13 Ideas for Post Thanksgiving Dinner Fun

After all of the hours of prep work that goes into Thanksgiving dinner, it seems as if it’s gobbled up in no time flat. Now what? Here’s a bounty of activity ideas, big and small, for the entire family to enjoy after the big feast.

Sign a pumpkin. According to psychology research, simply expressing gratitude can actually enhance our overall happiness. Invite your family to consider their individual blessings. Purchase a large artificial pumpkin that you can bring out each year for your family to sign.

Ask each person to write a note on it about what they’re most grateful for this year. Perhaps a new baby arrived into the family, wedding bells will soon be ringing, your child got an A in a difficult class, or a loved one overcame a health issue. Be sure and have everyone sign and date it.

Create a Thanksgiving tablecloth. Similar to the pumpkin idea, cover the Thanksgiving table with a memory tablecloth. After the table is cleared, each person can write a note to the host or a note of gratitude using fabric markers. Protect your table by placing cardboard under the tablecloth in case ink bleeds through it.

Go for a nature walk. According to the Calorie Control Council, the traditional Thanksgiving meal serves up 4500 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. Get your kids off of their phones and away from their video games in order to engage in lighthearted family fun and conversation with a board game. In a world where more and more people say they have zero confidants, playing games together can build camaraderie and provides a low-key, entertaining opportunity for face-to-face togetherness.

Play touch football. Football is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and pumpkin pie. Enjoy a game of tackle, flag, or one-touch football. You can select team captains based on the strongest players in the family and the captains pick their teammates. Most importantly–have fun!

Share family stories. While your kids are anticipating the mouthwatering dinner that’s about to grace the table, have them write questions to ask the family. They can slip a question under the glass or plate of each table setting. After dinner is over, go around the table and each person can pull their question and share the answer. Questions like “What was Thanksgiving like when you were growing up?” and “What was your best Thanksgiving ever and why?” are sure to rekindle fond memories.

Plan a scavenger hunt. If the weather is agreeable, send everyone outside for a scavenger hunt. Give each team a small bag to collect their items or have them use their cameras to take photos of the items on the list. Keep the hunt simple for youngsters and a little more complicated for older kids. Items on your list might include: something red, a heart shaped leaf, a stick shaped like a Y, a black rock, a feather. Pair 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 pilgrim hats to wear on their heads.

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.

Ready, aim…. If you’ve got a Nerf gun loving crew, turn 10 plastic drinking cups into turkeys that they can stack and try to shoot down. Paste google eyes on the cup. Underneath the eyes, place an upside down triangle to form the beak. Pick up a bag of colored feathers from a craft store and hot glue a few red, orange or yellow feathers on the back of each cup. Not into Nerf guns? Use a tennis ball and play turkey bowling with the cups instead.

Get into the holiday spirit. If you have a large extended family over for Thanksgiving dinner, this is a good time to pull names for holiday gift exchanges like Secret Santas or White Elephant exchanges. 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.

Remember those on deployment. If your spouse is deployed for military duty over the Thanksgiving holiday, he or she will definitely be on your family’s mind. After dinner, invite your family and friends to circle around the table to make cards and write letters to your absent loved one. Mail everything in a package. Even though your honey will receive it after the holiday, they’ll know that they were still an important part of your day.

Freelance journalist Christa Melnyk Hines and her husband are the parents of two sons, ages 14 and 12. Every year after the big feast, they take their dog, and anyone else who wants to tag along, for a walk through the crunchy autumn leaves.

Easy ways to give back

We all have a lot to do. Between raising kids, working a job, managing a household and juggling extracurriculars, you probably feel strapped for time (because you are), while at the same time you may also feel the urge to give back and make a difference in your community. If you want to volunteer, but feel you don’t have the time, fear not. There are plenty of ways to give back without giving up an entire weekend. We rounded up a few ways you and your family can lend a hand in the community.

Help fight hunger. Join the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank in feeding the hungry right here in our neighborhoods. You and your family can make a difference by stocking shelves, labeling, sorting and packaging food, and helping with administrative tasks and general maintenance. The food bank has multiple shifts available, including 9am to noon on Saturdays. https://www.toledofoodbank.org/

Another way to serve the community is by lending a hand at one of Food For Thought’s Mobile Food Pantries. The nonprofit is always in need of volunteers to help operate these food pantries, which offer emergency food assistance to people in need. The food pantries allow them to choose from a variety of items, including fresh produce. https://feedtoledo.org/ 

Help our furry friends. Are you an animal lover? The Toledo Area Humane Society could be a perfect fit for your family to volunteer. You can donate your time by walking dogs, cuddling kittens, working in the ReTail shop, helping out in the office and more. With a wide variety of tasks and flexible scheduling, this is the perfect way to make a difference while having fun with animals, too. https://www.toledohumane.org/

Spend time with seniors. An easy way to find a lot of volunteer opportunities under one roof is to help out at the Sylvania Senior Center. The center is always looking for extra hands to help with a multitude of activities and events, so there is sure to be something appealing to everyone in your family. You and yours can lend a hand in the dining room by preparing and cleaning up meals. Perhaps you’d like to work outdoors and maintain a plot in the organic garden and assist with the planning and planting of the flower garden. If you’re tech savvy, help out as a computer coach and ensure students are keeping pace with the teacher. 

Offer families comfort. Spend some time at the Ronald McDonald House Charities and you’ll see the rewards of your work immediately. Here you can help with a wide variety of household tasks, from doing yard work to washing windows and restocking supply closets. You can also be on the Dinner on the House team, making and baking meals and desserts on the premises for families staying at the house. A delicious homemade meal is a great way to provide comfort to families. https://www.scsonline.org/seniorcenter/

Give toys…and joy. With the holiday season quickly approaching, many area organizations will be collecting toys. Make this holiday about giving and not just getting. Take your children shopping and let them purchase a toy or two for the Toys for Tots program. Perhaps your church or work place does an angel tree or adopt a family program. This season, make it a part of your Christmas shopping to shop for someone in need.The whole family can help with selecting gifts, wrapping and delivering them. https://perrysburg-oh.toysfortots.org

Donate. Perhaps you don’t have the time to give to any of these organizations. That’s okay. There are still a lot of ways you can make a difference. Spend an hour cleaning out your garage, closets, basement or storage room for items in good condition that aren’t needed anymore. Box them up and take your kids along as you drop off your donations at your local church, the Salvation Army or any of the shelters in town. Clothing, especially coats, hats and gloves, are needed as cold weather comes to town. Personal care items, toiletries and cleaning supplies are all welcome donations. https://satruck.org

There are many ways you can make a difference right here in your community, no matter how busy you are. In this month of gratitude and giving, hopefully you can find a way to make giving back part of your routine. 

Young journalist makes his mark on the Toledo scene

It would be very surprising to us if you hadn’t yet heard of Jaden Jefferson, the eleven-year-old YouTube sensation who has over 5,000 followers on his channel, Jaden Reports Now. Since his high profile interview with Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren two months ago, Jefferson’s popularity as a burgeoning broadcast journalist has skyrocketed with an appearance on Ellen and, most recently, a celebrity hot dog signing. 

We sat down with Jefferson after that momentous occasion at the Original Tony Packo’s, where he was surrounded by reporters. The Maumee Valley Country Day School student was also honored at this year’s Touchstone Awards with a Toledo Press Club membership. He had lots to say about his experience out in the field covering Toledo’s latest news. 

How did you feel when you found out you’d be getting to sign a Tony Packo’s hot dog to be put on display in the restaurant?
It was really exciting. You know, I felt like I was finally becoming invested in the community. It’s just an honor because Tony Packo’s has been a part of Toledo for the longest, and I’m proud to be a part of that legacy.

What prompted you to interview Elizabeth Warren, and how has that interview changed your life?
She was having an event in Toledo, and I had to get an interview. I did it, and it definitely changed my life for the better. It’s good to know that there are a lot of people out there rooting for me and that people are finally acknowledging my reporting. I’m really glad to be doing what I love.

How long have you been doing your YouTube channel?
Maybe five years or so. It wasn’t always for reporting, but I finally made the change to reporting, and I definitely get a lot of views and comments on it.

How many followers do you have?
On Twitter I have 22.4 thousand.

What are your career goals? Do you want to continue with broadcast journalism?
Yes, definitely. I’m planning on sticking with this for the remainder.

How do you balance school and work? Is it difficult?
At times. It’s never really a lot because I don’t get a lot of homework. When I don’t have a lot of homework, I’ll either take some time to relax or go out to the field and cover a big story.

What’s your favorite story you’ve ever covered?
That’s hard. I’ve covered a lot of stories here in Toledo. I would definitely say the one with Elizabeth Warren because a lot of people watched it and it changed my life.

What was it like getting to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show?
Ellen is kind, down-to-earth, and funny. She’s such a good person— always giving— she’s really changing the world.

Your grandma is the one who drives you around. How did she get involved?
My brother was doing a volunteer event, and I thought I’d try out this reporter thing. I had her hold the camera because I didn’t have a tripod or any of the equipment I have now. It went from her holding the camera to managing transportation and things like that.

Are there any journalists who you look up to?
There are a lot of them. Many of them are in this room. The local media has been so supportive of what I do. Every time I’m out on a story, there are always people out in the local media that help me out. There are so many mentors in Toledo news.