Thanksgiving activities for 15-month-olds

Thanksgiving ideas for 15-month-olds

Thanksgiving is a day of real kitchen jobs, a crowded table and many familiar and new faces, which gives a toddler plenty to wash, peel, mash, carry and name. The useful skills are practical ones: waiting at the table, greeting guests in their own way, using a spoon, and hearing "thank you" modeled again and again. Short jobs and quiet breaks matter more than a perfect meal. The 7 ideas below overlap the 12-17-month band, best fit for 15 months first.

How to do Who Is Coming? Photo Hellos

Before guests arrive, your child looks at photos of the visitors and practises waving and names, so the busy doorway feels more familiar. Words to model: hi, the guests' names, bye-bye, where's ___?. Let your child hold back from hugs or being passed around; a wave is enough.

1. 1

   A day or two before, sit together with the photos on your lap.

2. 2

   Point to one face and say the name with a wave: "Hi, Grandma!"

3. 3

   Pause and see whether your child waves, points or looks at you.

4. 4

   Hold up two photos, ask "Where's Grandpa?" and wait for a point.

5. 5

   At the door, let them watch from your arms; waves and hugs stay their choice.

More Thanksgiving ideas at 15 months

The ideas written up here sit closest to 15 months; Cranberry Float Bottle (15-24 mo) also overlap this age and are described on the neighboring age page.

• Napkin Peekaboo at the Big Table

  Your child plays peekaboo with a cloth napkin while waiting at the holiday table, a quiet game that turns the hardest wait of the day into shared play. Ages 12-17 months, 2-5 min, indoors. Start: once your child is seated, cover your own face with the napkin. Say: peekaboo, where?, there you are. Safety: Play only while seated, with hot dishes and glasses in the middle of the table.

• Gobble, Waddle, Flap Song

  Your child copies turkey actions, gobbling, waddling and flapping, in a short made-up song that invites imitation and first animal sounds. Ages 12-18 months, 3-6 min, indoors. Start: sing to any tune, "The turkey goes gobble, gobble, gobble", and wiggle your head. Say: gobble, flap, turkey. Safety: Waddle on a soft rug, away from stairs and furniture corners.

• Harvest Basket Wagon Pull

  Your child pulls a laundry basket loaded with squash and potatoes across the floor, a heavy-work job that builds pulling strength and steady walking. Ages 13-20 months, 3-10 min, indoors. Start: load the basket with the vegetables together, naming each one. Say: pull, heavy, potato. Safety: Keep the scarf short and untie it after play so it cannot loop around a neck.

• Gourd Shaker Band

  Your child shakes dried gourds that rattle inside and plays along with a simple song, a seasonal instrument taken straight from the harvest table. Ages 12-18 months, 3-8 min, indoors. Start: shake one gourd near your ear and look surprised: "Listen! Shake, shake." Say: shake, listen, stop. Safety: Use only dry, uncracked, mold-free gourds and throw away any that split: the seeds inside are a choking risk.

• Mashed Potato Spoon Practice

  Your child practises loading a spoon with thick mashed potato, one of the easiest foods to keep on a spoon, at a calm meal before the holiday. Ages 12-18 months, 5-12 min, indoors. Start: put a small mound of potato in the bowl and give your child the spoon. Say: scoop, spoon, yum. Safety: Test the temperature on your own lip first; potatoes hold heat inside.

Thanksgiving safety for 15-month-olds

Seasonal hazards first, then the precautions of the ideas on this page. Stay within arm's reach whenever water, food or small decorations are involved.

• Hot ovens, pots and dishes are everywhere: keep your child out of the cooking zone with a gate or a helper, and put hot dishes in the middle of the table.
• Tablecloths and runners hang within reach and one tug can pull hot food down; skip them or tuck them under.
• Choking foods crowd the table: nuts, whole grapes, popcorn, raw vegetables and chunks of meat. Serve soft, small pieces and keep your child seated and watched while eating.
• Guests' bags and coats on low surfaces can hold medicines, gum, coins and button batteries; put them in a closed room or up high.
• Drinks left on low tables are easy to reach; clear glasses, especially alcohol, as soon as people stand up.
• Let your child hold back from hugs or being passed around; a wave is enough.
• Glue or tape the lid shut and check it before every play; whole raw cranberries are a choking hazard.
• Play only while seated, with hot dishes and glasses in the middle of the table.

Thanksgiving words for 15-month-olds

Thanksgiving books to share

Kinds of books to look for at the library. At 15 months, sturdy board books with one clear picture per page work best; let your child turn the pages.

• Picture books about a family meal: cooking, setting the table and eating together
• Board books with real photos of harvest foods like corn, apples, pumpkins and potatoes
• Gentle stories about saying thank you, sharing and visiting relatives
• Farm-animal board books with a turkey to gobble along with

Thanksgiving gift and basket ideas for 15-month-olds

Open-ended things that fit 12-17 months; check every part against the choking-size rule (nothing that fits through a toilet-paper tube).

• A toddler-size apron and a whisk for real kitchen helping
• A small pitcher and two cups for pouring practice at the table
• A homemade photo album of the family to bring to the gathering
• A quiet-time bag for the long meal: a board book, a soft toy and nesting cups
• Large wooden play food, every piece bigger than a toilet-paper tube opening

Library activities that suit Thanksgiving

Everyday activities from our library that fit 15-month-olds and the season's helping in the kitchen and sharing a family meal.

• Stir the Big Pot

  Your child tips pre-measured cold ingredients into a big pot and stirs them with a wooden spoon, helping make a real snack the family eats. Why now: tagged mealtime, practices household helping, using a spoon and pouring and practical life play. 5-10 min, 5 min prep.

• High-Chair Tray Wipe-Down

  After a meal, your child copies you wiping the tray with a damp sponge, a simple way to join cleanup and imitate real household work. Why now: tagged mealtime and cleanup, practices tidying up and household helping and practical life play. 2-5 min, no prep.

• Cheers! Open-Cup Clink

  Everyone at the table lifts an open cup, clinks gently, sips and sets it back on a taped spot, so your child practices open-cup drinking by copying. Why now: tagged mealtime, practices drinking from an open cup and taking turns and practical life play. 3-8 min, 2 min prep.

• Cleanup Song Bucket Drop

  A short, same-every-time song signals cleanup while your child carries toys to a bucket and drops them in, turning tidying into a predictable routine. Why now: tagged cleanup, practices tidying up and practical life play. 3-8 min, no prep.

• Two-Hands Open Cup Sip

  With a tiny amount of water in a small open cup, your child holds it with both hands and learns to tilt, sip and set it down. Why now: tagged mealtime, practices drinking from an open cup and practical life play. 2-5 min, no prep.

A Thanksgiving countdown week for 15-month-olds

Two short activities a day in the week before Thanksgiving: a seasonal idea in the morning and a library activity in the afternoon, with free play, meals, naps and outdoor time around them.

More seasonal ideas