The first Thanksgiving I ever celebrated was 15 years ago, with a total stranger’s family! A friend-of-a-friend invited me for that occasion. I still remember that evening, like yesterday – the smell of the meal, the table, the decorations, and (most importantly) the kindness of the hosts. I will always be thankful for that evening, the evening I learned the real meaning of “Thanksgiving”.

Now I am teaching my kids how to be thankful for what they have. As you may know, I am French and Thanksgiving is a holiday we do not typically celebrate. So for us, Thanksgiving is an evening we spend with friends – all are welcome to have dinner with us! No matter what, our door is always open. Throughout the evening, the adults socialize and partake in refreshments while the children run around. At this event, the air is always abuzz with anticipation for the next big holiday, right around the corner…Christmas!

To reign in the kiddos a bit, and keep them focused on the real meaning of the holiday, I designed these Thanksgiving scratch cards. It is a simple craft to make! The children will write for what they are thankful for, then paint over it and scratch it off – the perfect diversion after dinner. I would recommend having them write what they are thankful for before dinner, then laminating the sheet and painting their turkeys so that they paint can dry while everyone is eating. Then the Scritch Scratch can begin!

• Scritch Scratch template
• Laminate sheets
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Dish soap
• Marker
• A coin

Step 1
Have all your supplies ready to work with, including your printed template. On each turkey, write something you and your child are thankful for with a marker. Once the marker has dried, laminate your template.

Step 2
In a small bowl, mix your acrylic paint with a little bit of dish soap. Paint the belly of the turkeys, covering up the words you wrote. Let dry (now’s a great time for a slice of pumpkin pie!).

Step 3
Once the paint is dry, then it’s time to SCRATCH!

What are some things you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving?