A New Kind of Thankful

It's Thanksgiving time and typically a great time to reflect on the things in life to be thankful for. Well, 2020 has definitely thrown a lot at us this year and it would be easy to get stuck on how Thanksgiving will be lacking this year. However, I've realized that 2020 has shook up my perspective on life (sometimes for the bad, sometimes for the good). Let's focus on the good for today though. 2020 has helped me focus on the the structure of life that I have to be thankful for. I'm not focused on the fancy meals, the fancy technology, the fancy trips. This year I am thankful for the relationships that continue to grow even through social distancing. I am thankful for the stability my husband and I have worked hard to build so that we don't have to stress too hard for our family in these unknown times. I am thankful for a God who is there to listen, to talk, to support regardless the time or the emotion. While 2020 has gotten a bad reputation, it truly has taught us a lot. Whether you're gathering with lots of family, a little family, or staying in for Thanksgiving, I hope you can find time to reflect on what 2020 has taught you (the good and the bad), and if there are changes that need to be made there is no better time than the present.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving I wanted to share a few ideas that our family has really enjoyed this year. You'll find pictures and instructions below. Wishing you well and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Blessings/Thankful/Grateful Jar

You can call it whatever you like. Find a jar or container of some type and decorate it. Have everyone write on pieces of paper things they are thankful for and put in the jar. We put the jar out on November 1st and then read all the pieces of paper on Thanksgiving day. We used to read them in the car as we drove to the different Thanksgiving destinations but this year we will read them at home together.

Kid's Thankful Mobile

This is a little twist on the thankful jar above. My boys and I made these mobiles out of leaves and added Psalms 107:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for His is good; His love endures forever." Then I talked to the boys about what being thankful means and they told me the things they are thankful for. This was my oldest's. He was thankful for ice cream, jell-o and his puppy Porkchop.

Turkey Day Painting

A simple, but fun turkey painting. I let the boys pick out paint colors and put them on a paper plate, then they used a plastic fork to stamp "turkey feathers" onto the paper. We cut out and glued the body, beak and eyes on after. You can make this more or less elaborate as appropriate for your child's abilities/age.

Turkey Frame

First of all, those boys are just too sweet! I put together these frames while the boys were napping since they required the hot glue gun, but if you have kids who are older they can totally help with assembly. I used popsicle sticks for the frame (you could use sticks, an already made frame, etc.), google eyes, paper beak, and feathers. We are dropping these off on the porches of the grandparents that we won't be seeing for Thanksgiving this year. We thought it would be a nice way to say "Happy Thanksgiving, we love you, and we are thinking of you today.

Turkey Hunt

I found a turkey coloring page, colored and cut them out for this activity. We read "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving and then have been going on "turkey hunts" since it has been rainy rainy the past couple weeks. The boys go in the bathroom and count to 10 while I hide the turkeys then they come out and go on a "turkey hunt" to find them all. Sometimes the simplest things bring the best memories. I love all the smiles and giggles this game has allowed us to share as a family.

Bonus link to storytime: https://fb.watch/1_rNXZ4wdk/