Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

Thanksgiving is a day when the entire family comes together to celebrate and give thanks for what we have.

Even though this day is generally celebrated by eating turkey and sitting around watching the Lions play football, there are ways to get children involved, even the ones not specifically interested in football.

1. Hand turkeys - Create hand turkeys with your kids. Hand turkeys are made by tracing your hand with a pencil and then coloring in the fingers, adding feet, a beak, and a gobble. For extra fun, you can also make them out of construction paper, cutting and gluing the different colors.
2. Help stuff the turkey - A lot of kids love to get messy, so what better way to get messy than by stuffing the turkey? Just remember to help wash their hands afterwards.
3. Give thanks before the meal - Something my ex-girlfriend's family does which I wish mine does is give thanks before the big meal. One by one each person says something they are thankful for.
4. Food for the kids - Yep, Thanksgiving is a bit about food, so why not do something special for the kids? Make them some turkey sugar cookies or pumpkin cookies or even pumpkin milk.
5. First Thanksgiving re-enactment - This is more for extended family events or for school, but if you have enough children (or if some adults wish to join), this can be a lot of fun.
6. Watch Thanksgiving movies - There are many great movies for this holiday which your kids are bound to love.
7. Setting up the Christmas tree - Something my family would do when I was younger was have the tradition to set up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. It was always fun and extended the great holiday feel.

I hope these ideas have helped you find something to do with your children this holiday season. Thanksgiving is a great day and should be celebrated in a great way.

Bonus: If you are of Native American decent or know accurate history about one of the tribes, tell stories to your children about the great people.