Six Awesome Thanksgiving Activities for Kids (that will keep them busy and out of the kitchen!)

Here’s a Thanksgiving recipe (for DISASTER):

• One labor-intensive meal that takes several hours to prepare (because you HAVE to do homemade on Thanksgiving)

  

• One (or more if you have a giant Mormon family) table setting with cute, yet fragile centerpieces and name cards that HAVE to stay where they are to control the adult per child ratio at each location and prevent a food fight

  

• Two TVs that are somehow ONLY programmed to broadcast football games

AND…THE SPECIAL INGREDIENT…

• A BUNCH of KIDS (yours, the cousins, and the even the neighbors down the street)

  

Sound stressful? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! Here are six Thanksgiving activities to keep the little guys out of the kitchen, away from the candy corn table settings, and in good spirits until that time finally comes when…it takes 7.8 minutes for them to scarf down the meal you spent ALL DAY making!

1. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt from The Dating Divas

“Clues and activities for a Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt the whole family can enjoy!”

2. Thanksgiving FHE Lesson/Activity from The Redheaded Hostess

This one would be great for the not-so-little children (aka teens) to keep their mind on the true meaning of the holiday and away from those electronic devices for a change.

3. Turkey Balloon Rockets from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Boys. Rockets. Races. Need I say more?! This activity will work just as well for girls, but we all know that a handprint turkey won’t cut it for most boys out there…so here’s another option!

4. Thanksgiving Printable Activity Pages from Live, Craft, Eat

Katie is the Mormon mommy blogger behind Live Craft Eat and she came up with these cute printables. She said they should keep the kiddos occupied “for at least 15 minutes”. 😉

5. “Shooting Turkeys” Game from A Girl and a Glue Gun

Aiming to please the boys again (no pun intended), this activity is sure to be a hit—even the dads can’t resist a Nerf gun-oriented game!

6. The MOTHER LODE of Thanksgiving Activities from the Crafting Chicks

You need look no further if none of the above ideas tickled your fancy. The Crafty Chicks have compiled a TON of Thanksgiving crafts for all ages in ONE POST! (Come on, you don’t have time to get sucked into Pinterest right now!)

Even though during the Thanksgiving holiday it’s easy to get caught up in cooking, kids and chaos, make sure you take time to pause and be grateful. Grateful that you are surrounded by little people (and big people) who love you. Grateful that you have plenty in a world where many do not. Grateful for a Father in Heaven who has provided you with the bounties of this earth and family relationships that can last forever.