Thanksgiving Dinner Tip: How to Keep Kids Busy While You're Cooking

Thanksgiving is a time of coming together, which means more than one family in a house. In most situations, this also means that there will be more children around as the Thanksgiving dinner is organized and prepared. Most people have been in this scenario or watched it from afar: the adults are trying to make order out of chaos in the kitchen while children run amuck, weaving between the cooks, begging for attention. This Thanksgiving, take control of the situation. Whether you're hosting the dinner or simply arriving as one of the guests, there are several things you can do to make sure that the children stay safely entertained while the adults are preparing food.

Assign a Leader:

Are there older children in the group? If so, assign one or two leaders in front of the smaller children. Their job as leader is to make sure that the small ones don't get hurt. Keep the rules simple but specific: too many rules for the leader means that he or she is sure to forget something important.

If there are no older children in the group, ask an adult if they are going to be in the same room as the children for a certain period of time. By asking if they'll be around the children, they'll feel obligated to keep an eye on the group.

Give Them a Project:

Have coloring sheets printed off for the kids to work on. There are plenty of articles here on Associated Content that provide links to great Thanksgiving crafts and coloring sheets. Here are a few examples:

Cherie Bowser's article provides both coloring and activity pages for the Fall--http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2092259/coloring_pages_and_printable_activities.html?cat=25

Karen Barnes also has an Associated Content article called "Free Printable Thanksgiving Coloring Pages"--
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1594418/free_printable_thanksgiving_coloring.html?cat=24

If you don't have time to look for coloring pages, simply provide the children with crayons and plain paper-give them a project, to draw what they're thankful for, and ask them to keep it a "secret" from the adults so that it can be presented right before dinner. This should keep them from trying to show off their new creations.

If you have more time and supplies, other fun projects include the famous hand-turkey. Leigh Elliott's article "It's Hand-Turkey Season!" provides simple instructions for hand-turkeys and other fun Fall activities, such as leave rubbings--http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/357273/its_handturkey_season.html?cat=25 .

If you have a cheap digital camera or a disposable camera, you could also assign the children to take pictures of each other. However, I wouldn't advise this if the group isn't old enough to share.

Provide Healthy Snacks:

Have healthy snacks, such as mini-sandwiches and veggie or fruit sticks, prepared and sitting in the fridge. If the kids begin to get unruly, simply sit the snacks out and announce that it's "snack time". Stay away from stain-causing condiments and dips. Make sure eat child takes at least one snack and put the rest away for later.

Annie Shofkom's article "Healthy Thanksgiving Snacks for Children" provides a few creative ideas for kids' snacks-- http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1227739/healthy_thanksgiving_snacks_for_children.html?cat=22

Provide Background Noise:

Pick out a movie all of them can enjoy, such as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! While it's unlikely that they'll all sit down to watch the movie, it'll certainly distract them from the front door.

Angel Vee's article on the "Best Thanksgiving Day Movies" includes great children's choices (as well as a few adult picks for the rest of your guests)--http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1212319/best_thanksgiving_day_movies_includes.html?cat=25

Designate a Kids' Area:

Most importantly, designate an area for the kids, away from the kitchen and the football game, but still where parents can keep a constant eye on them. This way the kids will feel as if they have place where they can play.

One great option is to provide them with sheets and boxes in a wide area with no shelved ceramics, collectables, or lamps. This way the kids can build a fort to play in (and likely nap in, as well) before and after Thanksgiving dinner.