Every year at Thanksgiving, dinner is served a little later than planned (I’m looking at your my darling, late-arriving niece Emily!). So our challenge is to keep Meg and Grace entertained in the meantime. I know I can’t be the only one with restless children at the holidays. This is how I’ll be setting our Thanksgiving children’s table and activities.
So I had a brainstorm. What our little children’s table needed was a place to keep activities and crafts. I dreamed up a pocket that would slip over the back of a chair and hold the activities. Here are the chair pockets in use at our simple little children’s Thanksgiving table. My shop offers the chair pockets alone or the entire place setting, including the chair pockets. These pockets are deep brown with large white polka dots and an embroidered felt leaf. The leaves are attached with Velcro, so you can switch them out depending on your occasion.
Update: I’m no longer selling the chair covers or place settings in my shop.
Now, despite my grandmother’s best efforts, I don’t sew. But thanks to a referral from Stephanie of Little Boo Creations, I met an amazing seamstress who lives just two traffic lights away from me!
I know “amazing” is overused, but you MUST visit Amy Donaldson’s Etsy shop here and see her work. I am honored that Amy will be making and embroidering our Chair Cover Pockets.
With the larger font.
With the smaller font. The leaves come in four styles.
Here you can see the activities and games peeking out of the pocket.
Place setting with dinner plate, dessert place, plastic wear, cup, fabric napkin, and fabric leaf placemat. I also added Thanksgiving lollipop covers from Simple Tastes. I love these!
Centerpiece … using what I had: gourds and art pottery.
Here are the contents of the pocket!
Each child gets four hand-cut images (leaf, pumpkin, acorn and gourd) on which they can write what they are thankful for. I also include curling ribbon you can use to hang the cut-outs as a banner.
Turkey puppet and crayons for coloring feathers.
Finger fidget in Thanksgiving colors. Children can make all sort of creations out of these!
Pony beads in Fall colors and Silkies necklace.
“How to Cook a Turkey” recipe card.
The girls wrote out their turkey recipes. (Anyone cook their turkey as Meg recommends?)
They listed what they are thankful for on these pumpkin die cuts.
Pony beads are always a hit and the girls had fun making these necklaces in fall colors.
Finger fidgets are a miracle.
I drew a turkey head and body onto the flower, and that turned the petals into feathers for the girls to color in.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope these ideas help keep your kiddos entertained!
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