Ideas for the 'Kid's Table' & the 'Adult Table' during Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we will have 9 little ones at the Thanksgiving gathering.  What are two things that can help make Thanksgiving a little easier on the moms with littles?  Snacks and activities.

I found this cute snack idea from Handmade in the Heartland that can also be used as a 'teachable moment' during the wait for the big feast.  They are the perfect little snack and can be quickly thrown together for your Thanksgiving feast.  I made several for the Princess and C-man's classes today and the kids LOVED them.  The ziploc bags aren't as cute as cellophane bags but I think the ability to reseal the snack outweighs the 'cute' factor.  That, and, yes, I was out of cellophane bags and it was 9:30 p.m. 

You can download the FREE printable HERE. 

C-Man at the 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Feast

The activities planned to keep the kids somewhat busy are a coloring page, a list of what they are thankful for, and a word search.  I found these at I Should Be Mopping the Floor and you can download the coloring sheet HERE, the word search HERE, and the Thankful List HERE.

I am most excited about this new addition to Thanksgiving.  (fingers crossed that everyone plays along.)  During dinner, we will have ‘Turkey Talk’ questions such as ‘What makes you laugh the hardest?’, ‘What is the hardest decision you have ever made?’, ‘What is your most beloved possession?’, ‘What is your favorite Bible verse and why?’, ‘What was your favorite childhood book?’, ‘What kind of student were you?’, ‘If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?’, ‘What are five things you wouldn’t want to live without?’, ‘What is the bravest thing you have ever done?’ and many more.  You can download a printable list Here on Scribd. 

I really hope that everyone enjoys it and hope we might even learn something new about one another.  My grandparents would be so proud!  I can almost see my 'Dear' smiling with pride about the family gathering.

After dinner, our family annually plays our Pictionary Relay Race.  You can read more about this really FUN tradition with a free printable word page to get you started Here. 



Safe Travels everyone!
Hope

Thanksgiving Family Pictionary Relay Race - with Free Printable List of Word Ideas

Food isn't my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, the food is wonderful. Indulging in family dishes that you only have in a couple of times a year is fabulous. The thing I look forward to most at Thanksgiving is family time with my big, crazy family. Oh, and of course being on the winning team in the Pictionary Relay Race.

I don't remember when we started this wonderful Thanksgiving tradition but it is so much fun that, dare I say, it's better than the meal. Even the members of the family who aren't big game players love this one. It is a fast-paced, fun game that all ages can enjoy.

All you need to play is lots of paper, pens or pencils and two teams anxious to win the race ready to have lots of fun. At the end of the big meal we pass a bowl around with slips of paper with the two team names to fairly divide the teams. You can get creative with your team names or just 'Team 1'and 'Team 2'.

What you need to play this fabulous family game

Next, divide the two teams to two separate areas of the home. Each area should have a place to draw along with paper and pencils/pens. Seating is optional but highly recommended. We usually separate the two teams between the kitchen and the dining room. It is fun to be somewhat close in proximity to the other team so that you can know if the other team is also stumped on a certain word but not too close where the other team might hear if someone on your team gets over-zealous and yells out the answer.  Believe me, it happens.

You then need a volunteer to come up with 10 words for the teams to draw. I have some 'Thanksgiving' themed words attached HERE to help you get started. It is good to have a mix of easy and hard words. The person giving out the words should stand halfway between both teams and have a cover sheet to cover the words. Each team should designate their first artist. The chosen artists go to the person with the word list who gives each artist only the first word and then its a crazy, fun, and often hilarious race to see which team can correctly guess all 10 words first. How do you decide who does the drawing? Well, the person who correctly guesses the word is the next artist and runs to get the next word.

This is a list of word ideas.  This list is also attached above to print. 

Our family has had the best time playing this game. It is so much fun, can include all ages, is fast-paced, and the drawings are usually just hilarious. No one in my family will ever forget the year my grandmother drew 'dirt' with a straight line and dots that she kept pointing to certain that we could guess 'dirt' from her drawing. We have had some drawings of the oddest shapes of states or countries that look nothing remotely close to what is on a 'real' map and some drawings of the strangest looking animals you have ever seen.

 I know every family has different traditions but including this game added some extra fun and spice into our Thanksgiving gatherings. I hope y'all enjoy this one.

Hope