Family. Friends. Food. In-laws.  Siblings.  Should we use your recipe or mine? Holiday stress can turn anyone into a crazy parent in a matter of minutes.  And you just want the kids to have something to do so they’re not running all over the place while you’re trying to get a million things done.  Here are a few ideas that will keep the kids busy, encourage them to think, be creative and even help out with the big event. The ideas are divided up by subject area.

Math

-How many people are coming?  How many place settings do we need?  Forks? Knives?  Wine glasses? Water glasses? Give them the list of guests and have them figure out what’s needed.  Then, have them set the table.

-How big is that turkey?  Here’s a great problem for kids in upper grades to solve:  How many pounds (lbs.) is the turkey? How many people are coming?  How many ounces of turkey will each person get to eat?  By the way, if you didn’t already know, there are16 ounces in a pound…

-Recipes!  Have your kids write up the recipes, including the measurements.  Depending upon their age, they can even help you measure ingredients.  If that’s too much, encourage them to write down the different recipes that have been used to prepare the food.  Illustrate each part of the recipe.

Language Arts

-Dictate the menu to your child and have them write it up for all of the guests. They can separate the menu into sections: appetizers, main course (that’s obvious!), vegetarian options, sides, and desserts. Or make a menu of different family member’s recipes or their favorite dishes, or what different guests brought.  They can make a few copies of the menu, decorate them and hand them out at mealtime.

-Have the kids make a seating chart and customized nametags for each guest with a message or picture.

-Buy some lined paper with a space to draw above for the younger kids to make a book about the day with captions below each picture.  “Uncle Jerry watches football and falls asleep on the couch.”  “My Dad washes and cuts the sweet potatoes and puts them in the oven.” “Aunt Lisa brought 3 pumpkin pies. My favorite!” Whatever it is, it will be a book they can create that you can keep for years to come and will keep them busy all day.

Social Studies

-Did some of the guests travel from far away places?  Have your child find out!  They can ask each guest and then print a map that encompasses all of the locations.  Then, mark them on the map. Who traveled the farthest distance? The shortest?  Did anyone come from a different country?  Speak a different language?

Art

All of the above activities have an art component, but simply having your child draw pictures of each dish of the meal is a great activity in itself.

Using a few of these activities should keep kids occupied and thinking for most of the day, and will provide you the room to cook, clean, socialize and find a moment to sit down and take a breather.

Happy Thanksgiving!