All the family is coming over for Thanksgiving? Do you feel overwhelmed because you don’t know how to keep your children entertained whilst you prepare all the yummy food? Don’t worry we have you covered with our activities your children can do whilst you are busy in the kitchen.
1. The Gratitude Game
This gratitude game can be played any time of year not just during Thanksgiving.
Each time you pick up stick you have to name something you are grateful for according to the color you picked up.
To play the game, your kids just have to hold the sticks in one hand and let them fall randomly. Each player will take a stick without moving the other sticks, otherwise you will lose your turn. The one who has most sticks wins.
You can easily make it a home, by coloring some chopsticks. On a piece of paper, draw circles with the color to match the sticks and what gratitude should me named when the matching color stick is picked up.
2. Thanksgiving Coloring Placemats
These fun filled activity placements will definitely offer some fun to your kids during Thanksgiving. You can buy the Activity Sheets or just print them from the web. There are plenty of free printable / placemats. To have more quality time, it is always good to prepare the activities in advance. So on Thanksgiving Day You and your little ones can have plenty of fun coloring and learning more about Thanksgiving Day.
3. Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe
Even if your table is limited in space, you can definitely make a more compact version by using stones. All you need to do is grab 9 mini pumpkins or 9 stones and paint Xs and Os on the top with acrylic paint.
You can make the board either on the floor with painter’s tape, or draw lines on a cardboard. If the weather is nice, you can head outdoors, put some sticks and play on the grass. For more Tic – Tac – Toe variation checks out our collection.
4. Pumpkin Playdough
Prepare the playdough in advance using our playdough recipe and let your little ones have fun. Since it is homemade playdough you don’t have to worry, if they put some in their mouth.
5. Thanksgiving Kids Table
Most likely in the run for Thanksgiving your kids would have prepared some crafts. Why don’t you use them to set up the kids table for Thanksgiving and ask you kids to set up the table? The little ones can set up the decorations, whilst older kids can set up plates and cutlery.
6. Watch A Charlie Brown Thankgiving movie
During the holidays it is always nice to watch a classive festive movie. One of the best movies for Thanksgiving is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
In this movie we see Charlie Brown and Sally getting ready to go to their grandmother’s for Thanksgiving dinner, when Charlie Brown receives a phone call from Peppermint Patty, who invites herself over for the holiday dinner. Watch to see how Charlie Brown resolves the issue.
7. Thanksgiving Gratitude Turkeys
Prepare everything in advance, so that on Thanksgiving Day your little one can have fun assembling this Gratitude Turkey. All you need is an empty toilet paper roll, small paper plate, small paper cup, paint
(orange, black and brown), glue, scissors, googly eyes, assorted colored construction paper and black markers.
In advance paint the toilet paper tube brown, the outside of the cup black and the bottom of the plate orange so they can be dry on Thanksgiving day. Glue the toilet paper tube to the plate. glue the hat to the top of turkey’s head. Stick the googly eyes, and a construction paper beak and waddle. Cut the feathers from different colored construction paper.
On Thanksgiving Day, let your kids come up with all the things they are grateful for and let them write it on a feather. Attach the feathers to the turkey’s body by gluing to the back side of the painted paper plate.
8. Thanksgiving Turkey Finger Puppet
Make these ahead of Thanksgiving Day and your little ones will have a great play piece whilst you are preparing dinner or during dinner time. All you need is brown and orange cardstock paper,
artificial leaves, red water balloons, glue dots, circle punch, googly eyes, scissors and glue.
Cut out a 4-inch (10.16 cm) circle and a 2 1/2 inch (6.35 cm) circle from the brown cardstock. Cut out a 4-inch circle and a 2 1/2 inch circle from the brown cardstock. Cut out a triangle beak from the orange stock paper. Cut the top of the red water balloon off so it’s easier to glue.
Punch two holes in the bottom of the larger circle (these will be the finger holes for the puppet). Glue the artificial leaves to shape the turkey feathers. Glue the smaller brown circle to the large brown circle to form the face and finish off with googly eyes. Now just take them out on Thanksgiving Day and let the children have a blast with these puppets.
9. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Peanuts)
What about reading to your kids the Story of Thanksgiving with Charlie Brown. Peppermint Patty invites herself to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. But Charlie Brown doesn’t know how to cook but stills agrees to make a holiday feast for his friends. Will he menage to pull together a memorable meal? Are his friends going to be grateful for all the nice and hard work?
10. Thanksgiving Bean Bag Toss Game
This is a great Thanksgiving acti ity for young and old. Having the family and friends gathered it is the best opportunity to play a fun game and just enjoy the quality time together. It is definitely a party game for everyone and the good thing about, it is washable and reusable
We wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving y’all.