Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Time seems to fly nowadays! If you’re wrapped up in all the planning of the holidays while balancing your child’s schedule with your own, here are 10 easy ways to make Thanksgiving memorable for you and the whole family!

 

Let your kids get in on the cooking!

Not only will it help you to get a few extra hands in the kitchen, it’s a great teaching moment. It can help them practice basic math and language skills. Win-win!

 

Make gratitude cards

This is another great educational practice. On a piece of cardboard paper, have everyone write what they’re thankful for. It’s a great way to get your kids practicing gratitude, their handwriting, and sentence structure. Once everyone is done, go around the table, share your thoughts with each other, and reflect on what got you through this past year. Encourage creativity!

 

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Have your child write thank-you notes to their teachers, bus drivers, lunch staff, etc to express the gratitude they feel throughout the year. Have them bring the notes to school once the break is over. The school staff will love it!

 

Watch the Thanksgiving National Dog Show

Animal lovers in the family will love this. And hey, why not turn it into a game? Each round, have every member of the family vote on their favorite dog. See who can guess as many winners as possible, and see if anyone guesses the true Best in Show at the end!

 

Craft a table centerpiece

If your hands are tied up in the kitchen, have your kids sit down and put together a beautiful festive centerpiece using autumnal flowers, plants, and other seasonal trinkets. It’s a fun craft that will let your kids show their creative side. When your guests arrive for dinner, you get to boast your kids as the artistic geniuses!

 

Make a dinnertime playlist

Everyone gets to pick a few songs that will play over Thanksgiving dinner. You can make this a game too by trying to guess who picked which song. Just be warned, there will definitely be some “is it too early for Christmas carols” discourse at the table!

 

Teach your kids about nutrition using your dinner

Despite its reputation, Thanksgiving dinner is actually quite healthy. With turkey being a lean meat and vegetables aplenty, it’s a great opportunity to demonstrate to your kids the importance of making sure their plate is balanced, and to eat until they’re full. Just be sure they save at least a little room for dessert!

            TIP: Refrain from using language like “good” or “bad” which assigns morality to food. Instead, show them what a healthy plate looks like according to the food pyramid. Include protein, vegetables, fruit, and carbs. Everyone loves a Thanksgiving dinner roll!

 

Flip through old Thanksgiving photos

Take out the old photo books and flip through them with your kids, refreshing their memories on Thanksgivings of the past, as well as telling them about the traditions you had growing up. It’s what Thanksgiving is all about!

 

Ask what your child wants to eat for Thanksgiving dinner and actually make it

Sometimes kids have wacky but utterly genius ideas. An off-kilter addition to the table could be just what your family needs to spice things up at Thanksgiving!

 

Decorate festive cookies

A great post-dinner activity while waiting to get hungry again for dessert! Take some freshly baked sugar cookies and decorate them with icing, sprinkles, edible glitter, anything you have around the house that lets the family get in touch with their inner baking artist!

 

Donate

Giving thanks and giving back go hand-in-hand. Teach your children the importance of taking care of their community by taking them shopping for non-perishable goods and dropping them off at the local food bank. Let them pick some of the good themselves so they can really be involved in the process.