This Thanksgiving, we hope you and your family enjoy togetherness, a big dinner—and plenty of holiday fun! We’ve put together a few family fun ideas to try this Turkey Day.

Arts and crafts

If you have young children (or if some are stopping by for the holiday), arts and crafts is a must-do activity! Keep everyone occupied while the food is being prepared by picking up construction paper, glue, pine cones, googly eyes, finger paint—whatever you’ve got on hand. These supplies and more can be used to create Thanksgiving masterpieces you’ll want to hang from the walls, at least on the big day! 

Outdoor eating

If the weather is nice, why not take the eating outdoors? If you have an outdoor dining table, this is the perfect time to use it. While you may prefer to keep the traditional Thanksgiving dinner indoors, you can always encourage your guests to flock outside for light snacks or baked goods to hold them over until dinner. Since Florida weather is typically clear and often cool during November, you very well may be in for a comfy, relaxing afternoon outdoors. And of course—if a game of pickup touch football ensues, you’ll already have a front row seat!

Family movie

If the entire family isn’t keen on watching football, don’t worry… there are other ways to gather everyone together and enjoy the afternoon! Pop in a family movie that everyone can appreciate as you wait for the food to finish cooking (or during your post meal lounging). A simple family movie can bring everyone together and allow you to reflect on the real reason for the holiday—family, friends, and everything you’re thankful for.

Turkey hunt

No, you don’t need to head out to the woods for this kind of turkey hunt! This seasonal variation of the classic “hidden treasure” game requires you to hide a turkey figurine—whether it’s a small plastic toy or tabletop décor piece—somewhere in the house or outdoors. Your family and friends should compete to see who can find the turkey first. Offer up a small prize to the winner in recognition of their efforts: a baked treat, first choice of turkey leg, or other small gift will all work fine.

Pool games

We couldn’t finish our list of Thanksgiving family fun without mentioning one of our favorite family activities—pool time! While the weather may be cool during November, you can still enjoy the pool if you have a heater or pool enclosure. Take a dip and enjoy a game of volleyball, Marco Polo, tug of war or even chicken fights (where one player sits on top of the other’s shoulders and fights another pair). By celebrating in the pool, you’re putting a fun twist on the traditional Thanksgiving activities and will be making Florida-centric memories that will last a lifetime. Because after all… where else can you say you spent Thanksgiving in the pool?

These are just a few of our family fun ideas for the holiday—but we’d love to hear yours! Share them with us in the comments as we get closer to this exciting day.