25 Thanksgiving Activities That Don't Involve Eating

It seems as though so many of the Thanksgiving traditions revolve around eating. If you want to enjoy a healthier holiday or one not so rich in calories, take a look at these alternative Thanksgiving activities instead. Below you will find 25 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving that don’t involve eating. This way, you can still celebrate and not feel the guilt that overindulging brings!

25 Thanksgiving Activities That DON’T Involve Eating

1. Make greeting cards for a nursing home. Gather your crafting supplies, create some cards, then pass them out as a family to a nursing home or hospital.

2. Volunteer to serve a meal. Call a local shelter or soup kitchen and offer to help with a meal. They may need help cooking, serving, or cleaning up.

3. Plant your fall mums. Pick up a few mums while they are on sale and get digging. Here are some tips for growing Chrysanthemums. Come spring, you will be so glad you did.

4. Watch family movies. This is a great time to reflect on some family memories and be thankful for all you have experienced.

5. Watch a Thanksgiving flick together. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the perfect choice.

6. Make a Thanksgiving bunting banner. Glue Thanksgiving napkins to a ribbon. String it up across a doorway to welcome all who enter.

7. Go pumpkin and gourd picking. Visit a local patch and gather your pumpkins and gourds for carving or display.

8. Make a Thankful List. Write down a family list of all you are thankful for. Display the list for all to see.

More Thankful Activities:

Thankful Jar

Gratitude Tree Activity

Brown Bag Thankful Tree

9. Create a Thanksgiving memory book. Grab a small photo album and fill it with notes of thanks, pictures, sketches, and all things Thanksgiving related.

10. Head to the library to learn about Native Americans. Check out kid friendly books that help them reflect more on the role Native Americans played in the holiday.

11. Make hand turkeys. Trace your child’s hands and allow them to color the hands in to look like a turkey. Cut them out when done and display. Here are more Thanksgiving Craft Ideas for Kids.

12. Hold a mini food drive. Go around the neighborhood and collect can goods to donate to the needy or local food bank.

13. Have your own Thanksgiving parade. Decorate bikes and wagons and hold your own neighborhood parade with the local kids.

14. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. This is a great time to enjoy the floats, performers, and other elements of this famous parade.

15. Craft some napkin rings. Use cardboard tubes to decorate and craft into napkin rings, perfect for when it is time to feast. Here are some napkin rings tutorials if you need inspiration.

16. Read about the Mayflower. Look up drawings of the ship and read about the pilgrims who came over on it.

17. Look up a traditional Thanksgiving menu. The menu of the first Thanksgiving looks different than that of today. Research examples and ask your kids if they would try these non-traditional foods.

18. Make toiletry baskets. These are nice to make from stockpile items! Donate the baskets to a local shelter or women’s care center.

19. Make a family tree. Holidays are all about family so now is a great time to craft a family tree!

20. Look at old family photo albums. See if you can find photos of Thanksgivings gone by.

22. Interview a family member so they can share what they are thankful for. Write their answers down and store them in the Thanksgiving memory book mentioned above.

23. Hold a clothing drive for the homeless. Gather extra clothing items from neighbors or even your own closets.

24. Watch a Presidential Turkey Pardon on YouTube. This is a fun way to view this yearly tradition if you can’t be there for the actual thing.

25. Attend a community party or celebration. This is a great way to celebrate with others through crafts, music, and more.

Celebrating Thanksgiving doesn’t always have to involve food. Give these 25 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving that DON’T involve eating a try instead!