Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Entertained on Thanksgiving

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

19 Nov 2008 10:12 AM

With a turkey to baste, gravy to stir, and pies to bake, the last thing you need in your kitchen on Thanksgiving is a gaggle of children constantly asking when dinner will be served.

To help keep kids entertained while you are putting the final touches on your Turkey Day feast, consider placing one of your teenage (or tweenage) guests in charge of game time with these Thanksgiving-themed activities:

TURKEY HUNT/CORN HUNT

Last year we used the plastic turkeys from my daughter's farm set and hid them around the house. Next, we set a 3-minute timer and sent the kids off to see who could find the gobblers first.

The Corn Hunt game is very similar, but instead of using plastic toy turkeys you'll be hiding kernels of corn. Hide the corn kernels in much the same way you would hide eggs for an Easter egg hunt. Then, send kids on their way to gather as many kernels as they can in 5 minutes.

THANKSGIVING MEMORY GAME

Have your young guests sit in a circle. The first player starts the game by saying, "On the first Thanksgiving dinner, the Pilgrims ate turkey." The next player must repeat the line and add another food item. The game continues with each player adding a dish to the menu. If a player makes a mistake he or she is eliminated and the game continues until there is one player remaining.

TURKEY ON THE RUN

This game is a variation of a children's classic involving other farm animals. One child volunteers to be the fox, while the rest of the kids are turkeys. The fox stands at one side of the yard (or large room) while the other children ("the turkeys") stand at the other side. The fox yells "Turkeys on the run!" and then tries to tag as many turkeys as he can while the turkeys run across to the other side of the yard (or room). The turkeys that are caught become foxes and help catch the remainder of the turkeys.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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