LA County Library is closed on the same two days. If you want a library craft or storytime during the school break, aim for Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week.

How to pick one

With a baby or toddler, the Exposition Park storytime is the clearest fit, since the organizer wrote it for that age. With a preschooler or early reader, a drop-in craft is the easiest plan: you can come for part of the hour. With kids 5 and up, the Native American Heritage Month programs give them something to make or play and a story behind it. Check the age range on each listing before you go.

More free events

Our live list of free Thanksgiving events in Los Angeles updates from the library and city calendars we read, and the next few also appear below this guide. For anything else this month, browse free kids events in Los Angeles, or look nearer home in Pasadena or Long Beach. Planning to travel for the holiday? See Thanksgiving events in all our cities.