8 Party Planning Tips to Make your Next Kids' Birthday Celebration Stress Free

8 Tips and Tricks on Planning Parties for Kids

Nadia of Teach Me Mommy blog shares some tips and tricks to help you plan a stress free birthday party for kids. Enjoy!

Party Planning- it could get you all excited or just stressed out! I will share a few Tips and Tricks on how to plan a party: stress free (or almost)! I am no expert, but have done a few parties myself and found I just love it!

Stress Free Party Planning Tips.

Here are some things to think about:

1. Start early: the earlier you start planning, the more time you have to get everything together and you don't have to rush. (This year it was my baby boy's first party, and because his birthday is in the beginning of January, I, sort of, forgot about it! Realizing the 1st of January, it is January! Next year I will plan his party in November, that way, in spite of the Holidays and Christmas rush, this mom will be more prepared!)

2. Choose a theme. Older kids will probably tell you what theme they want for their parties, but for the younger ones, you have to choose something. For a 1st birthday, you can go with anything you'd like, but from the 2nd birthday, think what interests does your child have. I chose a Story Book Party Theme for my girls 2nd birthday, because at that stage(and still) she loved books and storytelling. Her 3rd birthday party was a Zoo theme, she just loves the zoo and the animals.

3) Invites: Get the invites out early,but not too early so people will forget about it! 2/3 weeks before the RSVP date (this date should be no closer than 1 week until the party,so you can plan accordingly). Evites are so much easier to send these days, and you could still print one for yourself as a keepsake.

4) Keep the weather in mind: For us,my daughter was a winter baby,so we rather plan everything inside. My son was a summer baby,but it is also raining season. I plan everything for outside, but have a back up plan inside. You don't want to have to jump around when the rain starts with an audience; )

5) Delegate: this is very important (note to self)! You can't do everything well yourself,sometimes you need help! If help is offered, take it. The trick here is: Make an example of how you want something done,that way it will still be just the way you imagined.

6) Activities: think of activities for all ages. Make it interesting for the kids,this helps that they will not cling to their parents when dropped off, or if the parents stay,they can too enjoy the party. I like to plan the activities so it will fit into the overall theme, for example: with the Zoo theme the kids made masks of zoo animals.

7) Eats: it is up to you whether you want to go with a sweets only party,or want to include food too. A good cue is the time of the party: if it falls on lunch/supper time, you will need to offer some kind of filling snack. Do keep in mind the age of the kids attending too. If it is a party where the parents stay,you could have finger food for them,and drinks. But this is up to you. Leave all the "fresh" preparations for the day of the party, but try and do all other preparations that can be done a day or two beforehand, in advance. This will avoid a rush on the party day.

8) Party Favours: this is totally optional. Again, I like to include favours that fit with the overall theme. These need not be expensive, you can give something small or homemade, it is the idea that counts. I always send the extra sweets home with them too, that way you won't have too many temptations left over;)

I hope you find these few tips helpful and that the next party you plan will be less stressful!

Recommended Reading:

Birthday Party Tips*

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss Book*







ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Make Minutes Matter: Breakfast before School can be Quality Time for Conversation: Everyday is a Big Day Program

Rushed Time before School can Turn into Memorable Moments with a Daily Conversation added to your Family Mission

Make everyday count with Breakfast conversation bites.

If you are like me, your early morning routine is rushed, scattered, and not always in the best of family spirits. We try, but getting ready and organized for school is hectic. If only, we were well organized and had enough time to prep he everything the night before- but our lifestyles don't always allow for such structured free time. I'm a Homeschool Mommy. It sounds far easier than it is - well, it did to me. As the principal, teacher, gym instructor, and music director, (plus my full-time job as a social media manager) life is often stressed, and I rarely have time to focus on the little things... the important things.

Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® and Scholastic partnered and then contacted me to write about #mini-missions™​ it hit home. We do a lot of things for others. We are always up to something for community service or helping friends. It is time to focus on us! So, this week, we did just that. Thanksgiving is nearing, and it is a good time to remember what we are thankful for this year. Our Mini-mission is to continue to collect toys and clothing for area Christmas drives. November is a great month to collect donations as people are beginning to get into the holiday spirit. Sometimes, we collect gift wrap and tape to donate. Other times, we get clothing, books, or toys. Always, we remind ourselves how giving back does the heart good.




Each day at breakfast, we focused on a simple conversation starter.  This is a great way to learn more about your kids' interest and what makes their mind tick.  My children love to explore theoretical concepts... you know, why is the sky blue?  So, I went with it. Plan out a conversation starter each day. Do your homework. If you are going to ask and answer questions like, 'why is the sky blue', you better know your stuff. Research ideas online the night before. Here are a few of our conversation starters, and the fun answers we came up with for our conversation bites  #mini-missions™.

Day One 

Q: What is your favorite memory from helping with community service this year?

A: I don't know.

Momteruption: Try again.

A: Cake Pops?

Momteruption: What about them?

A: They were good!

Momteruption: Well... they were good weren't they, but what else?

A: I am happy April made the cake pops and donated her time for Santa's Elves of Indy.

A: I was happy to help Daddy that day.

Mom: It is nice to spend time as a family working to help others!


Day Two

Q: Today is the first day of the rest of your life what are you going to do?

A: Ride on Nebu (our pet bird.)

Momteruption: Try again.

A: Ride on a Tiger.

Momteruption: Something, you can do today!

A: I don't know.

Momteruption: Well.. I would try to be more positive from this day forward and always think about what I can do to make life better.

A: I will take care of the chickens!

Momteruption: *sigh* Well, that's a good start.


Day Three

Q: Why is it important to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast?

A: Because food is fuel!

A: Because you are hungry and need food to live.

Momteruption: Those are both good reasons. Food is like fuel it gives us important vitamins and mineral.

Kidteruption: Yeah, like these on the Frosted Mini-Wheats™​ box.

Momteruption: Exactly! It is a part of a healthy breakfast, we should have fruit and milk or juice too so we'll be ready to learn!

Kidteruption: Like Bananas!


This is just a sampling of our conversation bites. You can see, it is harder than it looks, but as the days the progressed, the kids began to warm up to the idea :)

Breakfast before School: Introduction to the Every Day is a Big Day program

When your family completes a Mini™ Mission, you can earn free Scholastic books for your family and a chance to win prizes for your school and community. Visit scholastic.com/minimissions to register your family for the Every Day is a Big Day program.  Each month, log in and complete a new Mini™Mission to earn 2 free Scholastic books for your family.


When your family completes a Mini™ Mission, you are also entered into a sweepstakes where 131 prizes will be awarded to schools and communities each month. Download free monthly stories chronicling Mini’s™ adventures against the evil Skipper. Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® and Scholastic have partnered to bring you the Every Day is a Big Day program, created to benefit families, schools and communities across the country.

Your family is invited to complete monthly Mini™ Missions to get free books for your family. Also, each month you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win one of 131 valuable prizes for your school and community. As you earn books and enter the sweepstakes, your family is sure to have a blast and learn something new along the way!

Start here and register for your first monthly mission!

This is a sponsored conversation by me on behalf of Kellogg's(R) Frosted Mini-Wheats(R). The opinions and text are all mine.

Keep in touch with our Free Newsletter


Recommended Reading:

Breakfast Ideas for Kids

4 in 1 Recipe Book for Kids: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dinner*

Winter craft ideas for Kids: How to Make Snow for Pretend Sensory Play in Ice Age and Christmas Village

Make Fake Snow with Wax Paper

This winter craft idea for kids focuses on how to make snow for your Ice Age Dinosaurs. In this DIY, you'll use wax paper. Enjoy!

Ice Age creative play with Dinosaurs, Diego, and
wax paper snow activity for kids.

We've shared many sensory activities for kids, but this winter one is the cat's meow! So, I've been saving a a bag of snow since my Grandmother passed away.  I inherited it with a few pieces of her snow village.  A few years ago, I used store bought snow for my village, as I wasn't ready to use hers or risk losing it around the cats and little ones. This year, I pulled it out and dumped it around my village.  It was as remarkable as I remembered. Enjoy!

 Winter Preschool Activity

And then, it wasn't... 

The cat kept climbing in it spreading it all over the floor. During the holidays, I brushed it under the table to clean up later. Later came, I began carefully picking up the pieces preparing to place them in a baggie for next year, when somehow the glistening bits of fake snow appeared more familiar than I'd ever known. This wasn't fake snow at all.  It was tiny pieces of shredded wax paper!  I made a collage with snowy scenes around my house so you can see how natural it looks.

Make Fake Snow out of Wax Paper.

Ice Age Dinosaurs, Sensory Snow Play.

Grandma's fake wax paper snow village versus real snow
covered pine trees in the landscape.

Sneaky Grandma, surprising me from the grave. I hadn't realized she was so creative. One year, on my parents twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, she volunteered to get SILVER vases for the table centerpieces.  She brought them just before the guests arrived, and I was astonished to see plastic glasses of some sort wrapped in aluminium foil. Not her crafty-ist moment. It felt a little tacky for what I had planned, but certainly creative. 

And now, the snow.

What an easy project for your snow globes, snowman in a jar, I -spy Christmas ornaments, or just for an ordinary day of creative play with plastic animals or Legos.  We decided to play Ice Age with ours.  I'll save Grandmas, just thinking how she took the time to craft it makes me smile.

So, grab your wax paper.  Do not cut it. Tear it into tiny shreds and store in a Ziploc bag for your kiddos. So easy, so fun and perfect for SENSORY PLAY!  Thanks, Grandma!

What will you pretend?


Recommended Reading:

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)*

Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons*

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Meet our Mommy Bloggers

Welcome to Kid's Creative Chaos, a resource for Classroom curriculum, Mommy ideas, and Fun activities. We post crafts, activities, recipes, and our musings on life. We post the mishaps, the fails, and the messes. No Fancy Nancy here. Think of it as a Test Kitchen for Kiddie Crafts, Home Chefs, and Mommy Chaos. We want our readers to say, 'Hey, I can do that!' or 'That looks fun!' or  'Do you have any advice?'
If you are an aspiring writer or a novelist chat with us here or on Facebook or Blog Frog or join our group Historical Fiction Books to interact with fellow writers.

Meet our Mommy Bloggers:

Lora Langston, Marketing Director at The Play Connection, Inc. and Owner of Kids Creative Chaos blog.

Contact info: lora@theplayconnection.com

In the real world, Lora teaches art, sensory play, and drama classes to kids age 18 months to 18 years old at area parks, schools, and special events. The kids present programs to retirement villages and schools. She also writes YA Fiction. And, of course, Lora loves to CREATE.   Lora is now a full-time freelance blogger and social media marketing manager! A lot can happen in a year :)

In another life, Lora studied Architecture and Theatre at Ball State University where she also did the (Tri Sigma) sorority thing. Currently, she is a SAHM with two elementary age children, one  two indoor cat (s), one cockatiel, one box turtle, a tank load of two fish, and two inherited outdoor cats. 

Our Turtle got blessed at Church.

Recently, her family purchased a new home (she plans to name it Redbud Ranch) taken right out of the movie "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase. Here, she will write from the window overlooking a Dogwood Tree, a row of Redbuds (her favorite tree), and a little pond full of fish while daydreaming of becoming an Andy Farmer-style, Martha Stewart. (Too young for the reference? Go watch the movie!) She also recommends the movie, "Stranger than Fiction", but only if you are a writing geek.

Angela Whitmire write recipes and Angie's Corner. She blogs about the active life of her outdoor and recreation loving family.

In the real world, Angie has two elementary age children, a couple of indoor cats, and keeps bunnies outdoors for 4H.

Tracey Thomas writes Tracey's Tempo. She blogs about her life with a large, blended-family, her passion for helping those in need through Santa's Elves of Indy, and fun activities for kids. Tracey has four children of her own and two step children.

In the real world, Tracey heads up Santa's Elves (a non-profit providing Christmas gifts to children in need), holds a Realtor's license, is an experienced photographer, and taxis her brood to sports and club activities.  http://www.santaselves.us/ In a past life, she headed up a Girl Scout Troop and ran an in-home Child-care. Tracey spends her spare time daydreaming of finding the time and resources for everything she needs to accomplish.

Life is crazy! Need some ideas to relax?  Grab a cup of coffee (okay, a soda) and stay awhile. We are always surfing for new crafty ideas that make life fun. And we love comments!  We'll check out your blog so be sure to leave a linky. Don't miss our updates be sure to subscribe to our posts on the right sidebar.


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A Day In Kokomo at the Glass Factory

Things to do In Indiana: Kokomo,  A One Tank Trip

We visited the Indiana Glass Factory in Kokomo, Indiana. If you're looking for things to do in Indiana, this is a great idea for a field trip or a one tank trip in Indiana. Homeschoolers will enjoy learning a new skill for a possible future trade or art project.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Glass Factory.

Kokomo Opalescent Glass Main Office.

Beehive where they melt the glass.

Table where they roll glass to make panes.

Area where they roll and blow glass.

Sample of their panes of glass.

We got a guided tour of the glass factory. The kids saw it featured on a local news channel over Christmas break and really wanted to go. We all learned many things and we were all surprised to find out where the glass has been placed. One place is the Cinderella Castle at Disney. Apparently, the Kokomo Glass Factory produced all of the glass in the castle. 

Stained Glass at Cinderella's Castle in Disney World. 

The Kokomo Glass Factory has a beautiful shop where you can purchase hand blown hand blown glass items. Visit KOG.COM to see the shop (they ship) and if you live in the Indiana area, stop by and take  the tour. The Indiana Glass Factory makes a great family outing or field trip idea. 

Currently it runs Tues-Fri at 10 am and lasts about an hour. They even offer a class to make glass beads and accents. They also sell glass panes of different sizes and thicknesses if you need some for your home or craft projects.

This is truly a hidden jewel in Indiana.  We never knew about the glass factory until we saw it on the news. The kids loved the tour (which was a surprise) and apparently it was the highlight of everything we had planned over break. 


~ Angie


Recommended:

Things to do in Indiana

Books about Hand Blown Glass

More Posts by Angie

Thing to do in Kokomo

Get a Glass Craft for Kids

Doll Collections: Are you a Crafter? Collector? Or just a plain, old Hoarder?

Collecting Dolls and Crissy Babies

Doing more surfing than crafting for kids lately? After Christmas and year end clearance specials are amazing. We all need to stock up on junk  more craft supplies for the new year. My favorite clearance sale is always the one on Toys and Hobbies. Doll collecting is my downfall. 

I've been collecting dolls since I was born, literally. Here's a picture of the first doll ever given to me, shortly after my birth in...  1969. (collector, collector, collector)

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Doll Collecting Habit

My Grandmother crocheted her a beautiful, new outfit many, many years ago, but I still have her chartreuse and lace dress. (hoarder, hoarder, hoarder)

I also have a jingly, wobbly, Mickey Mouse, baby toy given to me the same year (1969) with perfect tag intact ~ Walt Disney World ~ I think I may have chewed off one of his ears. (Ebay, Ebay, Ebay)

Then, there's Crissy Baby. I never actually owned one as a child but always wanted one. Now, I have several. (collector, collector, collector)  

And Barbie... mostly from garage sales. (dumpster diver, dumpster diver, dumpster diver) The Bubble wig 1960's version.

These girls sit in boxes in my closet sharing space with my most prized possession-  a Dennis Rodman doll with interchangeable heads to showcase his Kool-Aid dyed hair years. That's right, my friends, Dennis Rodman with interchangeable heads.  They even make a Dennis Rodman in Wedding Dress doll.

Here's an old creepy doll that I dressed up and gave a new wig.

Michael Jackson is there too with his glove and Grammy glimmer jacket, but he was born a collectible doll. Even though we attended college together, (yes, you read that right, I took a doll to college) but he isn't my favorite doll.

I mean, you probably know someone else with an MJ, but how many of you know someone with a Dennis Rodman?

Crissy Baby Doll ~ Growing Hair.

Interchangeable heads.

OMG, I didn't realize this doll existed. Want.

Want to make your own Kool-Aid hair dye?

So, when Marie Osmond started designing dolls, I had to have one right up until I found out they were "collectible" and expensive. I don't collect anything considered collectible. In my opinion, that's what separates the collector from the hoarder. It's okay to laugh here.

Who doesn't love them some Donny and Marie?  I'd dumpster dive for a set of Donny and Marie dolls. 

Donny and Marie Osmond Dolls.  Is this TMI?  

Ahem, I'm surfing browsing the Marie dolls when I come across Marie Osmond Crafts.  She sings. She dances. She dolls. She gains weight. She loses weight. She crafts. Love her!  I'll bet she uses bonding tape to hem those doll clothes.

Did I already mention how much I adore these cute Russian dolls? I first saw these at a friend's house and I instantly decided to get a set to add to my collections. It wasn't hard finding these dolls because you can now get them online. I got mine from https://nestingdolls.co/ and they look great!

I just bought a mini-sewing machine for simple craft projects... Forget about Martha Stewart (Sorry, Martha). I wanna be like Marie. If I design some collectible dolls with Kool-Aid dyed hair would you collect them? (hoarder, hoarder, hoarder)

Crissy doll collecting.

This Crissy doll looks a little like my son. Okay, a lot. How weird is that? 


Recommended:

Follow me on Pinterest 

How to Make a Doll Purse for a Gift Bag

More Animal Nesting Dolls

Get Books on Doll Collecting

These are a few of MY favorite things: cute pictures for Pinterest

My Favorite things include adorable baby bunny picture and Christmas tree in snow

Not necessarily in any order, (I've been suffering from writer's and crafter's block lately, so if I have to organize them it will turn into the post that wasn't). My favorite things include baby bunnies, a spider, and Christmas Trees. Enjoy!

Christmas tree in snow with colored lights.

1. Snow covered Christmas Lights on Evergreen Trees. I LOVE how the light glows under the snow.

Can you smell the puppy breath?

2. Puppy Breath. 'Nuf said.

Book by Robert Kraus, How Spider Saved Halloween.

3.  Halloween! Inspired by my favorite book ever. I LOVE the illustrations. I love the story about bullying. Kraus writes several books in the Spider series. Check my pages above for more info.

Jake's journey in art started here.

4.  Inspired Art. My son comes from a line of artists, but art isn't his thing. He is a straight A+ student- except for an A- in art. When my daughter and I paint and craft, he plays computer games. The other day, he sat down and painted this portrait of Santa!  

He used the entire page. It is truly amazing - "A Kid's Perspective of Santa". His Uncle designed the characters and worked on 'Call of Duty' Black Ops for Activision (among other things).  

If the Presidency thing falls thru, I think he might just have a back-up plan. I  LOVE that it isn't just a picture of Santa in the middle of the paper.

Kitty paws.

5. Kitty Paws. Especially, touching my chin.

Hot Air Balloons.

6. Hot Air Balloons. Here is a local Balloon Voyage anyone can experience.

Bunny ears, I adore this picture! :)

7. Toddlers. I think we are 3 and 5 here. Wow, 4 and 6 is so different. See that Balloon in the background? It's the Energizer Bunny which brings me to...

Cute Baby Bunny.

8. Bunnies. I just LOVE them. I miss my sweet fuzzy, cuddle bunny. Kids, cats, turtle, bird = no time for baby bunnies.  Maybe when the kids leave the nest. Wait, I'll be how old? 

Reminiscing is good too.


*This is one of my very first POSTS. If any of these images are yours, please let me know so I can give proper credit. 


Recommended Reading:


Birthday Party Game for Kids

Leo the Late Bloomer*

A Wish to Be A Christmas Tree*







ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Someone Thinks I'm Stylish - Blogger Award - About Me

Looking for Blogger Awards to share? We have several snoop around.

I'd like to thank 'New England Mommy' at Muddy Feet for awarding me the 'Stylish Blogger Award'.



Wootily-Woot!

Seven Things About Me:


1.  At twenty-five I thought I was too old to become a mother.
Now (depending how you count it) I have four kids ages 4-22.

2.  We also have three pet kids.  A turtle, I mowed over in the back yard, a cat, and an eleven-year old cockatiel.


3. I use to clean my woodwork with a toothbrush (when I was twenty-five).  Now, I am lucky to find time to clean my teeth with a toothbrush.

4. My career goal was to work on Sesame Street but I never moved to New York. (Elmo Rocks!)

5. In another life, I directed a theatrical troupe and I portrayed the director of a theatrical troupe whilst directing said troupe!

6. I look really interesting on paper- less so in real life.

7. My dream/goal is to write/illustrate children's picture books.


Rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded it to you.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their Blog Award!



Here are the 15 sites I am Paying it forward to:



1.    http://www.thecooksnextdoor.com
2.    http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/
3.    http://twobearsfarm.blogspot.com/
4.    http://www.thesnyder5.com
5.    http://frugaltractormom.blogspot.com
6.    http://www.imalazymom.com
7.    http://www.jdaniel4smom.com
8.    http://mommysmidwestmountain.blogspot.com
9.    http://showmemama.com
10.  http://featuredsacredmuse.blogspot.com
11.  http://starsunflowerstudio.blogspot.com
12.  http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com
13.  http://thedaisyhead.blogspot.com
14.  http://www.thetamom.com
15.  http://apocketfullofbuttons.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-bento-7-gingerbread-men.html

Wow!   Fifteen is a lot!  If I award the blog to you how about 7?
That way, you might actually complete the task.  Happy Reading!

Thanksgiving Activities: Turkey Game and Craft for Children

Family Friendly Games for Thanksgiving

You've heard of Reindeer Games, so why not, Turkey games? This is an easy, fun activity for Thanksgiving get togethers. 

Family friendly crafts and games for Thanksgiving day party feasts.

Mayhem loved playing this turkey game.

Here are a few ideas to brighten up your Thanksgiving Family Feast:

• While you're preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, have your kids make turkeys out of paper plates and construction paper.

• They can create it anyway they choose or follow these instructions:

Cut two - 3" slits 2" apart in the bottom of the plate.

Lift and fold this flap out and fold it into a triangle or tent shape.

This is the turkey's head.

Turkey tutorial.

Add googly eyes or draw your own. 

Don't forget to draw his gobbler :-)

 
Cut feathers from colored construction paper.  Using a glue stick connect them to the top of your plate, or draw them directly onto the plate with brightly colored markers. You can go all out and use real feathers from a craft store too, it's all good. Or trace your foot onto paper for extra fun and a SENSORY ELEMENT. Now poke a 1/4'" hole in the center of your turkey (the plate).  Get yarn, kite string, Christmas ribbon, etc... remember, it's all good. 

My kids tried it with a shoe string. Cut the string about 6' in length. (Shorter or Longer depending on your spatial restrictions.)  Thread the string thru the hole and knot it in the back of the plate. 

Do this twice - that's two turkeys... 

Set up two chairs and tie one turkey to each chair. Stretch the string taut and lie it flat on the ground with the turkey opposite the chair. This is the starting line, divide into two teams and start the turkey races with kids standing at the opposite end of the chairs.

"Ready, Set, Fly!"

On the signal kids begin gobbling and lifting the string in the air trying to get the turkeys to fly to the chairs. (You are essentially shaking the plate down the string.) If your turkeys refuse to "fly" have the kids race by pulling their turkeys down the line as fast as they can while someone else holds the opposite end taut.

Last kid to reach the chair is a Turkey!

The latter methods works best with smaller children.

HAVE FUN and remember, it is what it is, so make it fun and don't fret.

Post variations and; pictures of your turkeys in action.

We got this idea from an old 1970's  party book that used bats.  You can change anything to fit the theme. 

Recommended Reading:

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)

Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids! 25 Fun & Educational Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family (Activity Books for Kids)

Holiday Games for Parties