How to Keep Your Thanksgiving Guests Too Busy to Fight

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it involves being with friends and family, without the pressure of gift-giving. However, for many people Thanksgiving is a harrowing ordeal because they have to spend time with their families. One way to prevent family arguments this Thanksgiving is to keep all of your guests too busy to argue. These activities will keep Thanksgiving guests occupied and out of the way of the cooks. Also, these activities will give everyone something to remember the holiday by.

Fun Family Thanksgiving Activity - Hiking

This may not be for everyone, but my family loves going hiking each Thanksgiving. Send the family off to get some exercise and spend some time together in the fresh fall air. Make sure they take some warm clothes and water. Hopefully, your Thanksgiving guests will be putting enough effort into hiking that they won't have the energy to argue amongst themselves.

An added benefit of this activity is discovering beautiful natural areas near your house. To find a spot for this Thanksgiving activity, check online for nearby national forests or parks. Last year, my family visited Kennesaw National Battlefield Park for our hike and learned a little about U.S. history in the process.

Hiking will make everyone hungry and ready for their Thanksgiving meal. Try to time the hike so that your family and guests will return in time for appetizers or the Thanksgiving turkey itself.

Fun Family Thanksgiving Activity - Board Games

Board games are a healthy outlet for family competitiveness and can help build team work. Old standbys such as Scrabble and Pictionary are always popular. You may want to set up a puzzle on a table, too. Your guests may become absorbed in this for hours. Ahead of time, make sure to set up a game area with a table and chairs where the game-players won't be in the way. Depending on the size of your group, you may want to have several games available, along with the space to play them.

One fun group game is Cranium, which is a mix of Pictionary, charades and more. It will really bring out the creative talents of your Thanksgiving guests. Other fun games to check out include Encore and Taboo. Consider buying a new game to try out this Thanksgiving.

Fun Family Thanksgiving Activity - Crafts

If there are a lot of children attending your Thanksgiving celebration, a craft area is a great way to keep them occupied. However, these crafts are not necessarily just for kids. Adults enjoy having the chance to create art or just act like a kid again.

Like the games, you should set up a craft area beforehand, with supplies and protection against messes. You can have a Thanksgiving theme to your crafts to keep in the spirit of the holiday, or come up with anything that seems fun.

One idea is to have each person make a page about what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving. Scrap-booking supplies would be useful to have ready, as well as colored pencils and magazines to cut pictures out of. You can later bind the pages into a book as a keepsake. Check online for other Thanksgiving craft ideas.