Here are four Thanksgiving activities you can pull together into a wonderful afternoon Playdate with your preschool and school-aged grandchildren. This playdate was created by Tina Day, known to her grandchildren as “Nonna.” When the long-distance grandkids arrived for the holiday, she was prepared with a full set of activities to help her create special memories with them!
A Playdate with Nonna
Every summer, Tina plans “Nonna Camp” which includes several days of fun when the cousins gather from out-of-state for fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Most of her grandchildren live some distance away, so opportunities to gather them and help them have playful experiences together has been an important part of her “Intentional Grandparenting” experience. I hope you’ll be inspired by her creativity. All you have to do is gather your own supplies and downloads, and PRESTO! you have a Thanksgiving Playdate all ready to go!
You can download and share the newsletter, complete with all of the ideas for Nonna’s Playdate.
Tina started out with the basic framework of a Playdate that we always recommend: 1 book, 1 activity, and 1 question designed to draw out a story. But Tina expanded and created three fun activities so the fun could go on all afternoon.
Thanksgiving Activities #1: Nutter Butter Turkey Cupcakes
There is a proliferation of these fun cupcakes on the Internet, so I’m not certain who gets the credit for being the first to think of them. You’ll find a simple tutorial on the mommysavers.com blog:
You’ll need a few supplies to start:
- Baked cupcakes
- Prepared chocolate frosting
- Nutter Butter Peanut Cookie Sandwiches
- Golden Oreos (or other vanilla sandwich cookies)
- Candy Corns
- Candy Eyes
- Red Fruit roll-ups or red licorice strings
After you frost your cupcakes, press in a Nutter Butter Cookie for the turkey body, and poke a few candy corns into a golden sandwich cookie to make the tail. The face can be completed with candy eyes, fruit roll-ups, licorice strings, and
The secret to success is having your supplies ready to go when the grandkids arrive. A paper plate and knife for each of them, plus containers to hold all of the ingredients you will use for this fun craft. Nonna included a large photo of the finished cupcake so the kids would have a visual to work from.
Thanksgiving Activities #2: Read a Book about Gratitude
Next, Nonna gathered the grandkids for a favorite Thanksgiving Read-Aloud, Thanks for Thanksgiving, by Julie Marks, illustrated by Doris Barrette. This book includes space at the back where you can keep a yearly list of thankful thoughts.
Thanksgiving Activities #3: Colorful Autumn Trees
Tina had a separate table ready for painting. The kids still had their aprons on, so it was just a matter of moving to the next station to get started.
Here’s your supply list:
- Free Tree Download
- Paper Plate
- A painting smock or apron for each child
- Craft paints: red, orange, yellow
- A head of fresh broccoli, or wadded-up bubble wrap
As you dip the broccoli floret into the paint and then stamp it onto your tree, the colors blend and stipple just like autumn leaves.
This fun and easy craft includes a free download you’ll print off in advance. Tina put a large paper plate in the center and squeezed out a dollop of red, orange, brown, and yellow paint. The grandkids used a small floret of broccoli dipped in paint, and then dabbed on autumn colors all over their own trees. As they were painting, Tina asked them to name some things they have been grateful for during the past year.
These open-ended connection questions are part of every Playdate. They really help you get a conversation going, and as you listen intently to what your grandchildren share, you’ll have the insight you need to continue the connection once they are back at home and your visits go back to being “remote” and “long-distance.” One important key is to listen deeply, asking more searching questions and avoiding any responses that might shut down the conversation or sound judgmental. Just stay intensely curious. The goal is to have your grandchildren know that you will listen thoughtfully and seek to understand all that is in their hearts.
Thanksgiving Activities #4: Thanksgiving Turkey Game
Download the free printable for this fun game perfect for preschoolers and elementary-school-aged grandkids. We found our copy at the pjsandpaint.com website. Just spin the dice and fill in one M&M on your game card. The first player to fill up all the spaces on the turkey tail wins!
Supplies:
- Free Printable, with one page printed out on heavy cardstock for each player
- Dice
- A bag of M&M’s candies
Connection Questions:
Connection Questions help create bridges of connection between you and your grandchild. Take turns answering any of these questions, and when possible, record or write down the answers!
- What did you like to do at Thanksgiving when you were little?
- Do you have special memories of visiting your grandparents for Thanksgiving? Tell your grandchildren about it.
- Did your family have any traditions for Thanksgiving when you were younger?
- What is the thing you are MOST grateful for this year?
- What is something your family serves at Thanksgiving that you don’t like to eat? What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
- Were you ever a long way away from home at Thanksgiving? Tell the story, including how you felt being away from your family.
And for a sneak peek into the entire playdate: