The holiday season is in full swing, however, it seems so many look over Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas. The stores have begun decorating for Christmas and want our money. Our littles are so excited about Christmas, Santa, and all Christmas has to offer. Let’s offer them a chance to enjoy a holiday where they don’t necessarily get anything materialistic, but can get a giving thankful heart from us. Have you ever thought about starting traditions that help your littles look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday and help them become thankful for the things in their life? Continue reading to find activities, adventures, books, and crafts to help your little enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.
Activities and Adventures
1) Thankful Jar or Box
- At the beginning of November gather the family and read: Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks or Bear Says Thanks or any other thankful book you enjoy. Then share things you are thankful for together. Talk with your little about big things and small things to be thankful for. Share how things that happen everyday you can be thankful for. The at dinner each night in November share and write down something each person is thankful for from the day and place it in the jar or box. Then on Thanksgiving or the end of November open the jar and remember all the things you are thankful for. For our littles that cannot communicate what they are thankful for, but can tell you yes and know, ask them if they are thankful for something and write that for them. In order to make it easy to find each persons thankful messages use different color papers.
2) Most Thankful Thing Share
- Another wonderful activity to gather the family for a story and sharing on Thanksgiving. Read the book The Most Thankful Thing and talk about the things in your life this past year that you are thankful for and see if there is one thing each person is most thankful for. You can share family thankfulness or let each person share their own most thankful events.
3) Thanksgiving Table Cloth
- Get an inexpensive white or cream colored table cloth. On Thanksgiving set the table with the simple tablecloth and place colored fabric markers on the table. Have each person write what they are thankful for on the tablecloth. Young children can trace their hands and watch how how they grow through the years and see how thankful each person is year after year. Reuse the tablecloth until their isn’t room for anymore and then begin a new one.
4) Family Game or Puzzle Day
- During the day of Thanksgiving and/or on other days of the Thanksgiving weekend choose games or puzzles that everyone can play together. You can even choose a child’s puzzle and an adult puzzle so everyone is able to participate. Just make sure the tables are close to each other so it is a family activity.
5) Turkey Trot
- Many cities and small town organize a Turkey Trot. Search your area for a turkey trot. Sign everyone up to run or walk it. Turkey trots are usually a 5K race and everyone can enjoy it even if they are riding in a stroller or wagon. Enjoy the family run before you sit down for the Thanksgiving Feast.
6) Play Football
- Instead of sitting and watching game after game of football take the family outside to play a little touch football together. If you aren’t into the regular game of football, make paper footballs and have fun around the table seeing who will win. How to play paper football. How to make paper footballs. Everyone can enjoy this football game.
7) Family Walk and Talk
- After having had far more than you should eat during the Thanksgiving Feast, take a family walk to and talk about what you have enjoyed about the day. This will allow you to promote family fitness together, as well as, have a time to reflect on the fun traditions and activities of the day. Keep those activities and ideas you enjoyed in mind for your next family celebration.
8) Thanksgiving Video Story: The Mouse on the Mayflower
- During the week of Thanksgiving set a family time to have a movie night. Enjoy popcorn and watch a fun story about Thanksgiving. One of my favorites is The Mouse on the Mayflower. This is a story told from the perspective of a mouse that traveled on the Mayflower with the pilgrims. Children enjoy watching this movie and will learn the story of the first thanksgiving with you by their side. Don’t forget to talk about the movie and reinforce the meaning of Thanksgiving. Then make the Mayflower boat craft below.
Visit the following post for more Fabulous Fall activities, adventures, books, and crafts
Crafts
Finally, the 9th tradition to start this year. It is so much fun to make these crafts year after year and watch how your little grows and how their ability to do things changes.
Hand Print Turkey:
- Materials: paper, brown, yellow, blue, green, orange or red paint, markers
- Directions: Paint the palm of their hand and thumb brown. Paint each of their fingers a different color. Put their hand down on the paper to make a hand print, allow to dry. You can paint or color grass at the bottom under the palm of the hand. Then use markers to draw legs, eyes, beak, and wobble on the turkey.
Hand and Footprint Turkey:
- Materials: paper, brown, yellow, blue, green, orange or red paint, markers
- Directions: Paint their foot brown and make print on the paper. Choose 2 or 3 colors and paint their hand 2-3 different times. Print their hands on the paper to make the turkeys tail feathers. When paint is dry use markers to draw legs, eyes, beak, and wobble on the turkey.
Thankful Turkey:
- Materials: paper with turkey body drawn on it (white or brown), 5 or more paper feathers (white or on colored paper) per turkey, markers, glue
- Directions: Color the body of the turkey and draw the face on it. On each turkey feather write something you are thankful for, color them, and glue them to the turkey body.
Cornucopia Snack:
- Materials: Ritz type cracker, peanut butter or cheese spread, Bugle chips, Trix cereal
- Directions: Take a Ritz cracker and spread peanut butter or cheese on it. Place a Bugle chip on it so the opening is near the center of the cracker. Use the Trix cereal as the fruit and vegetables to fill the cornucopia. Enjoy
Pilgrim Hat Snack:
- Materials: Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies, large marshmallows, chocolate for melting, yellow frosting
- Directions: Melt the chocolate. Lay the cookies on a platter, chocolate side up. Dip the marshmallows in the melted chocolate. Then place the marshmallows on the cookies and let cool. Then pipe on the yellow frosting to make a belt on the side of the marshmallow. Enjoy
Mayflower Boat:
- Materials: Paper plate, brown paint, blue paper, white paper, Popsicle sticks, glue
- Directions: Cut the paper plate in half and paint it brown. Glue the plate to the blue paper and glue 2 Popsicle sticks to the paper for the sail masts. cut the white paper into 1 large square, 1 small square, 2 triangle, and 3 circles. glue the circles onto the plate for windows. Glue the large square to one popsicle stick and the 2 small square to the other stick and top each stick with the triangle.
Pattern Headband:
- Materials: brown paper strip, markers/paint/or small different colored shapes, glue, rubber band, stapler
- Directions: Cut a long strip of paper. Have your little place the shapes or draw shapes in a pattern across the band. Staple the rubber band to each end of the the strip of paper. Wear it as a headband.
Paper Plate Teepee:
- Materials: paper plate, markers, glue or stapler, brown pipe cleaners
- Directions: Roll the plate into the shape of a teepee. Use markers to draw Native American symbols on it. Cut the pipe cleaners and glue coming out of the top as the poles for the teepee.
Homemade Place Mats for the Table:
- Materials: strips of paper(different colors), 18×12 inch paper with slits cut long or short way of paper
- Directions: Weave the strips of paper through the 18×12 paper, using the over under pattern. Glue the ends of the strips down to hold in place
Books
There are always books to share with your littles. There are some wonderful Thanksgiving books that help teach about the holiday or are just fun books to read together. The following is a list of a few of my favorites, there are so many more great Thanksgiving books. What are some of your favorites?
Oh What a Thanksgiving by: Steven Kroll
The Most Thankful Thing by: Lisa Mccourt
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by: Margaret Sutherland
Bear Says Thanks by: Karma Wilson
How to Catch a Turkey by: Adam Wallace
Pete the Cat and the First Thanksgiving by: James Dean
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by: Dav Pilkey
Llama Llama Gives Thanks by: Anna Dewdney
Turkeys Thanksgiving Adventure by: Clay Sproles
Thanksgiving in the Woods by: Phyllis Alsdurf
42 Comments
Jill DeMasi
I love the idea of the Thankful jar!
Barb
I hope your family tries the thankful jars and enjoys this special time of year.
Beth
These are great. Will be using some of these this year. I like the thankful jar. Nice idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Barb
I’m so glad you enjoyed the ideas. I hope your family enjoys the new traditions and grows closer together.
Brianna
These are great activities! I especially love the thankful jar. Thank you for sharing!
Barb
I hope you can try and enjoy the thankful jar with your family.
Lora Rovegna
Traditions are so important! I wish my family had had some for Thanksgiving that didn’t involve food. The thankful jar is a great idea!
Barb
It’s never to late to start. Share these ideas and see what everyone wants to start. The grandchildren will enjoy them.
Angela
I love the traditions of holidays. We try to do some things the same each year but add a new on to mix things up, the jar may be our new one this year.
Barb
I hope you family enjoys the Thankful jar. It is fun to do.
Michelle
I LOVE the idea of the table cloth and fabric markers. If I ever have children that is going to be a major must.
Barb
It is so much fun to see who is at the table each year and how they have grown and changed.
Holly Bird
What a fun post, filled with some amazing activities!
Holly Bird
It’s never to late to start a new tradition..these are really great! thank you
Barb
I hope you found some ideas you would like to try.
Candice
These are all great ideas. The Mayflower boat is too cute!
Barb
Kids love making the Mayflower boat. I have done it in the classroom and at home and it is always a hit.
Heather
The Thankful Jar is my favorite.
jody
These are some great ideas thank you for sharing.
Jen
Love these suggestions! The table cloth idea is awesome.
Barb
It is so much fun to see who is at the table each year and how they have grown and changed.
Lisa Manderino
Wow, These are amazing Ideas!
jen
I love thanksgiving. LOVE IT LOVE IT
Robin
I love the tablecloth tradition! What a great idea for families 🙂
Barb
It is so much fun to see who is at the table each year and how they have grown and changed.
Lisa
I love the idea of the Thanksgiving table cloth!!! I hope next year when we host we can start this!
Barb
I hope you can start it as well. It is so much fun to see how families grow and change.
Katherine Wolfe
Love, love, love this list! It has loads of great ideas for one the most meaningful holidays this country celebrates!{By the way, I was hoping you had my all-time favorite Thanksgiving book listed by Dav Pilkey. You have it, yay, but accidentally typed ‘Christmas’…easy mistake to make considering the title. It’s the BEST Thanksgiving book ever!}
Barb
Oh no, I will go fix that. Thanks for the heads up. I don’t know how many times I read each post and sometimes I still miss something.I am so glad you love the list. Please share it with friends and family.
Noelle Collins
I’m going to look up that movie about the Mouse and the Mayflower. It sounds cute! We may also make those Pilgrim hat cookies. I have to figure out a GF way to do it for my youngest son.
Barb
For the pilgrim hats use Gluteno chocolate sandwich cookies. They turn out nicely .
Maria Gustafsson
Lovely traditions, and lot’s of fun ideas. Have a lovely thanksgiving.
Christina Furnival
Great recommendations. I love the idea of a thankful books list!
Barb
I have book suggestions in every post. Please check them out.
Lisa
Such great ideas! The Thankful jar is awesome.
Tracy
Love the tablecloth idea! Will try that one next year since the kiddo is still young!
Barb
I hope you enjoy it.
Haley Kelley
We also love the crafts and books for the holiays
Cindy
Great suggestions! I love the tablecloth idea. My family enjoys playing games after dinner.
Michele
I love the thankful jar and the crafts! Great ideas!
Jenna
These are some great ideas! I’m going to look into some of those books for next year!
Tricia Snow
What great ideas and inspiration! Thank you!