Family home evening, a night set aside for family time, has been practiced in the Mormon community since 1915, notes the LDS Newsroom. Now, even those who aren't of the Mormon faith see the purpose in having family time each week to reconnect and to learn together. Around Thanksgiving time, you can teach your family about being grateful, no matter what religion you practice. Family home evening for Thanksgiving can focus on gratitude, appreciation and heritage and serve as an ideal time to spend with your family as you talk, play, laugh and create together.
Family Dinner
Take some time each week before Thanksgiving to get together and learn to cook one of your family's staple dishes for Thanksgiving. Learning how to make the dinner items can give your family greater appreciation for the process of the meal as well as provide a chance to spend more time together and to feel gratitude for the abundance of food. Before you sit down to eat the food you've prepared together, read a quote from one of the General Authorities about Thanksgiving and gratitude, which are easily found in November issues of Ensign.
Pilgrim Dress Up
Teach your children about the purpose of Thanksgiving by having everyone in the family dress up as pilgrims or Native Americans to act out the story of the first Thanksgiving, suggests LDSFamilyFun.com. Read about the colonization of America in the Book of Mormon, found in 1st Nephi, chapter 13, and explain Nephi's vision to your children and how it pertains to Thanksgiving.
Gratitude Collage
Pull out your construction paper, scissors, glue and old magazines to create a collage, an activity that is even appropriate for smaller children. Old copies of Ensign, New Era and Friend magazines should have appropriate images. Help everyone in the family cut out pictures that represent five things that they are thankful for. They could be items or concepts as simple as colors, water or friends. Glue the items to a large piece of construction paper, and display the collage prominently where you can see it throughout the entire month of November.
Service Turkeys
Put together "service turkeys" to encourage each person in your house to spend the month before Thanksgiving completing random acts of kindness for the other family members. Trace each family member's hand, cut it out and then affix craft feathers to the fingers like real turkey feathers. Throughout the month, when someone completes an act of kindness for someone else in the home, he should leave behind one of his feathers, along with a small note or scripture about service, which can be found by searching the Book of Mormon index. Your family will love to give and to receive their service feathers all month long.
Gratitude Journals
Present each family member with a small, inexpensive journal during your family home evening lesson. Explain that they are meant to be their "Gratitude Journals," and each night, before family members go to sleep, they are to write three things they are thankful for, suggests LDS.org. Allow everyone to make their first entries and read them to the rest of the family. Then have everyone place their journals under their pillows for future writing. Instruct your family to use their journals as they say family prayers each night to thank their Heavenly Father for the things that they are grateful for.
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