“Kids-Only” Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to get together with family and friends to give thanks for another wonderful year. Take this opportunity to teach your kids to do the same – have them invite their friends over for a “kids-only” Thanksgiving dinner. Invite your little guests with this traditional turkey invitation from Tiny Prints.

Set the table with Fall colors and a simple centerpiece. This “give thanks” centerpiece from Parent’s Magazine is simple to do, colorful and makes the event more child-like. Serve up a few snacks when they first arrive – paper cones filled with chex mix, and “turkey” fruit kabobs – the perfect snacks to eat while doing some fun activities. For dinner, go ahead and bypass the traditional turkey. Instead, think about making turkey wrap sandwiches, serve with mashed potatoes (which we know all kids love!), and turkey cupcakes for dessert.

You should have a couple of activities to keep the kids busy during the party. Have a craft table set up with different foam shapes cut out and some glue sticks. They can make turkey napkin rings or hats to wear during the party. I absolutely LOVE this next idea….Parent’s Magazine came up with this darling yarn-wrapped turkey. Have the turkey prepared before the kids arrive, as well as a basket of pre-cut feathers (use colorful construction paper). Have the kids write what they are thankful for on a feather and stick it into the turkey. I’m sure you will get everything from “I’m thankful for my family” to “I’m thankful for candy!” It’s cute, creative and will help to remind the kids what Thanksgiving is really about!

Send the kids home with a cute, little party favor. I found these at Chasing Fireflies, and you can order them here. However, I think you could also put together a version of this yourself, too. A glass jar, a personalized label, and some cute ribbon….candy corn never looked so cute!

Images: invitation (tinyprints.com), turkey napkin ring and table setting (parents.com), snack cones (coutureparties.com), turkey hat (hostessblog.com), fruit kabobs (familyfun.com), cupcake (partycupcakeideas.com), turkey glasses (potterybarnkids.com), “I’m thankful” game (parents.com), turkey toes party favor (chasing-fireflies.com)