Sometimes, Thanksgiving — and the week off of school — can seem overwhelming. The kids are home, the weather is cooler, and there is a lot of food to make. But, Thanksgiving is also a special opportunity for us to remind our children to celebrate all that God has blessed us with.
So amid the hustle of shopping, baking and cleaning, take a few moments to sprinkle these family activities into your Thanksgiving preparations.
Make a thankful Turkey
What you’ll need: cardstock, crayons, magazine cut-outs, pictures
Cut a turkey feather shape out of cardstock. Have each child decorate their feather with things they are thankful for. You can draw, use pictures, magazine cutouts, etc. Be as creative as you would like!
As your children create, use this time to discuss people and things they are thankful for. Make a turkey body from construction paper and display your thankful turkey for the Thanksgiving season.
Say “Thanks” with a card
What you’ll need: paper, blank cards, envelopes
Have your child make a thank you card for someone. Their teacher, grandparents, or mailman would be a great example. Have them write an encouraging word about how thankful they are that they have this person! For younger children, you can write ‘thank you’ on paper and have them color or draw a picture.
Start a family thankful chart
What you’ll need: paper or poster board, something to write with
To make a thankful chart, divide a paper or poster board into sections. The number of sections may vary based on the age and number of children in your family. Once you have a chart made up, invite your children to write things they are thankful for over the course of a few days or up to several weeks. They should be writing things that happen throughout their day that they are thankful for.
Here are some questions you can ask your children to get them thinking about what they are thankful for.
- What things make you happy?
- What is the smallest thing you are thankful for?
- What is the biggest thing you are thankful for?
- Who is someone you would like to give a thank you card to?
- How do you show your thankfulness?
- How does it feel when someone says “thank you?”
Try these simple and fun Thanksgiving activities with your kids this month and let us see them. Send us pictures or tag us on social media so we can see what you’re up to.