Thanksgiving Menu-Making Kids’ Activity

Thanksgiving turkey

You’ve spent hours (or maybe even days) preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Now it’s the kids’ chance to help! Even if they can’t do the actual cooking, they can make a menu. Hand out pieces of paper, give the kids markers or crayons and let them get artsy. This kids’ holiday art activity isn’t just a way to pass the time on Thanksgiving Day. It also helps you by letting them create dazzling décor. Use the kid-made menus as part of your table set-up. Make them into centerpieces or use them as over-sized name cards.

Materials:

  • Card stock paper (use 8×10-inch sheets)
  • Markers or crayons

Instructions:

  1. Sit down with your child and ask her what she thinks Thanksgiving dinner consists of. Ask what the main dish might be (i.e., the turkey), what the sides are and what she thinks you’re having for dessert. Write down her answers.
  2. Give your child the actual dinner menu. Compare and contrast her answers with what you’re having. Help her to categorize each menu item into starters, sides, main dishes and desserts.
  3. Write the categories on the paper. Start with appetizers at the top, leaving space in between each category for the actually dishes. If your child is too young to write, you can write the words first in pencil and have your child trace over them with a crayon or marker.
  4. Add the menu items. Younger kids can draw pictures of each one, while older kids can both draw and write them out.