Occupying the kids the day before Thanksgiving is always a challenge. I let my boys take turns helping with the cooking which helps. And now they are old enough to mainly occupy themselves with games and computers when it’s not their turn to be in the kitchen.
When they were younger though, keeping them happy and getting the cooking done was always a challenge. Particularly if I was also trying to keep the house clean for company. Going on neighborhood walks was always a great way to tire out the kids. And if there were visiting grandparents, sending them all out of the house for twenty minutes or so was a nice break for everyone.
I used to also set them the chore of scrubbing the dining chairs and table. When they were little the table really needed washing! We have a tile floor, so I’d lay down old towels for safety, mix up some oil soap and water, and let them scrub away.
When I was growing up my siblings and I were thrilled to get to run around in a big herd of cousins. My boys usually only have each other, so playing together isn’t special. In past years we’ve held air hockey tournaments, worked on large puzzles, gathered pinecones for decorations, started on Christmas lists, colored pictures of turkeys, and helped to decorate the dining table. One classic decoration was to take a pine cone and put feathers or bent pipe cleaners into the fat bottom part of it. Then we drew turkey heads to put on the skinny front part. Baskets of pine cones are nice, too. It’s also a great day for making place cards, napkin rings, or place mats. The children love contributing to the festivities.
The day before Thanksgiving is also a great day to put in a special movie. Home movies are a fun way to remember other holidays and to keep everyone busy for a little while. The trouble with those is that I want to come out of the kitchen and watch, too!
Also See:
Easy Napkin Rings for the Thanksgiving Table
More Thanksgiving Table Decorations
The Toymaker – online printable toys and gifts