Screen-Free Thanksgiving Break Ideas for Toddlers

A long weekend at home, a full house and a little one who is ready to go at 6 a.m. These eight ideas need no prep and use things you already have. Each one takes about ten minutes, and most work with a cousin or two joining in.

8 no-prep ideas

• Funny Face Toast. A snack that is really an excuse to be silly. Your little one builds a face on a piece of toast, then eats it.

• Hunt Count. Turn the house into a treasure hunt. "Find 2 shoes!" Then count them out loud.

• Ten Hands. No supplies at all. Count fingers, toes, claps and stomps all the way to ten.

• Rip Strip. Write letters down a strip of paper, then tear between them and name each one. Toddlers love that ripping is allowed.

• Sock Match. Match letter cards in pairs, then fold them together like socks and drop them in the laundry basket.

• Crunch Test. Snack time becomes a listening experiment: crunchy, soft or somewhere in between?

• Water Paint. A cup of water and a brush. Paint letters on a fence or path and watch them disappear. No mess, no cleanup.

• Bag Draw. Reach into a bag, pull out one everyday object and talk all about it. Great with cousins at the table.

Need a quiet moment?

Print a few free worksheets for the kids' table, or pull out the Thanksgiving Table Questions for dinner.

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