Make Thanksgiving Extra Fun With These Six Family Friendly Ideas

According to a survey conducted by Statista earlier this year, 80 percent of Americans claim Thanksgiving as their favorite holiday. It’s not surprising to us because what’s NOT to like about Thanksgiving? There are harvest festivals, football, food, and hopefully some special time with family.

Like any holiday though, Thanksgiving can be stressful if you are balancing work schedules, preparing for your family feast, and juggling parenting responsibilities and child care. When does that leave you with time to plan fun activities in appreciation of autumn and Thanksgiving?

Rest easy. We’ve done the work so that you don’t have to. See our suggestions and ideas below to make this Thanksgiving holiday one you and your family will remember. And, don’t forget to include the kids in your planning.

 Kids love to be part of the conversation and know their ideas are important, especially when the activities being discussed involve them. By including your children in your holiday planning and giving them choices, it solidifies their importance in the family unit while also providing them with a sense of control and independence, which is important to developing healthy personalities. Good guidance is not to give them too many choices (limit to two – three) and don’t knowingly give them a false choice, which means letting them choose something that can’t be granted.

Have a quick brainstorm with your kids. Here are some questions to get you started in sharing ideas:

• What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

• What do you like to eat on Thanksgiving?

• Who do you like to spend time with the most during time off from school?

• What are some outside activities we can do as a family?

• What are some inside activities that we can do as a family?

• What chores can you help with to make the house look nice for the holiday?

 To add to their answers above, check out the six suggestions below:

1.  Cook together! But before you start cooking, create a plan with your kiddos that includes your menu for the week, what ingredients you need, and even a trip to the store. Don’t forget to incorporate some of their favorite foods from your brainstorm session. Then, let them help you in the kitchen. Little hands make great sous chefs: they can scrub vegetables, carefully chop vegetables with adult supervision, break eggs, spread butter, icing and other toppings. Plus, they can help clean up! Here’s some recipes and tips to get started.

2. Plan outdoor activities: Discover a local trail, plan a Thanksgiving Day-themed scavenger hunt like this easy-to-understand one from SimplyWellBalanced.com, rake leaves and other yardwork, collect rocks and leaves for autumn-themed craft ideas or to help in decorating the table.

3. Schedule virtual family time: Just because you can’t visit your favorite aunt or be at grandma’s in person doesn’t mean you can’t connect with them during the holiday. Arrange a time for a virtual visit where you and your family can share some time together. Be sure to have a dry run to work out any kinks beforehand, which can be important to do with friends and family who may not be tech savvy. You can make it a little extra fun and silly by encouraging everyone to dress up or wear their favorite costume for the visit.

4. Get crafty: Most likely you have everything you need at home for a variety of fun, creative, and possibly even messy activities. Just in case you need some new ideas, we captured some fall-inspired artsy ideas in this GPP blog or check out these ideas from Good Housekeeping for other possibilities.

5. Be thankful: During the most challenging times it can be difficult to “count your blessings,” which makes it even more important to recognize the things that have brought you joy and feel you with gratitude. Share what you’re thankful for – the big and the small -- with your children, and then have them share as well. Make it into a larger activity you will remember by having them write down what they are thankful for on these cute printable leaf cutouts.

6. Rest: Let’s be honest, we all need a little respite. Be sure to schedule it too, and make a plan! Rest can include snuggle time while watching some favorite family movies, or reading or listening to one of these “thankful themed” books together, or maybe just “resting your eyes” as a family.

Whatever you do, wherever you are, we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving!