You’ve probably heard the saying, “Nothing worth having comes easy,” and Thanksgiving is a perfect example of that! There’s so much to do—cleaning, cooking, decorating, more cooking, wrangling the kids, and yes, even more cooking—so it’s important to make the prep as easy for yourself as possible. We can’t wash your dishes or cook your casseroles, but we do know how to keep kids entertained! Check out these fun Thanksgiving activities for kids to keep the youngsters happy before and during the holiday weekend.
Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Take over the tablescape.
There are tons of cool Thanksgiving craft projects out there for kids, but some of the best ones do double duty as an activity and decor for your family feast! Little kids can go to town with (washable) paint, crayons, and markers on pre-made place cards or tags with each person’s name already printed on them or written by an adult/older sibling with a metallic paint pen once they’re dry. To prevent muddy colors and keep everything looking festive, limit the colors you put out to a particular color scheme, like all warm colors (red, orange, yellow), all cool colors (green, blue, purple), or your own mix (orange, purple, green). f you have teens or tweens with an artistic streak, they can even practice some fancy hand lettering for the names.
Another good way to keep kids busy while also contributing to Thanksgiving is to task them with creating a centerpiece for the table. They can hunt around your yard for pretty branches, leaves, pinecones, acorns, and greenery, then arrange their natural objects in a vase, basket, etc. Older kids will love rummaging through your candles and decor to curate a tablescape, but for younger kids you can give them “vases” made from upcycled containers like tin cans (make sure there are no sharp edges), plastic jars, or even yogurt tubs.
Get crafty and creative.
If the combination of a nature scavenger hunt and craft project appeals to your crowd, the kids can also get started making some cool holiday gifts for family and friends. Creating dried botanical wall art is actually super easy and looks surprisingly elegant. Collect funky old picture frames from the thrift store, or let them collage leaves onto a small panel or canvas with glue. Another fun nature activity is to do rubbings of leaves with printer paper and crayons. They’ll love seeing how the different vein patterns of the leaves show up on the paper.
The internet is just chock-full of fun holiday gift projects for kids, so start exploring and see what your kids are interested in! They can make gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, teachers, coaches, and friends.
Skate off some energy.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure the kiddos get some physical activity in during the Thanksgiving break! Shoot some hoops in the driveway, kick a soccer ball around, play tag, or come out for one of our roller skating sessions at Rainbow Skateland. Roller skating is an awesome mood booster and a heart-healthy way to get some exercise. It can even help kids improve their balance, agility, and stamina!
We’re keeping it as safe as possible here by requiring masks, enforcing social distancing, and increasing sanitation frequency, and limiting capacity. Stay well and we hope to see you for some post-Turkey Day fun!
Leave a Reply