Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

Gratitude Conversation Starters for Families

October 30, 2017 By Terri Thompson

How often do you talk about gratitude with your kids?

I try to make gratitude an ongoing conversation at our house. But it’s not always easy. Thank goodness for these gratitude conversation starters.

I don’t ever want my girls to take our wonderful life for granted. Even though we have had some trials and some not-so-good days, we are still very fortunate.

It’s not always easy to have that conversation and sometimes I’m at a loss. I don’t want to ask the same questions every day. That’s an easy way to get everyone to lose interest! I want to get my girls thinking and looking at all areas of their life. I want them to look at the little things, not just the big picture.

So, I started brainstorming and jotting down questions. When I was done, I had a set of conversation starters to use to get us talking.

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The Benefits of Conversation Starters

I love conversation starters because they take all the awkwardness out of starting a conversation. Just grab a strip and read the question out loud.

Mom and Dad can ask the kids or the kids can ask the parents.

They give you things to talk about that you may not have thought about before.

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Here are some examples of the questions your will find in this set of gratitude conversation starters:

What is your favorite part about your home? Why?

What abilities do you have that you are grateful for?

What is one of your favorite things to do? Why are you grateful for it?

What is something about your teacher that you are grateful for?

Who did something nice for you today? What was it?

What is something you love doing with your parents?

This is just a sample of the questions I came up with. In all, I have 20 questions covering the big and little things in life. Keep scrolling to “How to Use Your Conversation Starters” for a free pdf you can download and print.

How to Use Your Conversation Starters

Print off a set of conversations starters (it will take 2 pieces of paper). Cut the strips apart and find a fun way to display them.

You can put them in a cute thankful jar or fold them up and put them in a bowl. Place one in front of everyone’s plate at dinner time. It really doesn’t matter. What’s important is the conversation that develops.

You can find your free pdf of the Gratitude Conversation Starters here.

These are perfect for dinner time or even a long car trip. Pull out a strip and have everyone answer. Let the conversation flow. Remember all the little things and be grateful for your wonderful life with these gratitude conversation starters.

Incorporate Your Gratitude Conversation Starters Into Your Dining Room Decor:

Store your conversations starters in a pretty container such as:

A pretty jar with a chalk label that you can personalize.

An elegant blessings bowl with gold accents.

A rustic “Count Your Blessing” ceramic gratitude jar.

Or use a simple and colorful gratitude coffee mug.

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time. #Thanksgiving #gratitude #familytime #CreativeFamilyFun

More Gratitude Activities to Do With Your Family

Acorn Gratitude Banner

Volunteer as a Family: Support Your Local Food Bank

Thanksgiving Gratitude Acrostic Poem at School Time Snippets

How to Give Thanks With an Obstacle Course at Thriving STEM

30+ Thanksgiving Activities for Kids at The Artful Parent

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family dinner time.

Countdown to Christmas

If you’re anything like me, I know you’re looking for fun family activities to do this Christmas. But, not just anything. I’m not looking for elaborate and I’m definitely not looking for something that would require a million trips to the craft store.

That’s why I just love Countdown to Christmas – 24 Activities, Crafts, and Recipes to Countdown to Christmas by Cerys Parker from Rainy Day Mum. The activities are simple (you won’t find anything elaborate) and definitely fun. They’re perfect for families. And, they’re perfect for the advent season.

This fabulous resource for Christmas family fun can be purchased here. Take a peek, you’ll love it!

Are you looking for more family activities?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share idea for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Telling Time with a Turkey Clock

November 18, 2016 By Terri Thompson

How does a turkey tell time?

With a turkey clock, of course!

Okay, okay… I know none of us are trying to teach a turkey how to tell time. But, I know plenty of kids that need to learn.

A Turkey Clock is a fun Thanksgiving math activity that will help your kids learn how to tell time.

And, once you’ve made your clock, check out all of our fun Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids here.

Practice telling time with a turkey clock. It's a fun Thanksgiving math activity that your kids will love. It's perfect for homeschool or classrooms.

Let’s gather our supplies and get ready to make this fun paper plate clock.

Supplies Needed:

2 paper plates
Orange, red, brown, white, and yellow paint
Red construction paper (you’ll only need a small piece, so a scrap of paper will work)
Ruler
Black permanent marker
Brass fastener
Glue

How to Make Your Clock:

Use your ruler and a pencil to divide the edges of one paper plate into 12 equal sections. This will be your turkey feathers and the numbers on your clock.

Paint each outer section in alternating colors of orange and red.

Paint the round middle section with brown paint.

While your turkey is drying, draw two beak shapes on your second paper plate. These will be the hands on your clock, so you will want one beak to be longer than the other.

Paint each beak with yellow paint.

Cut your beaks out once they are dry.

After the brown paint dries, locate the middle of your turkey plate. Put your brass fastener through the wide top of your short beak and then the wide top of your long beak. Attach your beaks to your plate by pushing the fastener through the middle of your turkey plate.

Paint two white ovals above your beaks for the eyes.

Use the red construction paper and cut out a small piece for the wattle. Glue this next to the beaks.

Once all your paint is dry, use your black permanent marker to write your numbers on your clock and add the details to your eyes.

How to Play with Your Turkey Clock:

Tell Time: Move the beaks to a specific time. Have your child read the clock and tell you what time it is.

Move the Beaks to a Specific Time: Ask your child to show 3:00 or to show 6:45. Call out different times and have them move the beaks to the correct locations.

Find Elapsed Time: Elapsed time is the amount of time that has passed. You can use your turkey clock to practice calculating elapsed time. Set the clock to a specific time, such as 2:00. Ask your child what time it will be in 30 minutes. Let them use the clock to figure out the new time.

This Turkey Clock is a fun tool to use in the classroom or at home to practice telling time. It’s easy to make and a great way to get your kids learning.

12 Turkey Crafts for Thanksgiving

October 28, 2016 By Terri Thompson

I don’t just love to eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

I love to decorate with them too.

Since my favorite things to decorate with are kid-made, I’ve rounded up a batch of fun turkey crafts for Thanksgiving.

Take a look. Which one should my girls and I make for this year?

(And if you’re looking for other types of Thanksgiving crafts, you can find all of our Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids at this link.)

Get ready for Thanksgiving by making one of these fun turkey crafts for kids. They're all fun, colorful, and perfect to use when decorating for the holiday.

They’re all so colorful and so much fun. I know each and every one of them would be so much fun to make.

Which one of these turkey crafts is your favorite?

12 Fun Turkey Crafts

1. This Egg Carton Turkey from Red Ted Art is also a treat holder.

2. Use fall leaves to make this pretty Leaf Turkey at Crafty Morning.

3. Turn a paper plate into a beautiful Stained Glass Turkey at Crafts on Sea.

4. Use folded paper feathers to make this fun Paper Turkey Craft from The Inspired Treehouse.

5. Transform a paper plate into this colorful Painted Paper Plate Turkey from Happy Hooligans.

6. Decorate your windows with our pretty Turkey Suncatchers.

7. Grab some newspaper from the recycling bin to make this Painted Newspaper Turkey Craft from I Heart Crafty Things.

8. Reflect on all the things you are thankful for while making this Thankful Turkey from The Resourceful Mama.

9. Try a new twist on the classic hand print turkey with this fun Turkey Craft from I Heart Crafty Things.

10. Play a fun name activity that results in a cute craft with this Feather Letter Turkey at Growing Book by Book.

11. These cool Construction Paper Turkeys from Twitchetts would also make a great Thanksgiving centerpiece.

12. Paint with feathers and then turn your masterpiece into these fun Feather Painted Turkeys from Crafts on Sea.

I still don’t know which of these turkey crafts we should make this year. Maybe we’ll have to try all twelve!

Balloons over Broadway: Book and Craft

November 14, 2014 By Terri Thompson

We try every year to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Sometimes we’re able to see the whole thing and other years we see bits and pieces. I’ve been watching it ever since I was a child and I love to pass the fun along to my girls.

This year we learned a little about the history of the parade and the man who originally created the concept of the balloons with the book Balloons Over Broadway. Then, we made our own Thanksgiving craft by making our own parade balloons.

Once you’re done with this fun craft, you can find more Thanksgiving crafts for kids here.

Make your own version of the balloon puppets in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade inspired by the book Balloons Over Broadway.

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

Supplies Needed

Balloons
Construction paper
Scissors
Clear tape
Permanent markers
String

Balloons Over Broadway book

The inspiration for our project came from this wonderful book, Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet.

It’s a fun and fascinating book about Tony Sarg, a puppeteer who created the concept for the balloons you see every year in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The book is well suited for all elementary-aged kids. (Plus, I found it quite fascinating as an adult!)

Make your parade balloon craft

Since we were talking about the parade balloons, we gathered supplied to make our own versions.

I blew up a balloon for each of the girls and brought out tape, markers, and construction paper. Clear tape is the best way to attach your construction paper. Glue will just make everything slip and slide and will never stick well.

My girls loved the excuse to play with tape. But be warned, don’t peel tape off the balloon. It could pop!

We cut embellishments from our construction paper. My oldest made a tiara and necklace for her princess and my youngest cut ears and a mane for her horse.

Use the permanent markers to add details. Don’t use washable markers on your balloon, they will just smear and come off on your hands. The permanent markers will smear if you touch it before it dries, but once it’s dry, it will stay on the balloon.

We had one balloon pop because we were pressing down too hard with the marker, so use a light hand with your markers.

Once your balloons are finished attach string so you can hang it or carry it around.

We had a ton of fun making our parade balloons inspired by Balloons Over Broadway. This is a fun 3-D art project and you can turn your balloons into just about anything. Use your imagination and have fun. Have your own parade when you’re finished and enjoy this mini family adventure.

Make this a family adventure

Cost: Under $5.00 for supplies
Prep Time: Five to ten minutes to gather supplies. Make plans to purchase or stop by the library to find the book, Balloons Over Broadway.
Ages: Anyone 5 and up can complete this project independently. Younger kids will enjoy working with an older partner
Time Needed: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Gather around the table and let everyone create their own parade balloon. Round out the family adventure by letting your kids hold their own Thanksgiving parade.

Simple DIY Gratitude Journal

November 11, 2014 By Terri Thompson

Every November, in anticipation of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I start thinking about gratitude.

I do, and certainly should, think about it all year long. But, in November, I always like to clear my head before the busyness of the Christmas season and think about all that I am thankful for.

I try to pull my girls into these conversations too. We talked about gratitude a lot.

This year, I made a simple gratitude journal to jump start the conversation.

Make a simple DIY Gratitude Journal. This little journal is a great place to encourage kids to write about all that they are thankful for.

The journals are very easy to make and are the perfect craft for your older child, tween, or even teen.

And, once you’ve finished this fun craft, you can find all of our Thanksgiving crafts for kids at this link.

Supplies Needed

8-1/2 by 5-1/2 piece of scrapbook paper
Plain paper
Stapler
Washi tape
Glue stick
Alphabet stamps
Ink pad

How to make a gratitude journal

For each gratitude journal, you will need 1 piece of scrapbook paper and 4 pieces of plain paper. I used a pretty cream paper we had. Plain copy paper would work as well.

Each piece of paper was cut to the size of 8-1/2 by 5-1/2. This is the size of half of a sheet of copy paper.

Fold each piece of paper in half and sandwich them all together to make your book.

Staple along the folded edge to keep your book together.

I used three staples, at the top, middle, and bottom.

Cover your staples with a strip of washi tape folded over the folded edge. If you don’t have any washi tape, you could also use masking tape decorated with a permanent marker. (Note: I’ve been able to find washi tape in most craft stores and in the craft section of many big-box stores.)

I also cut a small piece of paper and attached it to the front of our journals with glue stick and washi tape. I used the alphabet stamps to stamp the word “gratitude” to the front of our journals.

It’s time to write!

Now that the journals are finished, it’s time to fill them up.

You can use them to simply list all the things you are thankful for or use it in a diary format and write down one thing a day.

If your child needs a few prompts, write “I am thankful for…” at the top of each page. Anything goes.

Extend the fun:

Make one journal for the whole family to share. Take turns sharing all the things you are grateful for.

Share your journals at the dinner table or at bedtime. Use the time to talk about gratitude and give thanks together.

No child is too young! Start the conversation with your little one and help them find things they are grateful for. Record all their ideas in this little journal and remember to include the date. Ten years from now, you’ll love and treasure all their thoughts.

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids