One of the most widely practiced rituals in
the United States
Children who are involved in the preparations
– from planning to shopping to cooking to serving – are invested in the
celebration. They will feel valuable for
having made a contribution. Have a
family meeting to discuss the menu, and get feedback from everyone on their
favorite foods to include. You can begin
the celebration early with your planning session, and your children not only
learn your family’s rituals around food, but they also feel a part of your
family team.
Create an activity that encourages everyone
in your family. In one of our parenting courses we practice doing an Encouragement Feast, which
goes perfectly with your Thanksgiving feast.
In an Encouragement Feast, you form a circle with one person in the
middle. He faces a family member who
tells him one thing she loves [appreciates or likes] about him. He then turns to the next person, who also tells
him one thing. The person in middle does
not say anything in response. He
continues around the circle until everyone has shared. He then says one thing that he loves about
himself. Someone new comes into the
middle and the process continues until everyone in the family has had an
opportunity to be “it.”
You can create a Gratitude Jar by placing an
empty jar on a table along with index cards and a pen. When someone notices an act of helpfulness or
feels grateful for something or would like to express something to a family
member, he writes it on an index card.
Before your meal, pass the jar around the table and read the cards.
May your Thanksgiving be full of gratitude
and encouragement as well as delicious food
Many thanks to Viva Magazine for allowing us to reprint this article by Maggie Macaulay, MS Ed, of Whole Hearted Parenting.
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