Cover your Thanksgiving table (or, at least the “kids’ table”) with a sheet of butcher paper. Provide children with crayons or markers and encourage them to decorate the paper with Thanksgiving pictures (e.g., pilgrims, turkeys, Native Americans, fall leaves, etc.). Then, have them write or draw pictures of things for which they are thankful. This is a great way for children to creatively express appreciation, while keeping them occupied as you prepare dinner!

Try this easy-to-make card game to improve your child’s memory skills!

To prepare this game: You will need 12 index cards and two identical sets of Thanksgiving-themed stickers (e.g., pictures of turkeys, pumpkins, cornucopias, pilgrim hats, etc.). Note: Thanksgiving-themed stickers can be purchased from a local store or card shop around Thanksgiving time. Place one sticker on each of six index cards. Then, make an additional set of sticker cards identical to the first six so that each card has a match.

To play the game: Have children place all 12 cards, sticker-side-down, on the floor or surface of a table. One at a time, have children choose a card, then try to find its match by flipping over another card. If the two cards show pictures of identical stickers, the child keeps the match. If not, he returns both cards face down. Children take turns playing until all matches are found. The child with the most matches wins! (For younger children, you may want to begin with only three or four pairs of cards. Then, as memory skills improve, add additional sets for a more challenging game!)

Provide your child with a disposable or digital camera and assign her the fun task of documenting your family Thanksgiving celebration through photographs! Encourage her to take posed pictures of family members as well as a few candid shots of the day’s festivities. Then, develop or print out the photos and help her arrange the pictures in a Thanksgiving photo album. As you display the pictures in the book, talk about your favorite memories of the day. Then, have her write captions beneath the pictures on each page!

Children of all ages will love this fun-to-play game! Just print this handy turkey template to get you started. As a variation of a familiar classic, have children take turns pinning the “tail” on the turkey. First, cut out the feather portion of the turkey template and trace it onto different colors of construction paper. Cut out each feather. Then, cut out the turkey’s body and attach it to a wall or door. Give each child a tail feather and have them print their names on the tails. Loop a piece of tape, sticky-side-out, and attach it to the backside of the tail. One at a time, blindfold the children and have them spin around once or twice, then instruct them to walk toward the wall and pin their tails on the turkey! The child who pins his tail closest to the correct spot on the turkey WINS!