Making food together is an amazing way to bond with your toddler and family members. There’s something special about working together to create something that’s then shared by everyone involved. And food made around the holidays has even more special, memory-making potential. This fall, spend time with your young ones by making some edible Thanksgiving food crafts.
Fall-Flavored Fun
Thanksgiving may be the fall holiday where food is most celebrated, but the entire harvest season presents unique opportunities to make food with your little ones.
- Halloween Candy Bark (by Just A Taste) – Have a bunch of leftover Halloween candy that you don’t know what to do with? Take 10 minutes to make a giant sheet of candy bark that you can nibble on as a family or share with friends.
- Candy Corn Fruit Cocktail (by Family Fresh Meals) – Use a quintessential fall candy to lure your kids into eating their daily serving of fruit. With just a few candy corn on top, this 5-minute fruit bowl can be adjusted to include any kind of fruit you think works best for your family.
- Caramel Apple Slices (by On My Kid’s Plate) – A less-awkward take on a fall favorite. Instead of a giant apple the size of your child’s head, have fun decorating and customizing easy-to-munch apple slices.
Thanksgiving-Themed Snacks
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for fun food crafts. So grab your kiddos, jump into the kitchen, and make some edible Thanksgiving food crafts that your kids — and your dinner guests! — will never forget.
- Pilgrim Hats (by Taste of Home) – Make a batch of cute edible “hats” that will keep people coming back for more. Don’t let the prep time in the recipe scare you. That shrinks when you have more people helping!
- Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Turkey Legs (by Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons) – These silly turkey leg lookalikes make for a great weekend or after-school snack. You as mom or dad may need to make the “bone,” but your kids will get a kick out of forming the leg out of the Rice Krispie mixture.
- Turkey Pretzels (by Welcome to the Mouse House) – These pop-able pretzel snacks are a great assembly line treat that really display the personalities of the people who made them. From your tiny 2-year-old all the way up to grandma and grandpa, have fun constructing (and eating!) your turkey creations.
- Reese’s Turkeys (by Mom on Timeout) – This is similar to the Turkey Pretzel recipe but uses Reece’s Cups instead. It’s another great food craft to use up some of the leftover Halloween candy that may be floating around your house.
Thanksgiving Day Goodies
Celebrate Thanksgiving day with your preschoolers by finding time to make food that’s perfect for them.
- Turkey Pancakes (by Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons) – Start the day off with a breakfast made for Thanksgiving. Some of the steps in this recipe may be a little advanced for younger kids, so work together to find ways they can contribute.
- Fruit Turkey Fondue (by Clean & Scentsible) – Make the kids table a blast with this great fruit and chocolate dessert. Include your kids by having them decide what the turkey “feathers” are and how they’re organized and displayed.
- Turkey Pudding Cups (by Crystal & Comp) – Pie may not be everyone’s piece of cake, but who doesn’t like pudding? Make these fun turkey-themed pudding cups after Thanksgiving dinner and watch all of the kids in attendance light up with excitement.
The holidays can become stressful when the focus shifts from being together to throwing a party. Take a breath, slow down, and make some tasty (and probably messy) memories with the children in your life. If you take the time to truly have fun and and enjoy the time with your kids, these activities have the potential to be memories they keep for their entire lives.