Thanks to Dana for these fun ideas! My comments are in italics!
When I recall Thanksgivings from my childhood, I can’t help but think of sitting down for a delicious meal … at a wobbly card table and cold metal folding chairs. Let’s just say, my cousins and I were not treated
to the best seats in the house. It seemed we were more of an afterthought. While we always managed to have a very good time -telling jokes and remembering stories of holidays past, it seems to me that a more kid-friendly approach is worth a try. This year incorporate a few of these entertainment options for the kiddie table into your celebration.
Use butcher paper as a table cloth, which creates an instant canvas for …artwork, word games, tic-tac-toe, and more. This Colorful Turkey Caddy doubles as a centerpiece and marker storage.
You may also want to outline rectangle-shaped place mats right on the paper to give kids a designated place to draw. Or print out this Activity Placemat for Thanksgiving.
Make the place settings kid-friendly with these Button Indian Corn Napkin Rings. This is a great craft to do before the big day.
Add a bit of history by making homemade paper pilgrim bonnets and pilgrim hats. Find the how-to tutorials for the pilgrim bonnets and for the pilgrim hats.
Have the kids write down what they're thankful for this year on stamped tags, then tie to the branches of fall foliage. Try this Thankful tree craft!
Get nostalgic and get a few giggles … set out a box of old family photos – the older the better – and have the kids try to identify aunts, uncles
and grandparents!
Scatter pretty fall leaves across the table for decoration, then let the kids make leaf colorings by putting paper on top and rubbing a crayon over it.
Make a simple snack mix of candy corn, sunflower seeds, pretzels, bugles, and dried fruit. Kids can sort the mix on their plates, make patterns, and, of course, snack! Or..We did it in our Sunday school class and would pass them out to all of the parishioners on the Sunday closest to Thanksgiving. Would be fun for the kids to make for family members especially if you have a big group. We have done this for at least 5 years in our church and amended the words, so I don't know the source, but our Church (St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Johnstown Pa!) would LOVE for you to make it and pass the love on!! Each item in the mix represents something to be thankful for!
We got a bag each of "Bugles" corn snacks, mini pretzels, candy corn, nuts or seeds, dried fruits (like raisins or craisins for the color!) M&Ms and Hershey Kissesand dumped everything into a big bowl and then individually bagged portions into fall themed treat bags tied with a card with the following text (and of course, you can change anything to fit with your particular faith).
Blessings Mix
Bugles:Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty; a symbol of our Nation's abundance
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer; a freedom sought by those who founded our country
Candy Corn:Sacrifices of the Pilgrim's first winter; food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future
Hershey Kisses: the Love of family and friends that sweetens our lives!
Color pasta and have kids make {Macaroni Kid-inspired} Noodle Necklaces. Directions found here.
Play Thanksgiving Day Bingo! It's NOT what you think! We used to play this game at our neighborhood block party and the goofier the prizes are, the better!!! The fun tradition is how some of these gifts become classics every year and return!!!
