Kids are always the center of attention during Thanksgiving. Children are invited to table with the family and are always encouraged to eat well. However, this doesn’t mean that kids don’t have many exciting activities to keep them busy. There’s a full schedule of Thanksgiving activities for kids you can find online. But it is tough to find one that will be interesting and fun for your child.
If you’re worried about how to keep kids interested during the Thanksgiving holiday, then you can take a look at these exciting Thanksgiving activities included in this article. Baby Steps Daycare has compiled fifteen Thanksgiving activities for kids, as many bloggers and internet users suggested.
The Benefits of Getting Your Kids Engage In Thanksgiving Activities
Thanksgiving activities are a great way to enjoy Thanksgiving day. It gives little ones something to do and helps them engage in social situations. Also, the Thanksgiving activity provides a chance for parents to spend more time with their children and laugh at their funny remarks.
The following are other benefits of getting your kids to engage in thanksgiving activities. These benefits include:
- It Helps Them Build Their Confidence: Thanksgiving activities for kids are great ways to get them engaged and also help build their confidence. When a child can do something special that makes him feel good, it’ll boost confidence.
- It Is Educational and Fun for Children: Thanksgiving activities for kids provide an opportunity for parents to educate their children about all the significant traditions of this American holiday, which will make them learn more about what they are doing during Thanksgiving. Hence, they will become more excited while participating in exciting thanksgiving activities.
- It Stimulates Their Mind and Develops Their Creativity: Thanksgiving activities for kids are wonderful ways to have fun, learn, and develop creativity. When kids get to do something that is mind-stimulating and develops their creativity, they will be happy with this activity. They will also be able to develop better skills while doing these activities. Kids love making their crafts, so they will certainly love this Thanksgiving activity.
- It Will Help To Improve Their Communication Skills: Thanksgiving activities for kids provide a great opportunity for parents to improve their children’s communication skills. Some parents believe that Thanksgiving is just a day of eating, but it can be more than that if you let your children know what is going on around them on the day.
How Do You Make Thanksgiving Special for Kids?
If you want to make Thanksgiving special for your kids, you must introduce exciting thanksgiving activities. With each activity comes a different experience and a different way to make your child happy.
You should allow them to use their imagination and creativity and develop skills by engaging in various activities. It will help them grow within the holiday experience, making it memorable and happy for you and them.
Here are some ideas you can try to make sure that it is an exciting Thanksgiving for your kids.
11 Exciting Thanksgiving Activities For Kids
1. Help Them Make Thanksgiving Decorations
If your child loves to cut and glue, he will be very excited about making decorations for Thanksgiving at home. There are several things that you can do by creating some good decorations. First, you can make a Thanksgiving treat bag, including treats inside such as candy corn, bowties, and even cookies. You can also make a holiday tree with all colored lights and tissue papers to hang the decorations made. Another great option is to make some decorated applesauce jars that have each family member’s name on them so they can put their initials inside one jar.
2. Thanksgiving Trivia Game
Every child will like to do a little bit of trivia during the holidays. It can be fun to see who knows the most about their family history or who knows the most about what it means to be thankful for all that they have. Thanksgiving Trivia Game is also great for adults because it will give everyone a chance to have a good time together and share their good tidings.
3. Thanksgiving Movie Marathon
When it comes to enjoying Thanksgiving with your children, nothing can be more fun than watching a movie marathon together. Watch a few of your child’s favorite Thanksgiving movies, such as The Incredibles, Toy Story, and even Home Alone. You’ll find that your child enjoys watching these fun Thanksgiving movies as much as you do.
4. Turkey Tag Thanksgiving Activity
It is an easy and fun game to play by the whole family before, during, and after the turkey dinner. You may need a turkey toy to play with. After everyone is finished with the dinner, play a round of turkey tag. Sneak and gently clip someone with the turkey toy. Whoever is tagged losses, and the play continues until everyone is tired or wants to end the game.
5. Craft a Family Tree
It will help your child learn about their genealogy so that they can appreciate their heritage and family history back to the early Americas. You can print your copy of a tree that has no leaves and allow your child to play with it. Tell your child to stamp out the leaves with a finger-friendly ink pad.
6. Thanksgiving Gratitude Game
It is a great game to help children understand more about Thanksgiving and the meaning of being thankful for the family. Encourage your child to name everything they are thankful for by playing this wonderful game. You can find the complete instructions on how to play this Thanksgiving game by visiting Kara Creates.
7. Play a Jigsaw Puzzle Together
Putting jigsaw puzzle is one activity you can try during thanksgiving day. It is suitable for the entire family. Puzzle games help the kids practice their problem-solving skills and help them improve their focus by dedicating time to one piece at a time. Jigsaw puzzles are also a fun way to keep your children engaged and busy over Thanksgiving break.
8. Mini Pumpkin Hunt
A classic but full of fun activities to enjoy by the whole family. Gather several miniature pumpkins and hide them in different parts of your house or the yard for your child to find. It is a fun game that your child will enjoy doing.
9. Thanksgiving Turkey Play Dough Tray
It is another fun activity you can introduce to your kids during thanksgiving day. Playdough is one favorite material most kids love to play. They can form any shapes they like and enjoy the process of doing it. One shapes kids love to make using playdough is the turkey. It fits the occasion and brings a lot of fun. For the complete guide and other materials needed for the activity, you may visit Early Learning Ideas. Doing this activity will improve your child’s motor skills.
10. Turkey Math Thanksgiving Activities
It is an activity that can help your child increase their numbers knowledge and learn how to count higher numbers such as tens and hundreds at the same time. Turkey Math Activities help them develop their math skills and learn other important math facts, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and patterning in these holiday activities for kids. You may also try to introduce these exciting math activities to your child during this special holiday.
11. Take A Hike
During thanksgiving day, you can bring your kid out to do some walking and hiking. You can choose a park or somewhere you can walk around and enjoy the fresh air. It helps them get away from the TV, computer, iPad, and cellphones. It gives them time to bond with you, and at the same time, it’s a day for them to unwind.
Thanksgiving day is the time for family bonding and spending time together. Try to find time for your kids and make them feel special. We at Baby Steps Daycare aim to make your Thanksgiving day more fun and memorable for everyone. With these ideas, you’ll be surprised at how much your children will get involved and look forward to the holiday season. They’ll feel more grown-up because they are partaking in activities that adults do. We hope that we’re able to help you prepare for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your child and family. If you find this article useful, please don’t hesitate to share it with others and let us know what you think in the comments below.
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