Helping Your Preschooler Enjoy Thanksgiving

We have almost always lived far from both grandparents and families. Often, we couldn’t make the flight home for Thanksgiving work into our calendar or our budget, but I remember one year in particular where we had enough time and money saved to join our family for Thanksgiving. I was soooo excited. I knew it was going to be perfect (first mistake)! I couldn’t wait for my young children to spend time around people that I loved so much. 

I had it all pictured in my head how my kids would instantly bond with all the relatives and they would be able to see what great kids I had. I would feel like a fantastic mom and there would be unicorns and rainbows. 

As it turned out, my little ones did not care that the “scary strangers” were special people. Instead of giving cuddles and showing off their cute personalities, they did their best to stay away from the “scary strangers.” Most of their waking hours were spent scowling at the strangers and nestled into my legs.  Changes to their normal routine did not help.

Dinner was a disaster too. They didn’t enjoy any of the food and wanted to make sure everyone knew that it was “yucky!” And sitting to eat? They lasted 5 minutes at best.

I was disappointed. I didn’t realize how rough Thanksgiving can be on little ones with the strange relatives, strange foods, and an unspoken expectation for them to stay at the table a little longer than normal. 

Although kids will be kids and we cannot expect them to be little grown-ups, there are some things we can do to make Thanksgiving a little more fun for them. I wish I knew then that getting them involved in the preparation would lead to the best outcome.

Read on for 6 ideas of things that have worked for me since to help little ones enjoy Thanksgiving.  

Number 1: Familiarize your little ones with lesser-known relatives before the big day. On Thanksgiving, be deliberate to help your little one connect. 

Make a memory game of pictures of the relatives you would like her to be prepared to meet. It can be done simply with paper or made more durable. Focus on 5 people at a time to keep it easy for her to find matches as you play. When she finds a match, tell her something you love about that relative or a funny story. This will help her be ready to meet or re-meet relatives. 

On Thanksgiving Day, let her have control of your camera and take a selfie with each of the relatives she wants. As silly as this sounds, it will help your child feel a connection with that relative.  

As she is greeting relatives, don’t require her to give hugs or physical affection. As much as we want our child to love and appreciate our relatives like we do, it is important for safety reasons for children to feel in control of their bodies. You can read more about why here. Instead of demanding that she give hugs ask if she wants to give a hug. If she is not comfortable, respect that. Giving a high five might be a good alternative. 

Number 2: Let him help you plan and make something to decorate the table.

It could be napkin rings, a table centerpiece, name cards or placemats. If you are not hosting, ask the host if it would be ok for your little one to make something to add to the table. This was a tradition at my house growing up and one I have done with my children. It always builds up anticipation for our special meal. It helped me and then later, my children, feel a part of the celebration. 

Number 3: Put her in charge of something.

It could be to give out things to people as they arrive, showing people where to hang their coats, passing out treats or being the designated picture taker for a brief “shift.” The last one was always a riot for me when I had young children to see what my little ones thought was important to take pictures of. If you have more than one child, consider giving each a “shift”. You might find that she really enjoys taking pictures and you will end up with fun pictures taken from your child’s view point. We recommend if you choose this idea, that you set a time limit to save you from having to delete 1,000’s of pictures you don’t want to keep. Alternatively, they can also be the photographer with an actual film disposable camera. Kids love it and it will save you from having to monitor her as much. 

Number 4: Go over the menu with your child so he knows what to expect.

Ask him to tell you what he is most looking forward to eating. Let him pick one of his favorite foods to be on the menu, even if it is not a traditional Thanksgiving food. If you are not hosting, coordinate with the host what you would like to bring. If you have a family rule that they need to taste some of the new food, tell them what you expect in advance.

Thanksgiving to a pickier kid can be torture. As a former picky kid I can tell you first hand. As a parent, right or wrong, I have fought many a battle with my own picky eaters. If you are having those battles currently, why not consider Thanksgiving a truce and make it an enjoyable eating experience for them too. You have the rest of the year to fight the battle.  

Number 5: Make a dish they like together.

My kids love making our family’s version of fruit salad. Use a recipe for something you love, or try my fruit salad. You can do any cutting and they can do the dumping in and mixing. 

Fruit salad

Ingredients:

• 1 can of mixed fruit, drained
• 1 apple peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 pint of berries washed (if strawberries, chop into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 banana sliced (slice add just before serving to keep the pieces from going brown)
• 1 8-oz container of whipped topping or whipped cream (can substitute vanilla yogurt) 
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions:

• Add the fruit to a large mixing bowl
• Stir in the whipped topping or whipped cream
• Fold in the marshmallows, and smooth top of salad with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Number 6: Give him something to do when he is done eating if you want him to stay at the table longer.

It could be as simple as a few coloring pages printed off or using these fun activity sheets we created. 

If you just want to Amazon it, here are a few things we love (affiliate).

Enjoy this beautiful time of gratitude!

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