Forget about playing Pilgrims and Indians. When you can host a Pumpkin Roll or a Turkey Hunt, dressing up is not nearly as fun.
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, now is the time to pluck your brain for ways to keep your pint-sized guests entertained during the holiday. Some amusing ideas to keep the fun going long after the last piece of pumpkin pie has been devoured include:
Turkey Hunt: Place turkey stickers on about 20 index cards and hide them around the house. Then, send children on a hunt to find the turkey cards. Award the player who finds the most cards with a small prize. If you want to spice up the game, you could hide a small stuffed turkey or a plastic one from your child’s play farm set in a secret spot. The player who finds the mystery bird can be rewarded with an extra special prize.
Thanksgiving Memory Games: Put a seasonal spin on a classic memory game. Have all of your young guests sit in a circle, then start off by saying, “I’m going to Thanksgiving dinner, and I’m going to bring an apple pie.” The child sitting next to you has to repeat what you said and add another item that begins with the letter “B.” Have kids continue through the alphabet until someone misses. Another fun memory game that can be played with older kids involves placing about 10 to 15 Thanksgiving-related objects on a tray and covering them with a towel. When all of the kids have gathered around the tray, uncover it and allow them to look at the items for two minutes. Next, cover the items on the tray and have the kids write down as many of the objects as they can remember.
Pumpkin Roll: This is a great game that makes use of leftover Halloween pumpkins. Give each child a pumpkin that they must roll across the yard. The first one to cross the finish line wins. For younger kids, modify the game so that they are rolling small pumpkins or gourds with a wooden spoon.
Thanksgiving Tag: Have kids sit in a circle and give each one the name of a Thanksgiving dish, such as “pumpkin pie” or “turkey.” Next, select a child to be “it.” The child who is “it” calls out two of the Thanksgiving foods that were assigned to the players. The children with the designated items must run around the circle and trade places before the third child who is “it” tags them. The child who gets tagged is then “it” and the game continues until only one player it left.
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