Thanksgiving is a celebration of family and gratitude with historical significance. That is my kind of holiday. Nurturing an appreciation in children for Thanksgiving is easy when you make it fun. Here are a list of activities and games that you can do with your children to demonstrate your love for this holiday.

• Thanksgiving coloring • Who doesn’t want the kiddos quietly coloring for some portion of their Thanksgiving celebration? Make these cute turkey cups, fill with some new crayons and print out some Thanksgiving coloring pages.  You might just buy some time to finish setting the table or enjoy a glass of wine with your guests in peace.
• Put on a Happy Snood Card Game • What’s a snood? Have fun and learn a little about turkey anatomy at the same time.
• Tic-Tac-Turkey • Pick 2 Thanksgiving images to represent the xs and os, print out and glue into card stock squares. • Set up a board and get playing with a partner.
• How Many Words Can You Make?  • Use SCRABBLE tiles with the letters T-H-A-N-K-S-G-V-I-N-G and give points for each word.
• Pumpkin Races • Get a starting and finish line, 2 pumpkins, and 2 sturdy brooms and race away.
• Gratitude Grab Bag • Make up cards, some that say “THANKSGIVING” and others that have a picture and words on them of things your family and guests may be thankful for. • Each person takes a turn reaching into the bag and pulling out a card. • If the card says “THANKSGIVING”, the person should express something or someone they are thankful for (parents, teachers, pet, favorite food, etc.). • For the rest of the cards, show them to all and then express why we should be thankful for that item (food, clothes, trees, grass, cars, etc.).
• Pumpkin Bowling • Set up some pins made from empty 1 or 2 liter plastic bottles and gently roll a pumpkin…strike, anyone?
• Thanksgiving Dinner • Players sit in a circle. • The first player starts by saying, “At Thanksgiving dinner I like to eat turkey”. • The next player must repeat “At Thanksgiving dinner I like to eat turkey…” and add another dish. • This continues all the way around the circle with each person reciting the dishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one.
• Thanksgiving Fortune Teller • My kiddos are obsessed with these things right now…here is a Thanksgiving-y version.
• Cranberry Spoon Race • Have players race from start to finish with a spoon full of cranberries. • See how long it takes to fill a Dixie cup (or something larger). • Do relay race style if you have a lot of guests.

Does your family have a favorite Thanksgiving game?