It’s not always easy to think of good Thanksgiving activities for kids. After all, children will rarely understand the significance of the holiday. What entertaining activities can parents provide to help them celebrate Thanksgiving? Let’s find out.
Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Thanksgiving is an exciting holiday for everyone. It’s when families gather together and enjoy a big feast to give thanks. People across the country prepare special food like turkey and even vegan recipes for their relatives. Thanksgiving is so grand that property owners even have to perform preventive Thanksgiving maintenance to prepare for the holiday.
However, while Thanksgiving is a big event for most people in the U.S., it’s not as well-appreciated by children. After all, they’re too young to appreciate what it means and its history. Getting them to celebrate and get into the holiday spirit can be challenging.
You have to think out of the box when coming up with Thanksgiving activities for kids. They need a lot of stimulation to keep them engaged. The activity has to be fun-filled and enticing for them. Bonus points if the activity can also teach them the essence of the holiday. What are some good activities for them? Here are a few ideas you can consider.
1. Candy Turkey
Turkey is a big part of Thanksgiving. While children can’t participate in the cooking process, they can make their own turkey with candy. Preparing an apple, toothpicks, and soft sweets like candy corn, marshmallows, and gummies is all it takes.
They can use the apple for the body and stick the cadies with toothpicks to craft their own edible candy turkey. They can eat the turkey right after finishing or save it as the Thanksgiving dessert.
2. Turkey Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts are one of the most classic Thanksgiving activities for kids. Children love drawing or creating sculptures. Parents can help them celebrate the holiday by encouraging them to draw and color in their turkeys.
Older children can even experiment with acrylic paint or watercolor. They can also use cardboard, playdough, or pinecones and feathers with googly eyes to make turkey sculptures. Parents can display the artwork proudly throughout the house.
3. Gratitude Rocks
The holiday is all about giving thanks. Children can get into the spirit of the holiday by creating gratitude rocks. The parents can take their kids to the local park and find small, smooth rocks to gather in a bucket. Once collected, they can paint the rocks in different fall colors.
Afterward, the parents and kids can write down what they’re thankful for on each rock using a permanent marker. This way, kids can remember to be grateful and celebrate the holiday with their families. It’s a simple but memorable activity, especially when done as a family before Thanksgiving dinner.
4. Gingerbread Log Cabins
If you’re up for more elaborate Thanksgiving activities for kids, consider helping them create gingerbread log cabins. The kids can use mini pretzels as logs, candy rocks as rocks, and waffles as doors and windows. For the base of the house structure, parents can use cardboard or a cake shaped into a house.
It’s the perfect way to keep the kids occupied while their parents cook dinner. They can spend hours decorating the perfect log cabin to present to their parents. Moreover, they can eat the edible log cabin after dinner for Thanksgiving dessert.
5. Thanksgiving Block Painting
Parents aren’t the only ones who can decorate the home for Thanksgiving. Kids can also participate by painting simple blocks in different colors. They can also pick a word or phrase related to the holiday. After painting the blocks, they can write one letter on each and spell out their chosen phrase.
The idea is fairly simple but will keep them entertained for a few hours. They can also channel their creativity. Moreover, parents can allow them to pick a spot to proudly place the blocks.
6. Artsy Tablecloth
Tablecloths are wonderful for setting the mood during Thanksgiving dinner. However, to get the kids involved, why not buy craft paper and use that as the tablecloth? The kids can then use pencils, markers, and crayons to decorate and draw what they want.
Parents can also add rules where kids can only write or draw Thanksgiving-related things. They can also write or draw what they’re thankful for or things related to the family. If the tablecloth is large enough, the kids will take their time. It can keep them occupied for hours on end so parents can cook dinner and make other Thanksgiving preparations.
7. Story Time
If the family has enough time, reading children’s stories about Thanksgiving might be a good idea. It’s a nice way to introduce the history and significance of the holiday to them. Of course, it is best for families with older kids rather than toddlers.
The family can read stories related to the holiday’s traditions and origins. If you can’t find children’s books about it, consider presenting these stories yourself in a kid-friendly way. Make sure the stories are fun, entertaining, and age-appropriate.
8. Scavenger Hunt
Kids love scavenger hunts. One fun way to celebrate the holiday with them is to host a small hunt inside the home. This can develop their curiosity and help them learn about Thanksgiving. All parents need to do is hide various Thanksgiving gifts around the house. Encourage their critical thinking by giving them clues to find these gifts.
9. Gratitude Jar
Giving thanks is what Thanksgiving is all about. Children can start learning how to do this through a family Thanksgiving jar. Everyone in the family can write what they’re thankful for on a sheet of paper. Then, they can fold the paper and keep it safe inside the jar.
Doing this can help the kids develop gratitude. They can better appreciate what they have and the people around them. It’s also not a bad way to help younger children practice reading and writing.
Thanksgiving With the Kids
There are hundreds of Thanksgiving activities for kids to help them appreciate the holiday or simply keep them entertained. Parents only need to choose the activity that’s right for their children’s temperament and age.
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