The Learning Nest shares How to Have the Best Thanksgiving with your Kids
As the end of the year approaches, adults, and kids alike transition from the costumes of Halloween to the celebration of Thanksgiving. Many workplaces and schools are closed on this day, making it a great time to spend quality time with family and loved ones. Celebrating with children is a wonderful way to spend a day together while creating memories through conversation, games, and crafts.
The day can be made special for families that have a long tradition dating back several generations. Involving children in the preparation and celebration can make them feel like an important part of the family. Even the very young can be given a task that makes them feel like they are participating in their family's traditions.
Keep reading to discover why Thanksgiving is so important, how to navigate the harder to explain aspects of the holiday, as well as great activities and crafts that can be fun at any age. With a little planning, parents and kids working together can create a special day for everyone.
How to get children involved in Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that has not become overly commercialized. It is a day for people to be thankful for what they have with the people they love, and enjoy a feast together. The biggest gift that Thanksgiving gives families is the time to slow down and create memories with people they care about.
A range of delicious food
Special foods that we might not normally have, such as turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce, are traditionally served during the Thanksgiving celebration. But it is important to note that there is not one correct menu. Some families might have burritos and tacos each year to celebrate, while others might have ham and pasta.
Making them part of the preparations
No matter what is served, food is the focus of many tables, and most families have their own traditions about what is cooked and baked. Getting children involved in food preparation and talking about their favorite foods can be a great way to build excitement for the evening and look forward to dinner celebrations. If children suggest a new food to add to the dinner spread, families can make an effort to make it a welcome addition to their traditions.
Family and friends matter too
Many families are able to gather together with family and friends who might not be seen on a day-to-day basis. Allowing kids to understand that extended family, and even friends, can be important people in their lives is important for children to understand their place in the world. Allowing kids to interact with a large variety of people can teach them that as a family they can feel grateful for more people than just those who live together.
How to explain the importance of Thanksgiving
Many parents find themselves struggling with how to explain Thanksgiving to their kids. Families want their children to understand not just their traditions but why we celebrate them in the first place. The Thanksgiving story can be complex but shouldn't be simply ignored.
Let them know how it began
A history lesson about how Thanksgiving began should be age-appropriate for your children. Parents can explain the first Thanksgiving story in a way that focuses on the values of their family, especially to younger kids. The idea of pilgrims and Native Americans can be understood on a certain level by even the very young.
Children can better understand that they are a part of a long tradition by hearing about their family food customs, what Thanksgiving was like when their parents themselves were children, and how other families may celebrate. Parents can focus on important special traditions like special prayers or special routines and explain their significance to their children.
Explain the power of gratitude
Along with family traditions, talking about gratitude can help kids see what's important in their lives. Both adults and children can benefit from pausing to reflect on the many blessings they already enjoy. Children who are having trouble coming up with an expression of gratitude can be helped by hearing from their parents what they have to be thankful for.
If all family members agree to it, they can go around the table with each person offering something they are thankful for. For more private families, a jar of papers with one thing people are thankful for on each can help children visualize the various positive things around them. Help little kids write or draw what they are grateful for and help them to see how quickly the jar can fill.
Make the case for why giving to charity is a good idea.
Helping kids recognize that there are people who are less fortunate can be a great lesson during Thanksgiving. Families that are well off and have more food can lead by example and donate to a shelter or soup kitchen during Thanksgiving. One way to teach kids the value of generosity is to invite someone who doesn't live nearby to join in on the festivities.
During the Thanksgiving celebration, families can teach or remind other people about how important it is to help and give to others. Parents and kids alike have something that they can offer to others. A gift of time, money, or items does not have to be expensive or overly time-consuming, as it is the feelings behind the gift that matter.
What can be problematic about thanksgiving
Even young children can understand that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. Perhaps not all their friends celebrate the day or celebrate it in a different way. This can be confusing, especially for young children.
Make them comfortable with differing views
Though Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday, not everyone views the day in the same way. Kids can be taught that while some see it as a day of celebration for all they have, others see it as a day to commemorate what they have lost.
It may not be a joyous occasion for some
Some Native Americans see the day as a day of mourning for their way of life and the tragedy that followed. Native Americans see the pilgrims' landing in their New World as the beginning of the end for their culture. Even young children should be made to understand that some people would mourn the change to tradition and a way of life.
Teach them to be respectful and sensitive
Teaching children to be sensitive to the viewpoints of others is a great life lesson no matter the time of year. Thanksgiving celebrations can be the perfect time to make kids aware that there are conflicting views surrounding Thanksgiving and they need to be sensitive to that. Parents should help their kids understand that their family is celebrating in a way that is right for them and also that there is no right or wrong way to celebrate or mourn.
3 Fun Thanksgiving Kids Activities
Children generally do not wish to sit around and listen to adults talk on and on. Planning a few kid-friendly activities can be a great way to allow children to have fun and build memories. These activities don't need to be elaborate or time-consuming to prepare.
Simple games can be fun, too
Activities as simple as a pumpkin-themed tic-tac-toe or a Thanksgiving search for a word printout can be helpful in keeping kids amused and having fun. Hanging paper leaves on bare branches can also be a fun activity that requires very little planning.
The internet is full of printable, kid-friendly templates for simple games for kids that have been around for generations. Adults might even want to participate in a word search or charades game.
Activities that get creative juices flowing
With a little more planning, parents can help their kids create a beautiful fall wreath. Doodlebug Design has a clear tutorial that explains step-by-step how to create a unique wreath for the door or a centerpiece. Doodlebug Design also includes directions to create the grateful jar mentioned earlier.
For craft-loving families, Darcy Miller offers instructions for creating a turkey tail napkin holder for guests. Cardstock paper, markers, and imagination are all they need to get kids excited about drawing feathers for those attractive turkey napkin holders. Help little ones fold paper or linen napkins to create the turkey's tail.
Get to together and create fun games
For something that older kids might like, Chica and Jo offer instructions on how to make and play a sharing game using bowls, dice, and acorns. Parents only need to follow along by painting bowls and wooden acorns and making dice to make the game described. Families can modify the game with household items and dice from another board game after reading the instructions.
The Learning Nest
The Learning Nest understands how important family time is for a child's development. They strive each day to create a fun, healthy, and safe environment for kids to explore and learn. The Miami preschool understands that by fostering confidence, independence, and responsibility, we can help kids develop empathy and compassion.
They partner up with families and community members to not only help children learn but to understand their place in the world. How children fit into their families and their traditions can be fostered through the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving can also be a time of conversation about how children fit into their communities and even the larger world around them.
No matter how families celebrate Thanksgiving, there are simple ways to begin conversations and get children excited to participate in any traditions their family might have. The food, the people invited, and the activities can create a day of memories that kids will look forward to year after year.
Thanksgiving is really all about traditions and feeling thankful for what people have instead of focusing on what they don’t. The feelings of gratitude and generosity are traits that can be beneficial to kids throughout their entire lives. Investing time and energy into making wonderful memories and establishing meaningful rituals now will pay dividends when these children start their own families.
