Creating Thanksgiving Traditions

Something we often realize as adults is that traditions mean so much more than we thought. Traditions make a moment special and give us memories to look back on fondly over time. 

If you’re looking to make Thanksgiving a special time for your children, introducing new traditions is a great place to start. They’ll love being part of the beginning of something special while making memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Here are a few different traditions you can try out to make the Thanksgiving holiday a memorable time of year every year.

Create a Thanksgiving Playlist

You know the feeling you get when you hear Christmas music for the first time in the late fall months? That fuzzy, tingly, nostalgic feeling is hard to come by! When you make a Thanksgiving playlist a part of your family’s Thanksgiving tradition, you can easily bring on some cozy fall vibes with the click of a button.

Not sure where to start? Everyone has different tastes, but this playlist from Let’s Mingle offers up some hits that are sure to be crowd pleasers. With songs like “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie,” “Let’s Turkey Trot,” and “Autumn Serenade,” you’ll have everyone in the Thanksgiving spirit in no time!

Have Your Kids Handle the Centerpiece

Let’s be honest, sometimes adults go overboard with centerpieces. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to make your table centerpiece just right, you may love the idea of handing this task off to your kids.

Giving your children a chance to participate, and even lead, in the creation of the centerpiece takes this project out of your hands and makes it a lot more fun. It also gives them the opportunity to get involved with what’s going on the dinner table. While their skills may not be advanced enough to nail that roasted turkey or pumpkin pie recipe, they can be proud their creation remains front and center course after course.

There are plenty of ways they could go with this, from painting miniature pumpkins to making wreaths out of construction paper or even giving the classic handprint turkey a go. No matter what they come up with, it will be fun for them to show off their creations to the family.

Do Your Own Turkey Trot

These days, official 5K Turkey Trots are popular for being a healthy way to celebrate Thanksgiving. You can make a walk or race a part of your family’s Thanksgiving tradition without having to sign up for an official Turkey Trot. Whether you want to make the event competitive or casual, it’s a great excuse for the whole family to spend time together while getting out into the fresh fall air.

Depending on the ages of your children, you can set up a run down the block or looping around the neighborhood. Older family members can join in by doing a speed walk race for the same distance. By the end, everyone will be ready to dig into those leftovers!

Volunteer as a Family

One of the best ways to remind your children of the real meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday is to give back to your local community. You can choose an opportunity that suits your children’s interests and the specific needs of families and charities in your local area. 

For example, you can volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food pantry together. You could even help out at the local animal shelter by walking dogs. Or, you could have your children gather up gently used toys they’ve outgrown to donate to charity.

These ideas offer just a taste of the many ways you can begin adding memorable activities and rituals to your yearly Thanksgiving tradition. Of course, not all ideas will resonate the same with different families. Only time will tell which traditions your family will fall in love with. Try out a few this year and see which ones stick!