Family-Friendly Activities for Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving break can be a challenging time for any parent. Not only are you getting ready for the holidays, but you’re entertaining your kids and making sure they don’t get into trouble.
It can feel tough to keep your kids busy during this time, but we have some easy solutions. There are plenty of activities you can plan to keep them happy, occupied, and entertained during their time off.
Here are some fun activities for Thanksgiving break.
Do an At-Home Turkey Trot
Turkey trots are a popular Thanksgiving activity. You lace up your shoes, put on your women’s workout leggings, and head out for a pre-meal run (or walk!). You can get your family ready by organizing an at-home and all-level Turkey Trot through your neighborhood. Keep it stress-free by incorporating walking, jogging, and even skipping as your family gets out there to move—and make it fun by creating an upbeat playlist for everyone to listen to along the way.
Not only is this a healthy thing to do as a family, but it’s a good way to get your kids exercising during what's sure to be a fun, invigorating holiday break.
Have a Movie Marathon
Screen time rules don’t apply during holiday breaks, right? Have your kids pick a few favorite movies and turn your living room into a movie marathon paradise complete with fleece blankets, pillows, popcorn, and candy. Then, put on their favorite movies back-to-back for an all-day movie marathon.
This activity is the best of both worlds. Not only will they be entertained, but you may also get some much-needed time to do your Thanksgiving dinner prep.
Make Cookies
Cookies may be more of a Christmas tradition, but there’s no reason why you can’t spend a Thanksgiving break afternoon making and decorating cookies with your family. Try making sugar cookies in shapes like pumpkins and turkeys, and leave them for your kids to decorate. You can also serve these homemade cookies to loved ones on Thanksgiving. Your kids will be doubly proud of their creations!
You can also help your kids to bake some classic chocolate chip cookies or snickerdoodles to serve up on Thanksgiving (or you can all eat them fresh from the oven). Make sure they’re comfortable and ready to have fun and get messy maybe even with our favorite kid’s graphic t-shirts.
Make Friendship Bracelets
Get some embroidery string and some beads, and gather your kids for some fun and wearable craft-making. They can make easy friendship bracelets or anklets to wear themselves or give to their friends—or both! This craft will keep them busy for hours as they make bracelets in different colors and patterns, and let their creativity shine.
Have a Scavenger Hunt
Keep little ones busy by coming up with an at-home scavenger hunt that will have them searching the house to find whatever’s on the list—be sure to incorporate items all throughout the house, like Christmas quilts and travel bags. Make it challenging by putting a few outdoor items on the list, too—a fallen leaf or the gardening gloves in the shed.
Have at least 15 items on the scavenger hunt list, so your kids can spend a whole afternoon enjoying the hunt.
Do Karaoke
What family doesn’t like to sing their heart out? Let each family member pick a karaoke song or two and load up those karaoke songs online. One by one, each family member can belt out their favorite song and use accessories like a wooden spoon or plastic spatula as a microphone for their best performance.
If you want to get really into it, you can even encourage everyone to dress up as a famous singer for their performance.
Make a Bonfire
Fall is ideal for outdoor bonfires—you can warm up by the fire and keep yourself extra toasty by bundling up in your go-to packable down coats. Entertain your kids by having a bonfire night in your yard with s’mores, hot chocolate and plenty of blankets. To add some extra entertainment to the evening, you can even tell scary stories by the fire until it’s time to head inside for bed.
Decorate!
Break out your Thanksgiving décor and task your kids with decorating for the holiday. Have them set up a festive holiday tablescape complete with mini pumpkins and turkey-themed décor, or, for something more hands-on, have your kids draw a few scenes inspired by Thanksgiving to put around the house.
With just a little planning, you’ll be all set for a Thanksgiving break full of fun activities for your kids—and you'll be ready for the holiday season to kick into high gear!