Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with your Family this Year

Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends. It’s a time for family traditions, like making the turkey, playing games, and watching football. With your kids – there are plenty of ways to bring fun into their lives too! But this is also a time where you can be thankful to God for His many blessings.

To help you and your kids focus on God this holiday season, I have added something that you can incorporate into your Thanksgiving Breakfast. Hope it helps!

6 Bible Verses to include in Thanksgiving

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:28 NASB

Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30

Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father; – Ephesians 5:20

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His faithfulness is everlasting. –1 Chronicles 16:34

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, – 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. – Psalms 9:1

Begin your Thanksgiving Morning with Breakfast

Most people will begin their morning in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner, but why not slow down a little bit and make some breakfast with the family at home now. Enjoy this time together and make it special. This is a great time to sit down and think of all that God has blessed you with, begin your Thanksgiving morning with a Bible Verse Breakfast Prayer.

Here are some ideas of what you can cook for your Thanksgiving Morning:

French Toast Casserole –

This is a delicious french toast casserole breakfast meal that you can actually prep the night before so all you will have to do is place it in the oven and be done. Don’t forget when it comes to the fruit you can put just about any in this. Oh and the best thing about this is you can add or take away something you don’t like.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I won’t lie as soon as pumpkin pancakes hit the breakfast cafes near me when normally pop in once or twice. Keep in mind for years we did without the whole turkey thing because we had someone in the family that was allergic. So we use to be the family that would go to a restaurant and eat whatever we delighted and mine was the pancakes with a slice of turkey on my plate.

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 large egg; lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon butter or margarine; melted

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except the butter, stirring until smooth. In a different bowl, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a small skillet over low heat. Drop mixture by tablespoons into the pan to make pancakes. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Remove the pancakes to a plate.

Don’t forget to have a Thanksgiving Prayer for Family before your meal!

And there you have it! Bible verses for Thanksgiving breakfast! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Bible Verse for the whole family to say before eating together: Isaiah 55:11 NASB

So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Lord, we ask that you guard our mouths as we go about this beautiful day. Allow only sweetness and the words of the Lord to come through. Amen.

Begin your day with a healthy breakfast and mindset.

Pass around the Gratitude Journal

Pass around a Gratitude Journal (this can be one that is homemade or a store-bought one) and have each person write what they are thankful for this year. Don’t forget to date it so you know what year it was. This can become a tradition that you do every year and during dinner, you can read some old entries or keep it out so others can read them and get inspired. Maybe they’ll even write their own entries.

Once breakfast has ended step outside as a family and walk around the block once or twice just taking the day in. See most people get straight to cooking once they wake up and don’t enjoy this day. Just for a few minutes take time to appreciate this time with your family and God. Thank him as you walk.

Pass out Tasks for Kids

Before the guests start showing up now would be the time to start passing out those important tasks that need to get done before the meal is served or before you leave to go to the meal. Kids will love getting chores meant just for them at certain ages and as they get older the responsibilities go up.

Help to measure ingredients, make sure the bathroom is clean, set up the dinner table, prepare the kids’ craft table. For the adult table make sure the runner is nice and straight and prepare the place cards. For the Kids’ table place a large white paper sheet over it so everyone can draw on it. Or set up the table with paper placemats so they can draw on just their area.

Will you be watching the Macy’s Day Parade? We use to always watch this as kids. I remember how excited we’d get once we arrived at Grandma’s house and lay in the living room as it played. My kids have all grown up with this, in fact, I heard my oldest tell someone that she didn’t care where she was on Thanksgiving as long as she gets to watch the parade. She’s 21.

Watch or play Football– This is one of those staples in so many homes where you just sat in the living room together watching to the football game. But I have heard of families getting together and dividing up and going outside and playing football together. Now that sounds like some lasting memories.

Holiday Movie Marathon

This is for all those families that just aren’t into football (I know right?) This is the time to get cozy in the living room and pop in some old classics. Wouldn’t this be fun while waiting for Thanksgiving Dinner or just after when everyone else is dozing off to sleep you start the tradition of watching holiday movies at Thanksgiving with family and friends? Don’t forget the goodies to watch the show (Chex mix is a great one) and maybe a blanket or two for the kids.

Serendipity is a romantic comedy movie released in 2001. A story of a male and female (Jonathan Trager and Sara Thomas), who collide on a street corner while rushing to attend their departing flights at JFK airport. This chance encounter leads them on a journey through an adventurous night where they get involved with each other’s lives in very unexpected ways. But all they are allowed to know is each other’s first names. Years later they run into each other yet again but both are engaged. Will this couple ever get together?

When Harry Met Sally is a romantic comedy movie released in 1989. Two people go on a cross-country road trip, (Harry Burns and Sally Albright) become friends, and go on with their life. They both know that they are attracted to each other but resist getting into any kind of romance fearing that sex would ruin their friendship.

Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas comedy movie that was released in 1947. Susan Walker (Natalie Wood)

You’ve Got Mail is a cute romantic movie about an internet romance between Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks). The two were once business rivals without even knowing it but became romantically involved by communicating through an A.O.L chat room. They start to fall in love without knowing each other’s real identity until they meet in person in their busy New York lives. Will they continue their online romance or will it be the end of them?

Eat, Pray, Love is a romantic comedy film that was released in 2010. A based on a true story about a woman who is going through a difficult divorce and decides to take it upon herself to travel overseas to Italy, India, and Indonesia. The goal of this trip is for her to find happiness from positivity from the three places she visits before she goes back home to New York City. But what she didn’t expect was to find love during her stay in Italy with an Italian man named Felipe, who shows her the true meaning of love and happiness.

Holiday in the Wild – Kate’s husband abruptly leaves her telling her he wants a divorce right after their only child moves to college. Kate decides to go on what would’ve been their anniversary trip and runs into a handsome stranger named Ben. Kate and Ben help rescue an elephant from a dangerous flood zone and from that moment on they begin to develop feelings for each other. But Kate can’t stop thinking about her estranged husband and Ben has the same problem with his girlfriend back home. Will these two ever come together as a couple or will their romance be short-lived?

Kids might like Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Ratatouille, or even Free Birds.

7 Turkey Crafts for Kids

Thanksgiving Dot Marker Activity Kit is perfect for the little ones just learning to read and write. Lil Tigers is going to have all the kiddos go on a fun Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt inside the home. The best part is this is less mess compared to the following crafts.

It is true the classics are still a big favorite in our home. Try having the kids make this Simple paper bag turkey for preschoolers from Journey to SAHM. The Thankful Turkey Toilet Paper Roll is another fun one. Have them add things/people they are grateful for on the feathers.

These two crafts are one of those tasks I mentioned above for the older kids to do before Thanksgiving so it can be ready for the little ones. The coffee filter turkey craft takes less than 20 minutes and while it can be messy it is great fun for the kids. Have someone paint the clothespins the day before so they are ready for this craft. For the easy paper cup turkey craft for kids have your kids cut out all the shapes needed for this craft ahead of time.

For this last craft, I’d like to make one suggestion, for each child, this should include their siblings and parents. Finally, purchase frames per child that will attend so each child can leave with their own Family Handprint Turkey.