Play touch football.
Football is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and pumpkin pie.
Angie Worth and her family play one-touch football. They choose the
strongest players to be team captains, and the captains pick their
teammates. “The rules are very loosey-goosey. The captain explains the
route for offense or assigns coverage for defense. Then, it’s all about the
touchdowns and points,” Worth explains. “It’s very casual, but fun—a good
way to burn off some Thanksgiving dinner calories before pie!”
Share family stories.
While your kids are anticipating the
mouthwatering dinner that’s about to
grace the table, have them write questions to ask
the family. They can slip a question under the glass or plate of each table
setting. After dinner is over, go around the table and each person can pull
their question and share their answer. Questions like “What was Thanksgiving
like when you were growing up?” and “What was your best Thanksgiving ever
and why?” are sure to rekindle fond memories.
Plan a scavenger hunt.
If the weather is agreeable, send everyone outside for a scavenger hunt.
Provide each team with a small bag to collect their items or have them use
their cameras to take photos of the objects on the list. Keep the hunt simple
for youngsters and make it a little more
complicated for older kids. Items on your list might include:
something red, a heart shaped leaf, a stick shaped like a Y, a black rock, a
feather, etc. Team adults with kids and turn the hunt into a fun race to the finish.
The winning team receives the first slice of pie or a silly prize like pilgrim’s hats to
wear on their heads.
Puzzle fun.
Lauri Duncan, a mom of two boys, ages 8 and
11, says that she and her family traditionally
put together a puzzle after the big dinner.
“We do one big puzzle every year that every
age can work on. The kids, parents, cousins,
and grandparents all chip in and work
on it in rotations
throughout the afternoon, between naps
and football and snacking on leftovers,” she says.
Pumpkin tic-tac -toe.
Choose five small white gourds and five small
orange gourds. Make a grid on a card table using
craft or painter’s tape. Or use larger gourds and
set up the game in your yard using sticks to make
nine squares.
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