Hosting a large family gathering? Encourage your child to help you prepare by making Turkey Place Card Holders for each of your guests. Have her practice her spelling and handwriting skills by printing the names of each of your guests on the cards. She will love getting involved in the planning process, and, best of all, her efforts will result in colorful tabletop decorations for your festive feast!

Thanksgiving Day can become a bit hectic with the scheduling overload! From the arrival of guests to the preparing and serving of food, it’s not easy to time everything just right. Instead of trying to manage the chaos alone, enlist your child’s help to act as the “timekeeper” to keep preparations on track. Set out a schedule together, then have him carefully watch the clock to give you helpful reminders throughout the day (e.g., “Grandma arrives in ten minutes” or “Remember to put the rolls in the oven in three minutes”). Not only will he enjoy being a helper, it will give him an opportunity to sharpen his time-telling and time management skills as well.

Preparing food for Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful opportunity to teach your child a few basic cooking skills! Invite your child to join you in the kitchen to perform simple tasks like measuring cups of sugar, rolling out dough for a pie, or mashing potatoes. Helping you prepare special food could become a Thanksgiving tradition that your child will cherish as a treasured childhood memory.

If you are planning a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday, be sure to take along a variety of age-appropriate activities or books that will keep young travelers happily occupied—while buckled safely in their seats.

Teach your child a November song, such as our printable lyric sheet. Then, sing it together while you are setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner!

Take your child on a quick trip to the produce department of your favorite market. Encourage her to help you select some unusual fruits to create an interesting centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Point out the names of the various types of fruit and talk about the variety of colors and textures that you want to use in the display. Once you return home, have her help you assemble the arrangement, and invite her to share with others what she learned about each fruit.

Give your child some simple Thanksgiving Day tasks that allow him the opportunity to practice counting skills. (For example, have him fill each glass with four ice cubes, or make sure there are two forks for every place at the table, etc.)

This year on Thanksgiving, indulge in a little storytelling activity that gives your child a context for history. Invite aunts, uncles, and grandparents to share stories of their favorite Thanksgiving memories. Your child might be amazed to learn that watching football on television was not always a Thanksgiving tradition!