As we get closer to Thanksgiving, it can start to feel overwhelming. Whether you are spending time at home, hosting extended family, traveling, or something in between, there are a lot of moving pieces to consider. Beyond all of the preparing and cooking, families need to think about keeping children entertained for multiple days at home.
For many, the joy of Thanksgiving comes from being together with family. Whether you are doing activities or just spending time together, Thanksgiving is a great time to establish family traditions that your children will remember forever.
To give you inspiration, we asked members of the Sawyer team to talk about some of their favorite Thanksgiving family traditions as well as fun things that they do with their families on Thanksgiving.
- Thanksgiving family traditions
- ~Go around the table and say what you are grateful for
- ~Volunteer as a family
- ~Run a turkey trot or take a family walk
- ~Play football or another team activity
- ~Create a Thanksgiving craft
- ~Tell the (real) story of Thanksgiving
- ~Watch the parade
- ~Talk about favorite memories
- ~Play a game
- ~Take family pictures
- ~Cook or bake something together
Thanksgiving family traditions
Establishing Thanksgiving family traditions is a great way to make the holiday and family time even more special. But, that is not the only reason why it is a good idea to establish traditions during Thanksgiving and throughout the year with your family.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), family routines and rituals offer many benefits to both the children and adults within a family. They report that, “family routines, rituals, and traditions are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents' sense of personal identity, children's health, academic achievement and stronger family relationships.”
Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving family traditions. Some require more effort and others are more simple. Feel free to mix and match based on what your family is interested in, the age of your children, and where you live.
Go around the table and say what you are grateful for
This is one of the most classic Thanksgiving family traditions, but it’s a classic for a reason! Most people think of Thanksgiving as an opportunity to express their gratitude for the people and things in their lives. Gathering your family together around the table with delicious food is a great time to show your appreciation and it’s a great activity for children to engage in each year.
Volunteer as a family
In the spirit of giving thanks, many people plan to give back on Thanksgiving as well. Volunteering as a family can be a great tradition to start because your children will develop empathy and they will establish good habits for life. When you think about volunteering opportunities for your family, make sure you choose an activity that your child can physically participate in and one that would be appropriate for them.
Run a turkey trot or take a family walk
Getting out in the crisp fall air is a great Thanksgiving family tradition. There are a lot of 5K or even shorter turkey trot races that you can run as a family to get the blood flowing in the morning. On the other hand, you can choose to take a family walk around the neighborhood in the evening after you have finished your meal. No matter what you decide, getting outside as a family is a great tradition on Thanksgiving and any time you are all together.
Play football or another team activity
If you have a large family, then getting together can be a good opportunity to play football or another team sport. There are many benefits of playing on a team for children and a team of family members is no different. You can even raise the stakes and give the winning team first dibs on the pumpkin pie!
Create a Thanksgiving craft
Keep your little ones entertained and having fun by asking them to make place cards for everyone at the table, leaf wreaths, a beautiful centerpiece, or even just some fun Thanksgiving drawings. This is a beautiful Thanksgiving tradition that they will want to pass down to their younger siblings and cousins and eventually their own children. Looking for more ideas for Thanksgiving crafts for kids? Check out our guide.
Tell the (real) story of Thanksgiving
Some schools are holdouts to the less realistic Thanksgiving story of the pilgrims and the indigenous people. Whether or not your child is coming home with that in mind, it is always a good tradition to talk about what actually happened when the colonists came to this country. We recommend turning to resources created by indigenous people so that you are getting the real and right story. We’ve gathered children’s books, TV shows, movies, and more for your family to check out this Thanksgiving.
Watch the parade
The Thanksgiving Day parade is one of the most iconic celebrations of the holiday and a great family tradition to celebrate since it happens every year and it can be done from anywhere. Gather around and watch as celebrities, cartoon characters, musical casts, artists, and more go down 5th Avenue surrounded by giant balloons.
Talk about favorite memories
Getting together with family is the perfect time to pull out the photo albums and reminisce about the good times. Children love to look at old pictures and hear about life before they were around. Make this into a Thanksgiving family tradition that they will be excited about year after year.
Play a game
Monopoly, Scrabble, Boggle, cards, or something else - when everyone is together, the competitive spirit comes out! Or, you can try one of our favorite Thanksgiving games for families if you are looking to make your tradition even more themed! Our favorite is pin the tail on the turkey.
Take family pictures
Still procrastinating on your holiday card pictures? Thanksgiving is one of the last times you can get everyone dressed up (for a little) and take a nice photo before it is time to send them out. You can also spend some time taking extended family photos so that you can save the beautiful memories of your little ones with the oldest generations in the family. Looking for advice on how to take the best fall family pictures? We’ve got you covered!
Cook or bake something together
Of course, on Thanksgiving you will have many items in the oven and many cooks in the kitchen. However, there are a lot of great benefits of cooking with kids and children love to feel involved. We suggest starting a family tradition of making one item for the menu (just one!) with your child, ideally on Thanksgiving morning before everything becomes hectic. Choose something on the easier side, like chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin pie, and watch the pride in their faces when it is served.
Whatever Thanksgiving family traditions you choose to start or continue this year, we hope that it brings you and your family joy. Plus, if you are looking for great in-person and online activities and after school programs for children of all ages, check out Sawyer!
