Since becoming a parent, the holidays have taken on a whole new meaning for me. It’s so fun to catch the simplest joys through a child’s perspective and craft memories of the holidays for years to come.
As we’ve been planning for our Thanksgiving, I’ve been giving some thought as to how to incorporate my almost four-year-old into our otherwise adult gathering. Our family doesn’t have a need for an entire “kids table” as many do, but nonetheless, I’ve had fun pulling together some ideas to set his place at ours, and include him in the preparation of the meal as well.
Ideas for a Thanksgiving Kids’ Table
Here are some of my favorite items and ideas to bring this season to life for your youngest family members!
Prepare the food
My son loves to help in the kitchen (and is more likely to try new foods if he’s had a hand in them!) I love these cutters for multiple uses — decorating a pie crust, or cutting out slices of cheese for a pre-feast appetizer plate. The holidays are a fun time to gift kids an apron, or a festive spatula, or maybe a chef’s hat that is all theirs as they help in the kitchen.
Set the table
There are several versions of these coloring tablecloths out there — we have the coordinating placemats, if, like us, you just need a place setting or two. Another idea would be to fan out some activity sheets. They might buy the adults a few more minutes of conversation! Sprinkle some festive crayons in fall colors around to encourage the creativity or stash them in little treat containers (you could use these, year after year).
Our son considers it extra special to get “real” dishes like the grown-ups, but if yours are too precious to risk, consider some sweet melamine dishes that can withstand being accidentally dropped. Finally, let the kids make a craft (you don’t even have to prep it – just get a kit!) to put the finishing touches on their place settings.
Teach gratitude
Like many, I grew up with the tradition of going around the table to name something for which we’re thankful. You can encourage this “attitude of gratitude” in other ways, as well. We’ve written our gratitude notes on bits of paper and rolled them up inside wax paper, to be baked inside our crescent rolls — when someone breaks into a roll, they read the note out loud. Or put the kiddos in charge of gathering sticks for a centerpiece, and cut simple construction paper leaves. Have everyone write what they’re thankful for on the leaves and poke them onto the sticks for a Thanksgiving tree centerpiece. These make for great storytelling prompts and gratitude-centric conversation around the table!
