The older the kids get the more difficult it can be to get them to hang out with us and engage during the holidays. The days that kids come home from college or are off from school are often monopolized by time with friends. Thanksgiving is a great time to start some fun traditions that kids will be willing to hang out at home. Teens are not too old to start new traditions with and often these traditions become something they will look forward to each year.
- Let teens be in charge of planning pre-meal appetizers. We love a good food challenge at our house, give the teens a theme to work with. It can be a color, an era (only recipes from the 60s for example), all apps have to be in the shape of a Thanksgiving item, etc. Let them get creative
- New PJs, hot cocoa, and parades. Order some silly pj’s and get everyone their own Thanksgiving mug, snuggle on the couch and watch the parade. You can even make printable scorecards and let them rate the floats as they roll by
- Saw this one on Facebook and we are starting it this year! Buy a gingerbread house at Walmart and build it after dinner. Keep the house through the holidays and fill it with firecrackers and blow it up on New Year's Eve
- Start a gratitude tablecloth, let everyone write on it each year, and make sure they date it
- Put teens in charge of breakfast for Thanksgiving morning
- Pile in the car (in your new PJs and go see Xmas lights). Download our scavenger hunt to take with you
- Gingerbread house decorating contest using pop tarts to construct the house
- Start a family Olympics, cornhole, darts, trivia, hula hoop, etc. Come up with different activities to compete in. Have a prize for the winner (DoorDash gift cards or lotto tix are a big hit) and a punishment for the loser (push-ups, eating super sour candy, etc)
- Let your teens make the dinner playlist, they will love sharing their music with you
- Invite their friends over the day before or the day after for a Friendsgiving
