Activities for Children to Do on Thanksgiving

During the Thanksgiving Holiday adults have no shortage of things to do. Shopping must be done. Food has to be cooked. The house has to be cleaned. While Mom is busy with all of these activities, the children may have a hard time finding more to do than watching television. Here are some ideas for keeping the kids busy while you do your busy work.

Let them help you.

Children love to feel that they are being helpful. There are lots of ways that even the youngest child can help out with Thanksgiving preparations. Your children can help you get the house ready for guests Encourage them by telling them how important it is to have a clean house when the guests arrive. Smaller children can clear toys and other items from the floor. Older children can help by vacuuming dusting, or sweeping. Children can also be great at helping in the kitchen. You can let them help with desserts and simple dishes.

They can decorate cookies and cup cakes, wash vegetables, or mash the potatoes and yams If your children are old enough, you could put them in charge of preparing some dishes on their own. Some easy dishes that your older children can be responsible for are brownies, com on the cob, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or salad. Allowing your children to help with cooking Thanksgiving dinner is a unique opportunity for you to bond with them. It is also a great way to teach your children about food and cooking. Make cooking with your children a holiday tradition in your home.

Keep them busy with crafts

Children love crafts. They can spend hours creating masterpieces that you will cherish for years There are many ample craft ideas for Thanksgiving. Print coloring pages from the internet for your children. The search phrase, "Thanksgiving coloring pages," will provide hundreds of results. You can easily find many coloring pages that are suitable for all skill levels. When your children have finished coloring, display their art on the refrigerator or walls for Thanksgiving Help your children make Thanksgiving costumes.

These can be simple Pilgrim hats and Indian head bands made from construction paper. Have your children make one for each guest to wear Thanksgiving Day. You can find a pattern for these cute costumes at all kids network.com. This will add a fun twist to Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. A fast, fun craft that can double as a snack or an appetizer is sugar cone cornucopias. You simply use an ice-cream cone as the cornucopia, and then fill it with snacks like pretzels, crackers, Chex Mix, nuts, or candies Let your children enjoy them right away, or place them on an appetizer try for your Thanksgiving guests

Teach your children about the meaning of Thanksgiving.

With all of the hustle and bustle, it is sometimes easy to forget why you go through all of this fuss on Thanksgiving. Take a few minutes to sit down and talk to your children about why Thanksgiving is celebrated. After your discussion, have them use construction paper to make a Thanksgiving card. Let them decorate the outside of the card with a picture that reminds them of Thanksgiving. On the inside of the card, have your children list the things for which they are thankful. These cards are sure to be heartwarming reminders of things that everyone should be thankful for. Display these cards on Thanksgiving Day. Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Aunts, and Uncles will all love reading them.