Thanksgiving with Kids: Fun & Easy Ideas

Thanksgiving with Kids: Fun & Easy Ideas

Last year on Thanksgiving day, we had 6 kids under the age of 10 running around our house.  It was so fun!

I thought it would be nice to make their experience special by adding in a few extra touches.  (My ideas also distracted them and kept them busy, which – ahem – the parents really appreciated).

I didn’t spend much time or money on these ideas – it was all very easy!

 

1) Special kids table.

I had a kid-sized table and chairs just for them, tucked into the corner.  I then took a big roll of butcher paper and taped the ends under the table.   I got my awesome butcher paper on Amazon.

Then I wrote the kids’ names on the table, “showing” them that they of course could go to town and color on the paper themselves.

The wooden turkeys made for a cute place setting that doubled as a craft – I found them in the dollar bin at Target (you can get this version on Target.com which is also super cute!)

 

I then grabbed a few things from my giant craft jar and put them in plastic cups along with glue sticks so the kids could decorate the turkeys however they wanted.

 

 

2) Special Craft Table

I also had a special craft table set up in the kitchen which was perfect because that’s where most everyone wanted to stand and chat as dinner was being made.

I don’t have a picture of my craft table!  But this is basically what it looked like:

 

 

It was all very civilized. 🙂

Adorable crafts and children via

We had low-mess, simple Thanksgiving-themed crafts set up and they were a big hit.  Here are some other ideas you might like to try:

These Foam turkeys are low maintenance and low mess!

Also love these Colorful Magic Leaves Paper Scratch Kit.  You scratch designs onto the leaves using a wood stylus – talk about NO MESS!  And then you can hang the leaves by a string on a tree.

3) Special Treats

At the last minute I ordered these adorable cookies and had them personalized.  The kids were so thrilled.  Just a fun extra touch that meant a lot to our little visitors.

Okay, I have to say the best move was using plastic plates and paper napkins.  Between food and crafts, by the end of dinner the kids’ table was a disaster.  So, we literally gathered the ends of the butcher paper and folded it up, and threw the whole thing in the trash.  THAT was easy.  They ended up eating their Thanksgiving pie (and personalized cookies) at the bare table.  Anything goes!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

Interested in 4 Tips for Making your Thanksgiving Easy?  You can read all about it here.