Simone Spotlight - Family Fun After Thanksgiving Dinner

Family Festivities after Holiday Dinner

November 21st

🎉 Hey East Bay 🎉

Here are some suggested activities you can do with your family that is great holiday fun and can become a holiday tradition.

Dinner's done — now what? After all the hours of prep work that go into Thanksgiving dinner, it seems as if it's gobbled up in no time flat. What to do next? Here are ideas for the family to enjoy after the big feast.

Create a Thanksgiving tablecloth or sign a pumpkin - According to positive psychology research, simply expressing gratitude can enhance overall happiness. Invite family members to consider their individual blessings. Purchase a large artificial pumpkin or solid color tablecloth (to use year after year) for everyone to sign. Ask each person to write a note on it about what they're most grateful for this year—and date it. If signing a tablecloth, be sure to use fabric markers and protect the table by placing a cardboard matte underneath it.

Go for a walk - According to the Calorie Control Council, a traditional Thanksgiving meal serves up 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat for the average American. Start burning some of those calories by taking a stroll after the big meal.

Get out the board games - Declare a "no-tech" zone and engage in lighthearted family fun and conversation with a board game. Playing games together builds camaraderie and provides low-key entertainment and face-to-face togetherness. Some family favorites include Sequence, Mouse Trap, Pandemic, Telestrations, and Clue—or try one of this year’s games!

Play touch football - Football is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and pumpkin pie. Play a casual, but fun game of touch football. It’s a great group activity before pie!

Share family stories - While the kids are waiting for the meal, have them write questions to ask dinner guests and slip one under the plate of each table setting. After dinner, go around the table and have each person pull out their question and share. Questions such as "What was Thanksgiving like when you were growing up?" and "What was your best Thanksgiving ever and why?" are sure to rekindle fond memories.This content is created and maintained by San Diego Family Magazine. Unauthorized permission is prohibited.

Plan a scavenger hunt - Send everyone outside for a scavenger hunt. Give each team a small bag to collect items or have them use phones to take photos of items on the list. Keep the hunt simple for youngsters and a little more challenging for older kids. Items on the list might include: something red, a heart-shaped leaf, a stick shaped like a Y, a black rock, a feather, etc. Team adults with kids and turn the hunt into a fun race to the finish. The winning team receives the first slice of pie or a silly prize like a pilgrim's hat to wear during dessert. This content is created and maintained by San Diego Family Magazine. Unauthorized use without specific permission is prohibited.

Puzzle fun - A great family activity is to do a puzzle after dinner. As a family, you can put one big puzzle together every year that every age can work on and make it into a family tradition. You can have your family work in rotations all afternoon, the kids, parents, cousins, and grandparents.

Pumpkin tic-tac-toe - Choose five small white gourds and five small orange gourds. Make a grid on a card table using craft or painter's tape. Or use larger gourds and set up the game in your yard using sticks to make nine squares.

Get into the holiday spirit - If your large extended family is together for Thanksgiving, this is a good time to pull names for a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange. Everyone draws names, keeps the name they pulled secret, and purchases a light-hearted or wacky gift to exchange around the holidays.

In Memoriam - The holidays can be especially difficult for those grieving loved ones. Look through family photographs together, watch old home videos or take time to tell stories about your special someone. You can even listen to recordings of your loved one to honor their memory for the holiday.