Like you, we love the holidays here at Modern Kids Design. Not only do we enjoy spending quality time with our families, but we also like getting everyone involved in creating a memorable holiday experience. This year we thought we’d share some ideas we came up with to help get everyone involved. Whether your children are artistically inclined or would rather help in the kitchen, there’s something for them to do. Collaborating and working together to prepare a special meal makes it taste that much better.

Here are a few fun ways you can get your kids involved in Thanksgiving, planning, decorating, and cooking.

Menu Selection

Kids as young as two enjoy having a say in what they will be eating. Make menu selection a family event and everyone will be sure to have something they love on the menu. Plus, older kids can plan to cook or prep their menu choices. Getting to pick a menu item—even if it’s just what kind of roll you’ll be serving and how the mashed potatoes will be seasoned—can help empower your kids and get them excited for the occasion.

Decorations

Kids can help create meaningful decorations for you Thanksgiving decorations. Here are a few simple ways they can make their mark on the festivities.

Place Cards

Using cardstock, children can craft place cards for guests. One fun way to do this is to write a person’s name on the front and have the kids write something about that person they are thankful for. Maybe it’s Aunt Myrtle’s sense of humor or Uncle Jack’s stories, either way, your guests will be delighted and your children will feel special.

Placemats

If you have a children’s table or are hosting a family-friendly event, consider using kraft paper for placemats. Let the younger kids decorate them with Thanksgiving themed stamps and markers.

Thanksgiving Tree or Grateful Garland

These crafts can be whipped up with what you have on hand—they just take a little creativity. For a Thanksgiving tree, you can use a houseplant or cut one out of construction paper and tape it the wall. Another alternative is to have the kids gather some nice branches and then tuck them into a vase. Make leaves from paper. Write what you’re thankful for on the leaves and either glue them or hang them from your tree.

For a Grateful Garland, hang some twine across the mantel. Cut shapes from construction paper (leaves, turkeys, or handprints would be fun), and write what you’re thankful for on them. Hang, tape, or clip to the garland. Get guest involved until the garland is full of gratitudes.

Food Prep and Cooking

Maybe you make your famous pumpkin pie the day before or maintain an order to your prep so everything goes smoothly. Consider where you can offload some duties to some great helpers. Younger kids can help mash potatoes, knead dough, mix ingredients, and rinse fruit and veggies.

Older kids can help peel potatoes, cut fruit and veggies, stir gravies and sauces, and more. Older kids may even enjoy learning some of your recipes and can be more hands on. Let them know you trust them and throw them an apron.

If you’ve got tips for getting the family involved in this holiday or others or if you have future post ideas, we’d love to hear them at healthyliving@modernkidsdesign.com. We hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We’re so glad you’ve stopped by and are thankful you’re part of our Modern Kids family.