Thanksgiving, a time for gratitude and gathering, often comes with the hustle and bustle of cleaning the house and preparing a big meal for guests. While it is a wonderful holiday, it does take a lot of work! How about turning this into an opportunity to not only share the workload across the family but also teach valuable life skills to the kids? Here's a step-by-step guide to making Thanksgiving prep a family affair so that everyone can enjoy the holiday and take pride in the celebration.

Step 1: Identify What Needs to be Done 🦃

The first step is to identify the work that needs to be done to serve Thanksgiving dinner. Grab some post-it notes and gather the family together to make it a fun activity! Have everyone jot down small tasks required for the event, usually something that can be described in one sentence. Tasks can range from making a vegetable side dish to setting the table, making pies, clearing the table, doing dishes, and more.

Step 2: Talk About Who Will Do What 🍲

Now that you know what work needs to be done, have a family discussion about who will take on which task. Consider everyone's abilities and age and ensure the distribution of tasks is fair and sensible. This step not only involves the entire family in the planning process but also encourages a collaborative approach.

Step 3: Post the Plan 🍂

Once you’ve decided who will do what, write their name on that post-it and post the tasks on the wall under each person's name. You can simply put the post-its on a piece of paper in columns, under each person’s name. This helps people remember what needs to be done, and everyone can see how the work is progressing.

Step 4: Track and Celebrate the Effort

As each task is completed, celebrate the effort! Remove the post-it note and praise the family member for their contribution. This not only reinforces a sense of accomplishment but also adds a positive and fun element to the preparation process. Check-in on progress as a family over dinner and celebrate what work has been done.

Step 5: Talk About How it Went ✨

After Thanksgiving, talk about how it went and let the family know how much you appreciated the assistance and were proud of the food and clean house they created and how much fun it was to work together! Also, ask them what they learned from it and what benefits they found from it. Use their feedback to improve the process and get ready for the next holiday.

There are many benefits to using this collaborative family approach. Discussing and dividing tasks among family members promotes proactive planning, teamwork, and strengthens communication. It also creates an environment of collaboration and shared responsibility and maybe a little healthy competition to see who can get done first! This approach also minimizes frustration and unmet expectations, or one family member being overwhelmed with work. As each family member takes pride in their assigned task, the holiday celebration becomes a collective positive effort and source of accomplishment.

Beyond the fun of working together, this approach also provides an excellent opportunity to teach life skills to your children. From following a recipe to setting a table, these small tasks contribute to the development of practical skills that will stay with them for a lifetime and impact their future families as well.

This Thanksgiving, let's not just prepare a meal; let's create lasting memories and nurture valuable life skills within our family. As each member plays a role in the holiday celebration, the true spirit of the holiday shines through. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a proud parent, culinary school graduate, and certified Professional Project Manager with 18 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.