Thanks to Dana Verhoff, PM Snoqualmie Valley & Issaquah, WA (she co-publishes MK with my sister-in-law Diana!), for this great article. I am planning to try some of these ideas for my kids!
- Use butcher paper as a table cloth, which creates an instant canvas for artwork, word games, tic-tac-toe, and more. Check out these cute ideas for fun Thanksgiving centerpieces your kids can make!
- You may also want to outline rectangle-shaped placemats right on the paper to give kids a designated place to draw. Or print out these activity placemats.
- Make the place settings kid-friendly with these cute turkey napkin rings.
- Add a bit of history by making homemade paper pilgrim bonnets and pilgrim hats. Find the how-to tutorials for the pilgrim bonnets at Skip to My Lou and for the pilgrim hats at Alpha Mom.
- Have the kids write down what they're thankful for this year on stamped tags, then tie to the branches of fall foliage. Or try one of these Thanksgiving tree crafts.
- 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!
- Color pasta and have kids make {Macaroni Kid-inspired} Noodle Necklaces. Directions found here.
- Play Thanksgiving Bingo!
