Written by Teresa Knudsen. First published on Suite 101 November 25, 2009.
Republished January 11, 2012 on Sweet Suite Writings
Fun, Easy, Thanksgiving Activities for Children
Thanksgiving Day is often a busy, chaotic time, leaving children asking "What can I do?" to grownups hurrying to prepare dinner, or to clean up after the holiday feast. These are some easy and fast ways to help children enjoy their holiday, by creating artwork, playing games, or learning about colonial times.
Children can design any shapes they want. Using Thanksgiving cookie cutters in shapes of leaves or turkeys can help guide children in tracing and cutting out the shapes. Or they might want to make their own designs.
When given some colored paper, pens, and space to work, the kids will use their imagination and also know they are contributing to the Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
Though children love to create their own drawings, sometimes they like coloring on pages already sketched with Pilgrims, Native Americans, or turkeys. The website Artists Helping Chidren provides lots of these types of activities.
Thanksgiving Memories Scrapbook Craft
One particular activity on Artists Helping Children is a Thanksgiving Memory Scrapbook page. Children can write their ideas and memories, and then draw or cut out pictures and illustrations, or add photos or pressed leaves on the page.
The website for Colonial Williamsburg offers a description how interpreters demonstrate colonial children's activities. Due to the practical aspects of colonial children's education, indoor activities such as sewing and cooking-educational pursuits such as writing, spelling and calculating-were often the main amusements for older kids.
According to the website for the Jacobus Venderveer House, "During colonial times, boys or girls would find a bright spot next to a window and sew cross legged for hours whether it be making or repairing more durable items used in the home, quilting or making clothing."
Quick projects can be sewing small drawstring bags for money, stones or toys. Sewing informal drapes or original samplers are other ways to spend Thanksgiving time with friends and family.
Additionally all kids enjoy bushing up on vocabulary by playing Thanksgiving Hangman.
Often children enjoy make-believe games, and readily enact Thanksgiving topics such as the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving with the tribes, and living in colonial villages. Trees and bushes can be homes, and the children can "visit" each other's homes, and pretend to cook Thanksgiving dinner.
The page Kids Corner offers a selection of colonial kid activities, according to age. Kids can write a colonial or modern diary, write their own dictionary, or write a play.
Most importantly, children can learn that colonial children often didn't have toys, and had to use the materials at hand, such as bits of wood, small pebbles, and leaves to create little doll houses or forts, or games such as checkers. The colonial children used their imaginations and applied their play to the skills they would need in their lives as farmers.
At the end of the day, children will remember their Thanksgiving as being filled with good food, fun times, and a chance to learn about colonial children.
For additional ideas, for young and old, there are " Recipes to Kindle the Thanksgiving Holiday Spirit."
References
Thanksgiving Placeholder Cards
For a short activity, children can design placeholder cards, so that everyone knows where to sit at the Thanksgiving table. One site, Artists Helping Children, provides directions on making a fall leaf shaped card, with someone's name or a short poem or message on the card.Children can design any shapes they want. Using Thanksgiving cookie cutters in shapes of leaves or turkeys can help guide children in tracing and cutting out the shapes. Or they might want to make their own designs.
When given some colored paper, pens, and space to work, the kids will use their imagination and also know they are contributing to the Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
Though children love to create their own drawings, sometimes they like coloring on pages already sketched with Pilgrims, Native Americans, or turkeys. The website Artists Helping Chidren provides lots of these types of activities.
Thanksgiving Memories Scrapbook Craft
One particular activity on Artists Helping Children is a Thanksgiving Memory Scrapbook page. Children can write their ideas and memories, and then draw or cut out pictures and illustrations, or add photos or pressed leaves on the page.
Indoor Games
Besides the usual board games of Candyland, Monopoly, or Risk, all kids enjoy playing "Hide and Seek." This game works well if the home has ample hiding places, and there are clear limits regarding which rooms are fair game for hiding, and which rooms are "off-limits." As always, for safety purposes, adults can ensure that the children are hiding in areas that are easy for adults to spot, so that a good time is had by all.The website for Colonial Williamsburg offers a description how interpreters demonstrate colonial children's activities. Due to the practical aspects of colonial children's education, indoor activities such as sewing and cooking-educational pursuits such as writing, spelling and calculating-were often the main amusements for older kids.
According to the website for the Jacobus Venderveer House, "During colonial times, boys or girls would find a bright spot next to a window and sew cross legged for hours whether it be making or repairing more durable items used in the home, quilting or making clothing."
Quick projects can be sewing small drawstring bags for money, stones or toys. Sewing informal drapes or original samplers are other ways to spend Thanksgiving time with friends and family.
Additionally all kids enjoy bushing up on vocabulary by playing Thanksgiving Hangman.
Outdoor Games
If the Thanksgiving day isn't too rainy or cold, children benefit from getting out of the house and into the cool, crisp, fresh autumn air. Popular games include "Tag," "Red Rover," or "Hide and Seek."Often children enjoy make-believe games, and readily enact Thanksgiving topics such as the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving with the tribes, and living in colonial villages. Trees and bushes can be homes, and the children can "visit" each other's homes, and pretend to cook Thanksgiving dinner.
Colonial Games
Many children show interest in learning and playing games that were played by children in the American colonies. The Noah Webster site offers examples of colonial kid activities .The page Kids Corner offers a selection of colonial kid activities, according to age. Kids can write a colonial or modern diary, write their own dictionary, or write a play.
Most importantly, children can learn that colonial children often didn't have toys, and had to use the materials at hand, such as bits of wood, small pebbles, and leaves to create little doll houses or forts, or games such as checkers. The colonial children used their imaginations and applied their play to the skills they would need in their lives as farmers.
At the end of the day, children will remember their Thanksgiving as being filled with good food, fun times, and a chance to learn about colonial children.
For additional ideas, for young and old, there are " Recipes to Kindle the Thanksgiving Holiday Spirit."
References
- "Children's Activities." Colonial Williamsburg.
- "Thanksgiving Activities and Thanksgiving Coloring Pages for Kids." Artists Helping Children.
- "Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids." Homeschooled Kids.
- "Thanksgiving and Gifts from Native American Tribes." By Teresa Knudsen
