Looking for some simple Thanksgiving Activities for your kids? These 10 simple ideas will help you spend less time worrying and more time enjoying your family and friends. It’s also a great way to include your children in the day’s festivities and teach them the importance of working together. Even the youngest kids can use these activities to help out with Thanksgiving dinner.
Have your kids make placemats to help on Thanksgiving
If your Thanksgiving table is a crowded affair, place cards and fun DIY placemats can make things easier. Even the youngest kids can help craft cards out of construction paper, glitter, and other craft supplies.
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Have your children help you cook the Thanksgiving meal
Thanksgiving is a time for feasting, fun, and sharing favorite recipes. Put your child’s cooking skills to work. Even the youngest children can peel apples or potatoes using this peeler. Or let them dice fruits and vegetables with these nylon knives – the perfect Montessori Thanksgiving activity.
Time the meal prep
If your kids can tell time, they can help you on Thanksgiving by timing the desserts, side dishes, and the main course. Just let them know how long each part of the meal takes to cook, then put their math skills to the test. Younger kids can follow along by using a visual schedule to stay organized. You can get your own editable visual schedule in the Free Resource Library!
Have your child set the table to help on Thanksgiving
Your kids can set a great table; all they need to know is where the plates, dishes, and silverware are located. Even young kids can get in on the act, creating a beautiful setting for the Thanksgiving Day meal.
FUN DIY
Montessori Placemat
Grab some q-tips and paint – then let your kids have fun dotting and painting construction paper!
Create a centerpiece as a Thanksgiving activity for your children
A Thanksgiving table centerpiece is a great arts and crafts project and an excellent activity for the whole family. Create a festive centerpiece by tracing your child’s hand once and then cutting out multiple copies.
Handy tip: Keep it simple!
When using paint with your children, keep color selections basic. Use shades of red, yellow, and blue to keep colors from getting overly mixed. Place 3-5 small dabs of paint on a kid-friendly paint palette and let them have fun creating, without concern of an ugly mix of 10 colors.
I love using light pink, light orange, and light blue. Older children may also get a little dab of white paint mixed in. This keeps things simple, and the colors blend nicely together.
Have your kids clean up on Thanksgiving
The hard part begins once the meal ends, and there is nothing wrong with asking the kids to chip in. From scraping the plates and loading the dishwasher to filling up the leftover trays, there are plenty of cleanup duties even the youngest kids can do. Our kids love to sweep, so I’ll hand them a broom and see if they can sweep up five pieces of food. Giving them small tasks and including them the entire day lets them know meals are a family event.
Set up a snack table
Providing snacks is a great way to soothe those pre-meal hunger pangs, and your kids can help out with its creation. From choosing healthy snacks to attractively arranging the trays, there are lots of ways to help out.
Provide post-dinner music
If your child plays an instrument or has a lovely singing voice, why not let them show off their talents. A post-dinner concert is a great way to relax and unwind after a busy day.
Organize a post-feast game
Sports are big on Thanksgiving, and not all action takes place on TV. Pickup football games are an annual tradition for many families, and it is easy for the kids to get involved. Children can bring the sports equipment down from the attic or help to choose teams for the big game.
Set up the dessert table
A buffet-style dessert table is the perfect ending to a perfect meal, and the kids can help by cutting the pies and cakes and creating an attractive environment for your guests. Or put them to work decorating cookies!
Put Your Kids to Work with These Thanksgiving Activities
The Thanksgiving Day holiday is almost here, and it is time to start planning. If you feel overwhelmed, the help you need may be as close as your kids. Even if you think your children are too young to cook or help with meal preparation, there are things they can do to lighten the load and make your duties easier.
