Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Give Thanks

Here are some fun activities to do with your kids this Thanksgiving season.
  • Write thank you notes to someone (family member, friend, teacher, etc) for something they have done. I usually try to dictate exactly what my 3-year old is saying so that the card sounds more personal. Then I have her sign her name and draw or color a picture on the front. You can find free printable cards online, or make your own by printing some Thanksgiving clipart.
  • What is Thanksgiving without the traditional handprint turkey? Trace your child’s hand, then let them draw a face, feet, and feathers.
  • Make a turkey headband to wear. Just attach a turkey head to the front of a strip of brown paper, and feathers to the back, and voila! (we were out of brown paper at our house, so we had to improvise)
  • Have your child write their own recipe for how to cook a turkey. It is hilarious the things they will say — especially if they’ve had experience cooking with you. For younger kids, have them dictate to you. You could also have them write how to make pumpkin pie. Please don’t follow these recipes…I’m pretty sure a turkey will not be fully cooked when heated at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
  • Make a thankful turkey. After coloring a turkey body, trace your child’s foot on colored paper and cut out. Then have them write something they are thankful for on the feather and add it to the turkey’s tail. You can have them do as many feathers as you want, or have them add one each day. Or you could do this as a family activity and have everyone help make feathers. At the end, you’ll have a turkey full of things you are thankful for.
  • Make a book about the 1st Thanksgiving. I found a good one here.
  • Decorate a cornucopia. Use any medium you want to make this horn of plenty.You can find some templates here.
  • Make Thanksgiving snacks together. Some examples are cornbread, turkey sandwiches (use a turkey-shaped cookie cutter to make it a festive shape!), and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Here’s my favorite recipe for the aforementioned cookies:
    Mix 1 can pumpkin with 1 box spice cake mix powder. Then add 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and you’re done. Really. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes. Yummy and easy for kids to help make. 
  • And as the holiday gets closer, here’s how you can involve your kids with thanksgiving dinner:
    • Teach them how to set the table and discuss where each piece goes. Use play dishes or the real thing. Make it a matching game by tracing plates, cups and silverware onto a piece of paper, then having them place the correct item on its outline. Then when the big day arrives, let them set the table.
    • Make a pumpkin pie together.
    • Have them make place cards for Thanksgiving dinner. I found this idea using fingerprints at Family Fun. I only had big googly eyes, but I think they are kind of cute!
Happy Thanksgiving!
________________________________________________________________

Marie is a stay at home mom of two adorable kiddos who keep her super busy! She has a dual degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and continues to use her degree everyday of her mommy career!

Marie is one of my good friends and someone I look up to very much as a mommy. She has tons of fun ideas for things to do with your kids - so keep an eye out for her future guest posts.

1 comment:

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Thanks!
~Barb

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