At Thanksgiving, friends and family visit, a huge meal is planned, everyone watches football or makes food in the kitchen and the kids run around like crazy. But should they? Kids might appreciate being more involved in the Thanksgiving fun, and they will learn traditions that they can carry on when they have children of their own.
Truth is, what starts out as a day for the family ends up with everyone going off in their own direction, with the exception of the main meal. You can make this year different by planning some Thanksgiving activities the whole family can enjoy.
Get Kids Involved in the Planning
If you are hosting Thanksgiving at your house, and you have children, ask them to contribute to the decorating of the table. Two weeks before, pick up craft supplies such as construction paper in fall colors and pipe cleaners, and think about what kids can make that your guests will enjoy. Perhaps they could paint placemats or make napkin rings for the kids' table or even the adults' table. They could even go out in the yard to find beautiful leaves and pinecones that would look wonderful as part of a centerpiece.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, bring the kids together and have them make their crafts. If you are having your Thanksgiving meal on tables different from the ones you usually eat on as a family, you can ask them to help set and prepare the table. You might have to go through and swap the positions of knives and forks, but they'll learn a lot in the process.
Share in the Meal Preparation
Instead of just having mom or dad in the kitchen cooking the meal, include the whole family. Allow the kids to help plan the menu and fix their own favorite dishes. Obviously, kids shouldn't be allowed near the stove and shouldn't handle sharp instruments, but they can help frost cupcakes and decorate cookies. Some budding chefs (or fussy eaters) might also enjoy watching you cook so they know what goes into each dish.
Make Travel Easier
For families who are going to another friend or relative's home for the holiday, Thanksgiving travel time can add to the stress of the day. To cut down on crankiness, give yourself enough time to stop at family-friendly sites along the way. Eat a meal together, tour a museum, go to a zoo or visit landmarks that you pass. Even if you are on a budget or don't have many landmarks along the way, pulling over and letting the kids stretch their legs and run around can make all the difference in their mood. Take pictures, and create some memories as you go along.
The Kids' Table
While not all Thanksgiving gatherings are large enough to warrant a kids' table, you might consider letting the little ones sit nearby in their own area. That way, they can feel free to run around, and adults can catch up and eat relatively uninterrupted. However, at least one or two adults should be at the kids' table to mind their behavior. Make sure that whoever is at the kids' table enjoys the job or at least has a grown-up companion. You may be able to offer a teenager in the family a little babysitting money for watching the kids' table. In that case, everyone wins.
For the kids' table, stress the importance of staying at the table. Don't be tempted to let the kids go off and watch DVDs or play video games. A huge part of Thanksgiving is bringing family together. It's only natural for young kids to get distracted, so you may want to allow them to bring at least one small toy to the table. You could also cover the kids table with an oversized sheet of paper and set out crayons-an old trick employed by several family restaurants to keep kids entertained.
Be Thankful
Include special activities during the day, and even the week before, that allows your family to express what they are thankful for. Create a Thanksgiving tree out of poster board, and place it on the wall. Cut out colorful leaves, and ask your kids to write down what they are thankful for. Then, they can hang their leaves on the tree for guests to read.
Creating a Thanksgiving tree will help your kids prepare for another important holiday traditions. Before you eat your Thanksgiving dinner, go around the table, and ask everyone to share something they are thankful about. Encourage the kids to think first and not just say the first thing that pops into their head.
Start Your Own Traditions
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that brings people together without the promise of presents, so create a tradition that you and your family do every year. This tradition should be something that all of you want to do together. Maybe it's cooking a special dessert as a team or playing the same game each year. You and your kids will be glad you did.
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