I have a random memory from my childhood, something very simple but also very versatile. This idea can be easily adapted for kids art time and any holidays. I remember a few times we went out to eat at a restaurant named Macaroni Grille. Some of you may be familiar with it, others may not. But lets be honest... pasta, rustic artisan bread and Tiramisu?! What could be better?
Well I'll tell you what - a table that you could draw and color on!
Now I know what you're thinking, but it really is just that simple. I remember being thrilled as a kid when I sat down at the table and I was told that I could draw anything I wanted ON THE TABLE until the food arrived. Servers would come and write their name on the table and tell the kids that they could color. Simple. It literally was so cool to me as a kid, so when I found a colorable table cloth for Thanksgiving, I HAD to get it!
I found this colorable Thanksgiving table cloth at Target, but I also saw the same one at Walmart. It has tic-tac-toe, word scrambles, the dot game, mazes, and different fall/turkey themed shapes to color in. Now the pattern is repetitive, so I think this would be a great activity to do ON Thanksgiving when you have tons of kids to help fill it in, or even if you have a daycare/Kindergarten class. We used crayons but I'm sure markers and colored pencils would also work. My toddler likes to color for about 2 minutes so we didn't get much done, but this is a super cute idea that brought back memories and inspired so many other possibilities.
If you can't find a similar activity, you could definitely replicate the 'Macaroni Grille' concept, and just give the kids a big piece of paper on the table and tell them to go to town until dinner is ready. I know my previous child-self would have been thrilled to do this kind of thing, and I was so impressed with the idea that I had to share. The texture of the table cloth feels almost water-resistant, so I think you would be able to replicate this with a plain white, cheap table cloth as well. It could be just a blank table cloth or maybe an adult could use a sharpie to start the dots and tic-tac-toe spots to guide creative thinking. However you use it, I hope that you and your kiddos enjoy doing it as much as we did!
Don't forget to check out my other Thanksgiving craft ideas and stay tuned for Christmas crafts! Make sure you share this blog with a friend if you think they would love to incorporate this activity into their Turkey day. 😊
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