Thanksgiving Themed Therapy Activities

We are officially in the holiday season! The holidays can be a bit stressful to keep everyone entertained and organized, especially if you have a child with special needs. Our team has created a list of some fun educational activities for children to do this Thanksgiving season.

Turkey Feather Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep little one’s actively involved in their gross motor development. These type of activities help with their independent searching skills as well as a concentration on sorting and colors. Here’s how to tie in a Thanksgiving theme to this fun activity:

1. Cut out a turkey shape complete with gobble and beak.
2. Have different colored long feathers hidden throughout a room in the house
3. Once all the feathers have been found, count and sort by color!
4. Keep it fun by having the children hide the feathers from the adults as well

Sensory Turkey Activity

Create a turkey that has all sorts of different sensory items for kids to connect to, describe and learn from. This activity leaves a lot of variety open to the imagination and many of the sensory items can be things found around the house. Try to make each feather different from its neighbor with varied tactile, audible, and pungent senses to keep everyone guessing. Here are some suggested ways to prepare this sensory activity:

1. Cut out a turkey shape complete with long and wide feathers
2. Find objects around the house small enough to glue onto the turkey feathers
3. Blindfold the guesser and let them fell out each feather then determine what they are feeling
4. Have the guesser use adjectives to describe the items
5. If your children are old enough, create an adjective list

Turkey Place Mats

For the younger kids who need to be watched a bit more closely, have them color personal turkey place mats for each guest sitting at the table. This will help them to feel like they are contributing while giving them a creative activity to engage with. You can find free turkey template print-outs by searching Pinterest or Google!

Turkey Feather Counting

Draw a few turkeys with no feathers but add a number to each one at the top. Have your child draw the correct number of feathers for each number. You can even add color amounts (2 red, 3 blue, one orange) to make it a bit more challenging. These drawings can also be used as your turkey place mats. This activity keeps them focused on the task at hand while also sharpening their counting and color skills.

Thanksgiving Matching Cards

Print out two sets of cards with Thanksgiving themed images. Lay out one set and have the participating children hold the second set. Have them match each card in their set with the cards laid out. Associate each set with a name and once they two have been matched, have your child read the word associated with the card. The activity is very useful in language development. This game can also be used when trying to learn a new language!

Hopefully these activities will keep your little ones busy during the meal prep and just awake enough to last through the delicious dessert. From our Blazer Jobs family to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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