Family Fun
Give Thanks
Posted on November 22nd, 2011
Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family
This year, Thanksgiving can be about more than overstuffed bellies, complicated family dynamics and football. Before the big day arrives, spend some quality time with your kids with Thanksgiving activities that will remind you of the true meaning of the last Thursday in November.
Create Gratitude Lists
Even the littlest of your bunch can create a gratitude list. Hand out sheets of paper and pens and ask everyone to write down the 10 things that he or she is most grateful for in 2011. Encourage those who can’t yet write to draw pictures of the things that they are thankful for or create the list for them. Have everyone share their list around the Thanksgiving table before digging into the feast or while eating dessert.
Make Easy Holiday Treats
Nothing brings a family together like dessert. This Thanksgiving, get the whole gang in on the best part of mealtime by preparing treats together. Older kids can take charge of big ticket items like pumpkin pie and apple crisp, while small fingers can make simple sweets like Pilgrim hats (dip a marshmallow in melted chocolate and stick on a chocolate-coated cookie) or Turkey cupcakes (stick candy corn or almond sliver “feathers” to a frosted cupcake add frosting eyes and beak).
Design a Leaf Collage
Combine the indoors with the great outdoors in this classic autumn activity. Send kids out to the backyard or a local park for leaf collecting – encourage them to find a variety of shapes and colors. Once back home, outfit artists with non-toxic glue and sturdy construction paper. The finished products can be taped to windows to greet Thanksgiving guests or placed under plates for unique placemats. Use your imagination!
Paper Plate Turkey
When it’s too chilly to play outside in the later days of November, put restless kids on Turkey duty. Give them a stack of dinner-sized paper plates (the body), a stack of dessert-sized paper plates (the head), multi-colored paper (to be cut into feathers), markers for drawing eyes and beaks and non-toxic glue for putting it all together.
