Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for families to come together and celebrate gratitude, sharing, and togetherness. While adults often handle the cooking and meal preparations, it’s important to involve children in the festivities in fun and meaningful ways. At The Kids Point, we believe that engaging kids with creative Thanksgiving activities not only keeps them entertained but also helps them feel like an important part of the celebration. From crafts and games to meaningful projects, there are countless ways to make Thanksgiving memorable for your little ones. Here’s a detailed guide to creative and festive Thanksgiving activities for kids that will keep them entertained and excited throughout the holiday.
Thanksgiving Craft Station
Crafting is always a big hit with kids, and Thanksgiving provides the perfect theme for creativity. Set up a Thanksgiving craft station where children can create festive decorations for the house or the Thanksgiving table.
Ideas for Thanksgiving Crafts:
- Handprint Turkeys: A classic Thanksgiving craft, handprint turkeys are easy and fun. All you need is some construction paper, paint, or markers. Kids can trace their hands, color the fingers as feathers, and add googly eyes and a beak to bring the turkey to life.
- Leaf Stamping: Go on a nature walk with your children to collect different leaves. Back home, use the leaves as stamps with non-toxic paint. Let kids create beautiful fall-themed artwork using these natural elements.
- Gratitude Tree: This project helps kids express gratitude in a creative way. Create a paper tree and have children write something they are thankful for on paper leaves. Each child can hang their leaf on the tree, which can serve as a centerpiece or decoration.
- Pumpkin Painting: Instead of carving pumpkins, let the kids paint mini pumpkins with fall colors, patterns, or even Thanksgiving symbols like turkeys and cornucopias.
- Pinecone Turkeys: Use pinecones as the body of the turkey and let the kids glue on colorful feathers, googly eyes, and paper beaks. These cute little turkeys can be used as decorations or placeholders at the dinner table.
Thanksgiving Storytime and Plays
Thanksgiving is also a great time to teach kids about the history and meaning of the holiday. Incorporate storytelling and dramatic play to make learning about Thanksgiving fun and engaging.
Ideas for Thanksgiving-Themed Stories and Plays:
- Thanksgiving Storybooks: Gather Thanksgiving-themed storybooks and have a cozy reading session. Some great titles include Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, and The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Jan Berenstain. These stories not only entertain but also teach valuable lessons about gratitude and family.
- Pilgrim and Native American Dress-Up: Encourage kids to dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans and act out the first Thanksgiving. You can create simple costumes using construction paper and old clothes. This role-playing activity will help children understand the history behind the holiday in a fun and interactive way.
- Thanksgiving Puppet Show: Create simple puppets using paper bags or socks and let the kids put on a Thanksgiving-themed puppet show. They can act out a story about the first Thanksgiving or create their own Thanksgiving adventure.
Thanksgiving Baking and Cooking Activities
Getting kids involved in the kitchen is a fantastic way to teach them about cooking, following directions, and the joy of preparing food for loved ones.
Kid-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes:
- Mini Pumpkin Pies: Let the kids create their own mini pumpkin pies using pre-made pie dough and a simple pumpkin filling. They can cut out shapes with cookie cutters to decorate the tops of their pies.
- Turkey-Shaped Cookies: Using sugar cookie dough, help the kids cut out turkey-shaped cookies. After baking, let them decorate the cookies with icing, candy corn, and edible eyes to make their turkeys come to life.
- Cornucopia Snack Mix: Create a fun and edible cornucopia using sugar cones and fill them with a mix of dried fruits, nuts, and popcorn. This snack is easy to make and serves as a festive treat for the kids to munch on.
- Thanksgiving Fruit Turkey: Arrange fruit on a platter in the shape of a turkey. Use a pear or apple for the body and arrange grapes, berries, and orange slices as feathers. Let the kids help by adding the fruit to the platter in the shape of a turkey.
- Homemade Butter: Kids will love shaking up their own butter! All you need is heavy cream and a mason jar. Let the kids shake the jar until the cream turns into butter. Spread it on warm rolls at dinner for a special homemade touch.
Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities
Thanksgiving is all about expressing gratitude, and teaching kids the importance of being thankful can be both fun and heartwarming.
Gratitude Activities for Kids:
- Gratitude Journal: Give each child a small notebook and encourage them to write down or draw something they are thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, they can share their entries with the family.
- Thankful Placemats: Before the big feast, have the kids create personalized placemats by drawing or writing what they are thankful for. Laminate the placemats so they can be reused each year.
- Thanksgiving Thank-You Cards: Encourage children to make handmade thank-you cards for friends, family, or even local community members like teachers or postal workers. These cards can be a meaningful way for kids to express gratitude during the holiday season.
- Gratitude Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of things related to Thanksgiving and gratitude for the kids to find around the house or outdoors. For example, “Find something that makes you happy” or “Find something you are thankful for.” This activity promotes mindfulness and encourages kids to think about what they are grateful for.
Thanksgiving Games for Kids
Games are a great way to keep kids entertained during the holiday. Incorporate some Thanksgiving-themed games that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Fun Thanksgiving Games:
- Turkey Tag: Create turkey tags using paper feathers and attach one to each player’s back. The goal is to collect as many feathers as possible by tagging others. The person with the most feathers at the end wins!
- Thanksgiving Bingo: Create Thanksgiving-themed bingo cards with symbols like turkeys, pumpkins, pie, and pilgrims. Use candy corn as markers and play this festive version of bingo with the kids.
- Turkey Feather Toss: Set up a large cardboard turkey with holes cut out for the feathers. Kids can toss beanbags or soft feathers into the holes for points. This game is similar to a traditional beanbag toss but with a Thanksgiving twist.
- Pin the Feather on the Turkey: Just like the classic game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” this game involves blindfolding the kids and having them try to pin a paper feather onto a turkey poster.
- Turkey Bowling: Create your own Thanksgiving bowling set using plastic bottles decorated as turkeys. Let the kids take turns knocking down the “turkeys” with a soft ball. Keep track of points for added competition.
Thanksgiving Movie Marathon
After all the activities, kids may enjoy some downtime with a Thanksgiving-themed movie marathon. Create a cozy movie corner with blankets, pillows, and popcorn, and let the kids relax while watching some fun and festive movies.
Thanksgiving Movie Ideas:
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: This classic movie is perfect for kids and captures the essence of the holiday. It’s also a great opportunity to discuss the true meaning of Thanksgiving with your children.
- Free Birds: A funny and entertaining animated movie about two turkeys who travel back in time to change the first Thanksgiving. It’s sure to keep the kids entertained while also giving them a unique perspective on the holiday.
- An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving: Based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott, this heartwarming film teaches important lessons about family and gratitude.
Thanksgiving Volunteer Activities for Kids
Thanksgiving is not only about food and fun—it’s also about giving back. Teaching kids to help others during this time can be a meaningful way to show them the importance of generosity.
Volunteer Ideas for Families:
- Create Care Packages: Work with your kids to assemble care packages for local shelters or food banks. Include non-perishable food items, warm socks, gloves, and hygiene products. Kids can also create homemade cards to include in the packages.
- Donate Food to a Food Bank: Take the kids on a trip to the grocery store to pick out items to donate to a local food bank. Explain to them the importance of helping others who may not have enough food for Thanksgiving.
- Thanksgiving Meal Delivery: Some organizations allow families to help deliver Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Kids can help by decorating the meal bags or handing out meals to families in the community.
Thanksgiving is a special time for families to come together and celebrate gratitude, love, and togetherness. With the right activities, kids can be an integral part of the celebration while having fun and learning valuable lessons. Whether it’s crafting, cooking, playing games, or participating in volunteer activities, there are endless ways to engage children in the Thanksgiving spirit. At The Kids Point, we’re all about making these experiences even more memorable. By involving kids in these fun, creative activities, you’re teaching them not only to enjoy the holiday but also to appreciate the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving: gratitude, family, and giving back.