Family Traditions Make Turkey Day Fun For Kids

Thanksgiving is rushing toward us, traditions in tow. The classics are well-defined, especially in a family-oriented town like Clawson. Family, turkey and football are all the essential ingredients for an enjoyable Thanksgiving. But we all have our own unique add-ons to that tradition. With kids home on vacation from school, holidays truly do give parents an opportunity to shape not only the conventions they'll pass down to their children, but the way they pass them down.

Here are some of my favorite memories of Thanksgivings past and ideas for those still to come:

Decorations

My mother has always been one to decorate the house for just about every holiday, and Thanksgiving is no different. From our first Clawson home on Massoit to our current one on Fisher Court, there are always turkey window clings, festive table runners and decorative cornicopias.

My son, Johnny, like many students at and elementary schools, brings home Turkey Day projects like a paper cutout bird or a hand traced portrait of a colorful gobbler. Putting up these little decorations, or even better, letting him put them up on the window or the door lets him be even more a part of making Thanksgiving the family holiday that it truly is.

Football

As always, the Detroit Lions will be playing on Thanksgiving, which adds plenty of excitement at home. A common pastime has families in Clawson going out and throwing the pigskin around at halftime. If your family's game has outgrown the patch of grass in your yard, don't hesitate to take advantage of local parks like , which has a nice soccer field perfect for a small sided football game.

This may not be a good option for families with no interest in athletics, but an alternative is video game football. Not all parents may be ready to sit down and figure out those confusing controllers, but if a video game system is available at home and that's what the kids like, it's just as important for us to try and share their interests as it is for us to involve them in our own.

Cooking dinner

Children love to be a part of ''grown-up'' activities and no domestic chefs are going to turn down help in the kitchen, so why not let the kids roll up their sleeves?

Making apple pie? Let them arrange the apples in the filling or top off the served slices with whipped cream. Even letting kids turn the knobs on the stove (under hawk-eyed supervision) is enough to make them feel a part of the team. Johnny loves to stir the gravy, after the stove is off, of course.

Being thankful

Whether your family goes around the table before feasting to express what everyone's thankful for or not, we need to make sure that our children enjoy and respect these special days regardless. Some of the most memorable moments in their lives come from holidays; it would be a shame if they weren't sincerely thankful for them.