Whether you call it Thanksgiving, or celebrate with friends for Friendsgiving, it's often the after dinner entertainment that knocks the wind out of our sails.
We've spent all our time and energy preparing food, decor and dessert, and now that it's over, kids are full of energy and ready to go… adults are ready to sit and…. what? What now?
Here are 3 crafts and 2 games, and several fun books that made it into our final picks for easy after turkey entertainment this Thanksgiving. This should easily take care of both younger and older guests not interested in after-dinner football.
This post is in partnership with Oriental Trading. I received free product in exchange for this post, but all ideas and opinions are my own.
Entertaining Crafty Guests
In any group there are bound to be a few creatives. Set up a craft table with all the essentials and a few choice pieces of inspiration.
Colored pencils, crayons, stickers and foam art kits, and your turkey magnets are a fun way to pass the time. You can even have a silly face contest!
We used these fun stickers with balloons and paper cut outs to make funny faces. You can also stick them to left over pumpkins or even decorate boxes or cleaned out baking supply canisters.
A dress up your gingerbread man/woman magnet or ornament craft can be a big hit too. Super easy when you buy the pre-cut sticker kits ahead of time. Even the littlest guests at your dinner can participate without much help, (just watch the small pieces) and they have a gift to take home with them!
Entertaining Brainy Guests
For those who prefer to craft with their minds, grab one of these games and let the fun begin!
Pickles to Penguins sounded strange when I saw it, but I am SO glad we got it. This game stretches players' pumpkin stuffed imaginations as they race to see who can empty their card stack first by making associations between items on the cards. Hilarious and fun quick-thinking sort of game.
More math minded, than wordy? The Equate game is similar to Scrabble, but uses math and equations. There are a couple different ways to play based on player ability. I love that it's educational; and the kid's have so much fun I don't even like mentioning the M word (math). And notice, the box didn't use that word either. The box says “Equate: The Equation Thinking Game.” Smart!
Are Your Friends more Introverted?
These Thanksgiving story books are great to have on hand for read alouds, or quiet after dinner reading. The Ten Fat Turkeys is a fabulous and funny read aloud poem and if you've got a group of dramatics in the mix try Hailstones and Halibut Bones for impromptu dramatic reading performances. Click the images below to follow our affiliate links for more details.
Outdoor Active Fun
And for those more active, weather permitting of course, open the doors and send them outside with footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, frisbees, hoops & cones, or a scavenger hunt list. Grab a free one here.
And, if all else fails you can ask your guests to help clean up! More hands make lighter work. The important thing, whether working or playing, is making memories of thankfulness together.
What's your favorite way to entertain guests after dinner?