We have an extremely small family consisting of me, my husband, and our two kids. Add in one 90-year old mother-in-law and Thanksgiving can get rather...boring quickly. My mother-in-law is very demanding, so on major holidays we need something to dilute the intensity of the time we spend together.
| Thanksgiving carries a lot of pressure when you're hosting! |
Directed activities are great because they take the focus off individual issues and place everyone's attention elsewhere. Also, since I do the majority of the work on Thanksgiving, they give me a much-needed breather! So here are my favorite
5 Activities For Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Bingo – A favorite with Nana, thissite has free, printable bingo cards. Use pennies or candy as markers and it's a blast for kids of all ages.
What's Missing – Grab a tray and place Fall and Thanksgiving-related objects (candy corn, different leaves, a pine cone, an acorn, etc.) on it. Have players look carefully at the tray for 30 seconds. Take the tray away and see if they can guess which object is missing.
Hidden Pictures – Print out these sheets and invite everyone to spot the hidden objects in the Thanksgiving picture.
Balloon Volleyball – Blow up a balloon, clear some space, assign teams, and play volleyball with the balloon. This is a great way to channel some of the energy of active kids and is one of my favorites! Okay, so the 90 year old can't play, but when the balloon comes near her she can swat it.
Bring Out The Board Games And Playing Cards – You know all those board games the kids ignore in favor of their electronics? Now's the time to bring them out! Grab Sorry, get ready for some Trouble, and cut the deck of cards for a rousing game of War. You can even have a tournament!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's something we can ALL celebrate, no matter what religion we belong (or do not) belong to. Games are fun for everyone.
Give the activities above a try, have fun and deflate some of the intensity of the holiday!
| This is pretty much what I look like the night of Thanksgiving - I'm pooped! |
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I've written quite a few Thanksgiving posts. Read them, won't you?
10 Ways To Deal With Family At Thanksgiving
10 Tips For Helping The Kids Enjoy Thanksgiving
My 20 Favorite Thanksgiving Jokes
5 Pumpkin Cocktails To Make Your Thanksgiving Sparkle
10 Thanksgiving Movies For Kids Of All Ages
This post first appeared on "Is It Hot In Here?" - Menopause, Motherhood & Mo, please read the originial post: here
