Get The Kids Excited for Thanksgiving ~ Thanksgiving Traditions

Today, my little Shane told me..."Thanksgiving and Labor Day are pretty much the worstest holidays there is." And I said, "Well, we're gonna change that. Thanksgiving is NOT going to be lame at our house. Maybe Labor Day, but not Thanksgiving." Thanksgiving deserves some recognition too! Immediately, I knew a blog post was budding, as well as some new Thanksgiving traditions!

Here's some ideas to make Thanksgiving time (the days preceding) more fun: (We have another post coming up on some fun things to do on Thanksgiving day, stay tuned.)

Make a Count-up Turkey (as opposed to count-down...)

A really easy and cute way to countdown to Thanksgiving is to have your child make a turkey body...similar in shape to the one below (picture source: No Time for Flash Cards). Draw a little face on and then cut out as many feathers for days left until Thanksgiving. Every day, have your child write one thing they are thankful for on their feather and glue it on the turkey's body. By Thanksgiving, you should have a full turkey, filled with feathers and things your child is thankful for...and a perfect decoration! I've heard of doing this the opposite way where you start out with a full turkey and pluck his feathers until he is essentially dead for Thanksgiving...but, it seems much happier the other way!

The finished product will look similar to this...but, with words written on the feathers. Of course, your will be WAY cuter too!

Read The Kids Some Thanksgiving Books!

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving ($10) is a favorite book among reviewers! It tells the true story of the first Thanksgiving, what could be better than that??

Cranberry Thanksgiving is a darling, well-loved story that reinforces the moral "don't judge a book by its cover." There's a recipe for Cranberry Bread at the back that lots of families make as a Thanksgiving tradition every year, after reading the book! Cute! It's hard to find this book, but look on ebay or find it used on Amazon. (around $20)

Make Thanksgiving Treats!

If you read Cranberry Thanksgiving, be sure to make the Cranberry Bread. And, if you read Squanto...why don't you make.....Pilgrim Hats! Find the instructions HERE.

Or, how about Bakerella's Pumpkin Pie Bites?? They're adorable AND easier than you think! If you're feeling extra ambitious, try her insanely cute turkey cake pops!


Watch Thanksgiving Movies!

Thanksgiving is often the "forgotten holiday"...but, leave it to this Emmy Award winning cartoon to remind you of the importance! A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, $14.

Alvin and the Chipmunks brings back so many happy memories! I used to adore Brittany! I wanted to be her...a snobby, squeaky, stylish chipmunk. I had no idea they had a Thanksgiving DVD out, I must have it!

Thanksgiving Activities!

Who doesn't love when the leaves change color?? It's amazing! Take the kids for a nature walk and let them gather some leaves on the ground. Have them find ones of different shapes and sizes. When you get home, let them "leaf rub" with the leaves they found. All they need is some crayons, paper, and their leaves. More detailed instructions, here.

While you're busy thinking about dinner, give the kids the assignment to make place cards for the table. Not eating at your house? Bring them with you! I found lots of ugly place cards for kids to make...but, who wants to make ugly stuff? Finally, I found these cute turkeys that are not actually place cards but could easily be turned into them. Just add a piece of cardstock with the name sitting in front of it or wedged into the side of the turkey. I don't have the specific instructions for these, but I think they're pretty self-explanatory, right?? If you don't want to buy craft feathers, you could use cut pieces of felt, cardstock, or bent pipe-cleaners.

I hope this gives you some ideas! Please share yours!