The Ultimate Kids’ Friendsgiving Party Guide
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Learn How to Host a Fun Friendsgiving Party for Your Kids!
A kids’ Friendsgiving party can be a great way to celebrate friendship, giving little ones a chance to show how grateful they are for the friends they have. It’s easy for parents to plan this unique type of Thanksgiving party with just a few easy steps and a bit of creativity.
What Is a Kids’ Friendsgiving Party?
A kids’ Friendsgiving party is a gathering for kids to share a meal, play fun games, and spend time together outside of school. It can be as big or as small as you want it to be, and there really are no rules about how to plan and set one up.
You can use this idea to entertain out-of-town cousins the day before or after Thanksgiving, but a kids’ Friendsgiving party can also mean inviting all the students in your child’s class to give them a chance to strengthen their bonds of friendship.
Steps to Plan the Perfect Kids Friendsgiving Party
There are only a few key steps to planning a Thanksgiving party for kids. You’ll need to send out invitations, choose a menu, select a few games or activities, and decorate your space. These steps may vary depending on the age of your children and their guests. Younger kids may require a simple meal menu, while older kids might be more likely to explore unique food options.
Games and crafts are key for preschoolers and elementary school students. Middle schoolers and high schoolers, on the other hand, might enjoy more casual group activities, such as watching holiday-themed movies or playing trivia. Getting your kids involved in the planning process will help ensure a good time is had by all.
Friendsgiving Party Invitations
Paper invitations are always fun to receive, but they can also get lost pretty easily in backpacks. They can also be hard for parents to keep track of, so consider a follow-up email thread.
You can add a QR code to the invitations to make it easier for parents to add the dates to their calendars. I prefer digital invitations like the free ones offered by Evite, as they let you keep track of RSVPs and messages from parents without having to search through emails.
Decorating for a Fun Friendsgiving
Setting the scene for a Friendsgiving party can make all the difference, so consider all the different ways you can set up your home to host the event. Long folding tables are perfect for letting kids sit together while they eat, plus they’re easy to decorate. You can even find kid-sized tables that are the perfect height for preschoolers.
Think about how you’ll serve the food; family style or buffet style. Your choice will determine how you set up the party space and how you can accent the room with different types of decorations. Don’t forget to add some streamers or banners with a fall or Thanksgiving theme to complete the look. They are great for hanging above the tables, accenting a fireplace, or draping the walls with seasonal fun!
Thanksgiving-themed Tableware
The easiest way to decorate for a kids’ Friendsgiving party is to purchase Thanksgiving-themed tableware. A complete disposable thanksgiving tableware set with plates, napkins, and flatware lets you stick to one cohesive theme, but you can also mix and match to create a unique look for your kids’ party. You can even find eco-friendly disposable serving trays like these pumpkin-shaped disposable palm leaf trays.
If you plan to host Friendsgiving for your kids every year, consider reusable melamine tableware instead. This set of Thanksgiving plates for kids features separate compartments for food, making them ideal for picky eaters who don’t like different foods to touch.
Solid-color plates in different hues can be mixed and matched to create a fun look for your kids’ Friendsgiving table, and they also come in handy for other holidays throughout the year.
Friendsgiving-Themed Decorations
When it comes to dressing up your home for Friendsgiving, there are lots of options. Colorful leaf garland sets the tone for the celebration, plus it can be used throughout the fall to give your home a cozy autumnal look.
These garlands are available in an array of sizes, plus they can be purchased with or without built-in LED lights to suit your decorating tastes.
Themed paper lanterns in fall colors add a fun party atmosphere to the room, and they’re very easy to set up. Place them above the table where the kids will be eating or simply hang them throughout your home to add a festive look.
While the paper is delicate, most lanterns can be folded back up when the party is over, so they can be used over and over again.
If you have extra time to prep, a Thanksgiving balloon arch can be a great addition to any kids’ Friendsgiving party. It adds a fun look, plus the arch can also be used as a photo booth background. You can take pictures of all your guests and forward them to parents so everyone has a memento from the event.
Look for kits that come with balloons in different colors and sizes, as well as glue and tape to make setup simple. You may also want to invest in a balloon pump to inflate the balloons quickly.
Of course, Thanksgiving party decorations don’t have to be complicated. Simple streamers or table centerpieces can be all you need to create a fun and festive look for your kids’ Friendsgiving celebration.
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Kids’ Friendsgiving Party Menu
When planning the party menu, you’ll first want to make sure you know about any potential food allergies. This will help you determine which foods/ingredients to avoid completely. The menu doesn’t have to be a recreation of a Thanksgiving dinner, although you can draw some inspiration from the meal.
Finger foods, such as chicken tenders, sliced veggies, French fries, and rolls are all great options. If you want to stick to a Thanksgiving-inspired menu, consider these turkey cranberry sliders on Hawaiian rolls. Mac ‘n cheese bites, mini meatballs, and mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls are all kid-friendly options to consider as well. Foods that come in small bites are perfect because they give kids a chance to taste without wasting a whole serving.
Don’t forget about Friendsgiving desserts! Consider giving kids unfrosted cupcakes and access to an array of cake decorating supplies so they can create their own desserts. This idea doubles as a fun activity to keep kids entertained as the meal draws to an end. If cupcake decorating isn’t right for your guests, consider making one of these quick and easy fall treats for kids.
Kids’ Friendsgiving Party Activities
Of course, kids aren’t just going to want to sit around talking at the table for the length of the party. That’s why it’s important to schedule some activities to keep them engaged and entertained.
Making and decorating hand turkeys is a classic craft younger kids can enjoy, and coloring a plain white paper tablecloth means they can help decorate for the party too. Something as simple as pin the feather on the turkey provides endless entertainment.
Be sure to have more than one activity planned. One or two crafts and a couple of games can easily last for up to 2 hours, depending on what you choose. A turkey ring toss is a lot of fun for kids of all ages, and you might even choose to give out prizes for things like the most wins, the farthest toss, or the sillies tossing style. Freeze dance is a fun activity that requires no materials, rules, or planning, plus it gives kids a chance to spend any extra energy they have.
Friendsgiving for Parents
Depending on the ages of your party guests, parents may choose to drop off their children or stay for the duration of the party. You’ll want to make sure you plan for some parents to be present, so consider extra food and beverages for them too.
You can consider this a Friendsgiving party for the adults as well. A charcuterie board, hot apple cider station, and dessert table can make the grownups feel just as welcome. If you’re not already friends with the parents of your kids’ friends, this is your chance to make connections.
Friendsgiving Party Goody Bags
While goody bags filled with Thanksgiving party favors aren’t a requirement for a kids’ Friendsgiving party, they are fun to put together. Thanksgiving-themed bracelets, stickers, and bubble wands are all cute ideas for goody bags.
You might also consider mini containers of Play-Doh or packs of crayons. Two or three small trinkets plus some yummy treats are all you need to create the perfect Friendsgiving goody bags. Snacks might include goldfish crackers, candy, granola bars, or small bags of pretzels.
Friendsgiving is a great way for kids to spend time together during their fall breaks, and a party can also give parents a chance to get holiday shopping done or get started on their own Thanksgiving cooking. You can adapt these kids’ Friendsgiving party ideas for preschool or elementary school.
My kids had Friendsgiving meals every year in daycare, and it was one of the best days of the year for them! Use these ideas to host your own kids’ Friendsgiving party or use them as inspiration to create a party that fits your family and friend group.
