Thanksgiving Fun for the Whole Family

“As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

Ready or not, Thanksgiving Week is under way.  The grocery stores are ridiculously crowded (now is not the time to run out of coffee), families are gearing up for long distance travel, and countless mothers are preparing for an all-out cooking marathon.  So how can you keep the entire family entertained while ensuring that this Thanksgiving is both memorable and meaningful?  

Here are a few ideas:

1.) Turkey Tweets

Have the kids (and kids at heart) imagine that they are the Thanksgiving Turkey and have accessed their very own Twitter account.  What will they tell their followers in 280 characters or less?

I had my high school students do this assignment for fun, and spent an entire day laughing at their responses!  Here are a few of my favorites:

“Uh, guys, I think the farmer is going to propose to me. He keeps saying how beautiful I am, that I’m perfect, and that it’s time.” – Ben C.

“My owner told me I was beautiful for weeks, but this morning I saw him sharpening his knife (broken heart emoji).” – Katelynn C.

“Help! It’s a turkey massacre – we’re all going to die! Give my mom the rest of my feed, and give my brother my 22222222222222222…” – Kenneth P.

2.) “Turkey Feather” Notes of Appreciation 

Assign every person a paper turkey with their name on it, and have markers and paper feathers scattered about.  Challenge everyone to write an anonymous note to each other person on a feather, beginning with “I’m thankful for you because…”  

They can discreetly decorate each person’s turkey with their motivational feathers when no one is looking.

3.) Family Reading – Psalm 126

Print out Psalm 126 and cut it into sections.  Have everyone at the table take a section and read their portion aloud.  The entire family could read “His love endures forever” each time it repeats for a more responsive reading.

The beauty of this is that it reminds us to take time to thank God for each specific blessing He has poured into our lives.

Whether you use these ideas or have some of your own, I pray that you and your family has a blessed and meaningful Thanksgiving this week!

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