Thanksgiving with your kids

     Kids get so excited around this time of the year, in anticipation of the holidays comings. They have just made it through Halloween and now waiting as Thanksgiving approaches. Especially the older your kids get, the more excited they seem to become because they know more about what the holidays are. This is a really great time for parents because they can do so many fun things with their kids. Are you just not the type who knows what to do with your child for the holidays? You’re not quite sure what you want to do? Well, here are a few ideas to get into the holiday spirit.

        One of the fun things you can do would be to decorate your house inside and out. You could help your child build a scarecrow and set it out side by your door to greet your guests. You can be very creative with this project.  The following is a website that can help you get started; http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Scarecrow.  There are all kinds of ways to decorate, just use your imagination.  This will be a very fun way to help start your Thanksgiving season.

         Do your kids know what Thanksgiving is about? This is something they should know. You could read them a story or tell your own story of the Mayflower, Indians and pilgrims. You could do some kind of activity with them each day. A good preschool age activity would be at supper time to have everyone go around the table and say what they are thankful for. Your child might have a hard time at first, so you will probably just have to give them some examples of what they can say.

           Another thing that you could is you could get a set of little square blocks of wood and have your child paint each letter on the blocks to spell out “give thanks” and have it setting out anywhere in your house. Because giving thanks is one of the most important messages of Thanksgiving and this will help your child learn more about what Thanksgiving is. Also, remember to talk to your child while they are making this little project so they get to know what Thanksgiving is all about.

            You can also have your child do all of these different crafts, and use it to decorate your house. Some craft ideas you could with your child are; making turkeys even if it’s out of construction paper and decorate it. You could take a brown paper bags and decorate it and make them into pilgrims and tell your child what the pilgrims are and even the story behind them. You can make Indian head bands using homemade feathers or purchase them at a craft store.  Even if you and your child just sit down and color plain paper and come up with things that you can draw and color that represents Thanksgiving.

            Remember to let your kids help in the kitchen too, baking cookies and making food for the big dinner is so much fun for them. Holidays are supposed to be spent together with family and have a great time.  Getting everyone involved in all the activities makes for great memories and traditions for your children to pass down to their families.