Thanksgiving dinner is one of America’s biggest traditions and memories spent with friends and family can last a lifetime. The big meal is a lot to plan in itself, especially for families with children. Planning in advance is key. Below are some tips to help your child feel comfortable and part of the family Thanksgiving tradition.
Try involving your child in some these Thanksgiving activities that will help teach him or her about the traditions and customs that are associated with the holiday:
Encourages the development of fine motor skills!
Put your child’s memory to the test with a matching game!
Promote number recognition and one-to-one correspondence!
Showing off your family at its best dressed can be a little tricky. Don’t let fancy outfits make or break your holiday. If your child fusses, just let him or her pick the outfit. Then you can just add some festive accessories!
If all else fails, be thankful that your child agrees to wear clothes at all!
When planning this yearly get-together, ask around to see which family member has the most accessible home. If you have an accessible home, why not be the one to host dinner? This will already make your child feel more comfortable being in a very familiar place with less familiar faces and activities.
Traveling with child is hard enough. To help make things a little easier, try asking a pre-teen or teen family member to travel with you as your helper. Chances are they will jump at the chance to travel to Grandma’s house with your family instead of his or her own. Your child will enjoy traveling and playing with someone closer to his or her own age.
Some kids are on a special diet, which means they can’t eat all the same foods as the rest of the family. If possible, prepare their food in a special way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
For a child fed through a feeding tube, a family dinner can be tough. If relatives are comfortable with your child being fed while everyone else eats, try some thanksgiving tube feeding recipes. You can also feed your child ahead of time, or wait to attend the party until after dinner.
Because your child is eating differently, don’t let that make him or her feel left out. To help your child feel more included, have them help prepare the foods even they aren’t eating (children often want to try foods that they’ve helped make!) and in other productive ways like grocery shopping or setting the table.
Don’t expect the entire night to be perfect. Be prepared for at least one tantrum, but more kids at dinner usually means fewer tantrums because they’re having so much fun!
Do your best to prevent tantrums in the first place by making sure your child gets enough sleep the night before Thanksgiving dinner as well as his or her regularly scheduled nap.