Make a baby’s first Thanksgiving memorable with these fun activities and celebration ideas! Even though your little one can’t participate in everything, you can still bring the whole family together to make sweet memories. Introduce your little one to extended family, capture every moment in pictures and start a new Thanksgiving storytime tradition. It’s your baby’s first Thanksgiving, so you deserve to make it a special year! These activities will help you engage baby in Thanksgiving fun, before it’s naptime, and express gratitude for your bundle of joy.
Blend up a dinner smoothie for baby’s first Thanksgiving.
If your child is old enough to introduce solids, create a “baby’s first Thanksgiving meal” by blending up different foods. Make a sweet potato mash, a carrot puree, a blend of turkey with breast milk or broth, and tiny pieces of stuffing. Arrange the blended food in different trays and capture the memory on video as your baby tries different foods!
Share your favorite childhood Thanksgiving memories around the table.
As you celebrate a baby’s first Thanksgiving, you might be remembering your own childhood memories around this holiday. Share a few happy memories with family members, to reminisce and remember the love that this holiday brings!
Engage baby with toys and storybooks.
Surprise baby with personalized children’s books, that commemorate their first Thanksgiving such as Thank You, Lord, for Everything or My Little Book of Blessings. These sweet keepsakes, personalized with baby’s name and photo, are full of beautiful blessings and messages of gratitude. Lull your little one to sleep with Thanksgiving baby books that will be read again and again!
Have a family photoshoot.
A baby’s first Thanksgiving comes only once! Capture every special moment with a family photoshoot. Assign a family member to take pictures or hire a professional photographer. Dress the baby in a fall-colored outfit to match the season. Place pumpkins, mums, faux leaves, and hay in the background for a colorful backdrop. When the photoshoot is over, baby can enjoy sensory time touching and holding the props!
Create a baby’s first Thanksgiving tree.
This craft activity will capture this moment in time forever! For this craft, you’ll need paper, paint, and black marker. First, paint a brown tree trunk on the paper. You can use baby’s hands or an adult’s for this step. Next, stamp baby’s hand into green paint and stamp their hand on the paper to resemble the tree’s leaves. When the paint is dry, an adult can write in information about the baby: their favorite food, their favorite toy, their favorite storybook, their favorite activity, and more. This activity is a great way to preserve your baby’s handprint and favorite things at their first Thanksgiving holiday!
Start a new family tradition of giving back.
Pick an activity you can do as a family to give back and make it a tradition every year! With a new little one in the family, it’s the perfect time to begin new Thanksgiving traditions. You could participate in a 5K family fun run for charity, walk to your local park and pick up litter, drop off food at a local food shelter, or donate some of your baby’s old clothing items to a local homeless shelter. No matter what you choose, this activity is all about spending quality time together and helping others.
Enjoy the autumn season.
Take baby outside for fresh air and sensory play! If the weather cooperates, take a long walk outside and play in the fallen leaves. Your baby will love crunching leaves in hand, feeling the chilly air on their face, and listening to the sounds of birds and rattling tree branches.
