1. Help in the (Real or Pretend) Kitchen
Depending on who is hosting and cooking your holiday meal, you might allow the children to help in the kitchen. Older kids can set the table, preschoolers can add butter to the corn, and even toddlers can put rolls in a basket. Kids are more likely to eat meals that they have helped to prepare.
Can't get them cooking? Try some pretend kitchen play with a Thanksgiving Day Sensory Bin that appeals to all ages!
2. Get Active
Some families have an annual tag football game, but you can change it up by asking the dads to take the kids to a nearby playground, raking leaves into mazes in the back yard, or jumping rope and playing hopscotch in the driveway. The more energy the kids burn off outside, the less they'll wiggle in their seats at the meal! Don't forget to take pictures of these memories!
3. Show What They Know
The holidays are a great time for kids to show relatives what they've been learning at school (and at home) in fun ways! If your child is a reader, he could bring a favorite book to read to his great aunt. Your preschooler can show off the letters she knows with the turkey letter sheet pictured here. For this and other fun holiday themed pages, check out Making Learning Fun's Thanksgiving Section.
4. Games
Bingo was always the favorite Thanksgiving game in our family with my grandmother providing small prizes for us to win! We played the traditional way, but you could customize Thanksgiving Bingo cards with pictures of turkeys and Pilgrims.
As an alternative, invite each family to bring their favorite board game to play before and after the feast!
5. Art & Crafts
When all else fails, a good supply of craft materials can entertain the whole family. From coloring books to egg carton pumpkins to pinecone turkeys, the possibilities are endless. One idea we love is covering the kids' table with butcher paper instead of a tablecloth. Set out markers and crayons for the kids to draw their ideal meals before they eat to get their bellies rumbling. After dinner they can draw pictures of what they are thankful for this year.
I'm thankful for my Still Playing School readers and for Lebanon Macaroni Kid for inviting me to be a regular contributor here!
For more from Devany LeDrew, please visit Still Playing School where she uses her background in early childhood to create a home based playful learning environment for her children. She is a former Kindergarten teacher who followed her passions to specialize in Educational Psychology & Literacy Education. She is the mother of three, grieving the loss of one. Follow Still Playing School on Facebook and Twitter.
