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Thanksgiving activities for kids: coloring, crafts and… programming!

Niamh Lynch

Niamh Lynch

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Kids love Thanksgiving, but unlike Christmas, there are no gifts to keep them entertained. Sure, this particular season is more about being gracious than receiving lots of cool stuff, but there’s a limit to how much kids can take. Keep them in a festive mood with some great activities this Thanksgiving!

There’s no kid alive who doesn’t like a bit of coloring. You can keep things traditional by downloading some of these cute turrkey11.pngThanksgiving printables. Pick the large version, print, dig out the crayons and get creative! If you’d prefer to keep the carnage to a minimum – or there are no crayons around – don’t worry! There are loads of fun, no-mess coloring programs available. Tux Paint has interesting pictures and some cool effects, while Kea Coloring Book lets you color a variety of pictures or even make your own. Magic Whiteboard, as the name suggests, takes a slightly different approach and lets users connect on a network. It even allows remote access, so you can supervise the kids while working on your own tasks.

If you’re determined not to let the opportunity slip through your hands, you can even make sure the rugrats learn while they play. Kidsmouse contains a selection of educational games that should keep younger children interested for a few hours, while Machinarium will really stretch older kid’s minds with some beautifully-drawn robot strategy. My favorite educationally-focused program though, has to be Visual Basic for Kids. Yep, you heard right – programming for children! It will definitely keep older ones busy, teaching them the basics and setting them projects which, if you’re lucky, will keep them busy from now to Labor Day. Well, you can dream!

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If none of these grab your attention, there are loads of online games for both the littlest kids to older ones. Take a look at these, and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Fatty Bum Bum (all ages)

!Fishy! (older children)

Hedgehog Launch (older children)

Swordless Ninja (older children)

Niamh Lynch

Niamh Lynch

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