We love Thanksgiving at our house. It is a day about being at home, being thankful, and eating. Creating positive traditions with your family is a way to build happiness, great memories, and even gratitude. Anticipation of a good tradition is everything for a kid and sometimes even adults too. Here are some fun Thanksgiving traditions to try in your family this year. Maybe you would like to share some with yours!?

1. Watch the Big New York Parade on TV

I always enjoyed this tradition with my mom. The excitement was BIG. We loved the giant balloons, marching bands, and of course at the end, SANTA! There is always singing and dancing happening in our living room as the musical guests and musical numbers are performed. I love hearing the history of certain balloons and floats. My children like to look for familiar cartoon characters as they watch.

2. Make a Big Fancy Breakfast

We have a big breakfast because dinner cooking is in full swing during lunch, so that meal is tiny and/or forgotten. This year for breakfast, we are making turkey pancakes with apple slice feathers and scrambled eggs on the side. I will update you with a photo once we have made our creations.

3. Create Placeholders and Place Mats to Decorate the Table

My family eats dinner at the table every night, but this is special. Usually, there are extra guests and we get to eat in the dining room instead of the kitchen. It is fun to decorate!

Turkey Placeholders

First, grab some TP rolls and cut them in half, some markers, feathers, and tape. We drew on the turkey faces (you could use googly eyes instead if you have them). I gave my almost 6-year-old the guest list and he wrote each name on the other side. Finally, we taped the bottom of the feathers to the inside back of the tube. You can use glue if that’s what you have available.?

There are 3 ways to do the feathers. If you have actual feathers they are very fun. I created a printable to cut and color. It’s available fo-free in my Teacher Pay Teacher store. Finally, you can draw them! It’s easy and I show you how on my Turkey Place holder DIY over on the Savor the Mom Life YouTube Channel!

The Placemats

I will print my tree ring template from my previous post (go read it here). I will add some thankful prompts for each one of my guests to think about and write down what they are thankful for!

4. Make a Meal Menu

I make one of these for myself when shopping, but on Thanksgiving Day we need the list so nothing is forgotten as we are cooking! No fun if you miss someone’s favorite dish or forget to take the cranberry sauce out of the oven. A fun way to keep the kids entertained is to talk to them about the list and have them illustrate and write one themselves. They will even like to check things off as they are completed just as much as the cook! I will update you with photos of what my kiddos create this year.

5. Helping Cook

This can be a scary idea for many people, but this is one of the joys of the day. Especially for people who really love to cook and entertain like my hubby. How else can you share and impart this to your children unless you involve them! Some ideas for involving the kids easily are 1. Picking only one dish to be theirs to help with like, “Harry, you are a sous chef of mashed potatoes!”, or; 2. Picking only one job they will help with, like stirring, mashing, or adding in measured out ingredients. Here is an awesome recipe for cooking pumpkin pie!

6. Admire and Add to the Thankful Tree

Hopefully, you have already read about my November Family Thankful Project. On Thanksgiving, we add another leaf and sometimes go back to read some of the ones we have written throughout the month. I usually make my guests add a leaf to our tree as well.

7. Writing to Each Guest About Why We are Thankful for Them

Writing or drawing to express our gratitude for our guests is like a step-up from the thankful tree. Taking the time to share those grateful thoughts is amazingly powerful for both parties. Who doesn’t like hearing nice things about themselves? I love the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from thanking another. Speaking of which, THANK YOU for reading this and following my journey on here. I hope to bring you much more in the future and I hope you enjoyed reading?7 Thanksgiving Day Traditions to Share with Kids.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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