How to Host Thanksgiving: Place Cards Kids Can Make, Free Template
We’ve all read the advice that involving your children in the holidays is a way to make them feel a part of things and head off the negative attention-seeking behaviors. We know we’re supposed to build core memories by being together and doing meaningful activities together. I’m a busy working mom, and I always feel like I’m falling short in this regard. So I struggle to find ways to involve the kids in the holidays that don’t feel like chores. I certainly don’t want them to feel overwhelmed or overburdened by the holidays the way moms sometimes do. But making the magic is really hard, it does require help, and there are sweet things kids can do that put the icing on the cake, things they actually enjoy.
The place cards are my favorite of those things. This one works for the kid who likes art, the kid who likes order, and the kid who does not want to sit next to a certain relative. Making the place cards means a child can strategically plan the seating with you and find ways to sit next to the people they love, or you can just do it for whimsy and fun.
Especially if you have an artsy, crafty kid like I do. I’m thankful my last one turned out arty and crafty, which makes her a little easier to put to work. As our family grew bigger, our table grew bigger too, and it became more fun to decorate that table with my daughter. We make centerpieces and all sorts of fun things you can see in another post, but this post is about what I think is the sweetest job of all: having the kids make the place cards.
Free pumpkin cut file
Drop your email below and I will send you the pumpkin SVG from my Fall Shapes set, ready to cut on a Cricut or Silhouette. No machine? The same shapes are available as printable templates you cut by hand.
Want the whole set? All eleven shapes (turkey, acorn, oak leaf, pie, pear, apple, gourd, drumstick, tree, pumpkin and whole pie) are in the shop:
- SVG cut files for Cricut and Silhouette, two pre-arranged mat sheets included
- Printable templates to cut by hand, three sizes, Letter and 11x17
- Teachers: classroom and school licenses for both are in the shop
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What I love is that it gets the kids thinking about who’s coming, what they’re going to say to each person, and where everyone’s going to sit. It helps them remember that they got to help decorate the Thanksgiving table. And when everybody sits down and makes a big deal out of how cute the place cards are, the kids get a little lift. They know their contribution was meaningful. It’s really sweet.
The other thing is that as this project has evolved, my daughter has taken it on more and more on her own. Instead of a simple image with a name, she’s evolved these into full sentiments, like a fortune cookie. The best kind of fortune cookie. I think it pulls from the inspiration I gave her on a gratitude advent wall project we did, but I’m not sure she’d tell you it was all hers either way. The cutest little thing, and it has become its own tradition.
One more variation from our table: one year the kids made Shrinky Dink charms as wine-glass markers for the grown-ups. They were super cute and we’ve used them every year since. If your kids age out of coloring, this is where the place-card job goes next. The full how-to, including video of the shrinking magic, now has its own post.
So we thought we’d pass our different styles and ideas on to you, and you can see what you can make. We’d love to see what you come up with as well.
If this gave you an idea worth trying, there’s more where it came from. Follow along on Pinterest (@CraftandBondCo) and Instagram (@craftandbondco) for new projects, recipes, and the occasional honest mess, and save this post so you can find your way back to it.