Five Fun After Thanksgiving Dinner Activities

 

5 Fun After Thanksgiving Dinner Activities

Thanksgiving is upon us and people are starting to plan their dinners: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, pie—mmm, pie—and all the other favorites. Instead of having everyone lounge around after dinner, why not take a moment to plan some after-dinner activities to keep your friends and family moving while having fun? To get you started, here are five fun after Thanksgiving dinner activities that have become a tradition in my family.

1. Jumping in Leaf Piles

This is a favorite among the kids—and dogs—and definitely gets in a good workout for everyone! Kids and dogs jumping in the pile of leaves needs someone to rake them back up so they can do it again.

2. Leaf Rubbings

After dinner head out for a nice walk, bringing a bag with you so you can grab some leaves. Look for leaves with differing shapes and sizes. Back at home, you’ll need some plain white paper (not too thick) and crayons. Remove the paper wrapper from the crayons. Place the leaves on a flat surface, cover with a piece of paper, turn crayon on its side, and gently rub the crayon over the paper and leaf.

3. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

Make up a list—as easy or hard as you’d like—and pass it around to everyone who will play. Once the hunt is over, have a prize ready for the winner(s)! Here are some of the items we like to hunt for:

• Acorns
• Turkey decoration
• Pumpkins
• Pile of leaves
• Mums
• Scarecrow
• Hay bale
• A red leaf, yellow leaf, orange leafAdded fun: bring your phone or a camera and take pictures of yourselves with your findings!

4. Take a Photo Walk

If the weather is nice, head on out for a walk with your camera. Take photos of your family and friends, and other autumn findings. Get the kids in on the fun as well, letting them take photos of things they find. Some photos may even be gift-worthy! Turn them into magnets or coasters and give them as gifts for the holidays. Most photo sites offer gifts to create, such as magnets, coasters, mugs, and stationary.

5. Make Bird Feeders

If you live in an area with pinecones, head outside and scoop some up. Once you’ve got them, gently wipe any dirt and debris off, grab some birdseed, peanut butter, and yarn/string, and get ready to make some birds and squirrels happy! Spread some peanut butter on the pinecone, roll it in the birdseed, tie the string on them, and hang them up on some trees.