Thanksgiving is a great time to gather the family and spend some precious time together —grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Here’s our thanksgiving ideas for family fun!
Get outside
While the kids are waiting for dinner, playing games outside helps pass the time and keep them occupied. Thanksgiving activities such as soccer, badminton, knee tackle football, or any other game you can think of, weather permitting—are fun, will use up some of the kids’ energy and also help them sit happily through the holiday meal.
If playing outside is not appealing or the weather is frightful, you may want to gather the children to create Thanksgiving crafts together. You can use the crafts to decorate your holiday table! Having one adult who is the designated crafts person is a great idea—so is getting your supplies in advance. If you have loads of kids in attendance, a little “crafty” planning will go a long way.
Holiday stories
Another option is to go around the room with each person adding to a made-up holiday story. One person could start with “A long time ago a family was gathering for Thanksgiving.” Then the next person could add to it, going around the room… Or, you could read the children holiday stories.
Party games
Many families enjoy playing board games such as Monopoly or Scrabble when they gather. Others prefer Charades or similar games. The advantage of Charades is that usually young children can think up something in their lives that they can act out, and so it often works for the whole family.
Recounting family tales
Other families like to take advantage of a family gathering to tell and record family history. They have the older adults share family stories of why and how the first members of the family came to Canada, and what happened once they arrived. Some people then videotape the event, others tape record them, and others just listen.
Whatever you choose to do that day, or in preparation for Thanksgiving, we hope you’ll enjoy your family gathering and remember to count your blessings!
What are your ideal family activities over Thanksgiving? Share them with us below!
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