How to occupy the little ones on Thanksgiving:
• Hand them a camera.Which, of course, means a phone. “Have them take food pictures, pictures of the family, pictures of each different course,” says Yvette Garfield, creator of Handstand Kids cookbooks. “Have them get pictures of each person with the dish they brought.”
• Tap their inner Marthas. (Stewart, that is.) “Have the kids make place settings out of baby pumpkins or cookies or something that will tell everyone where to sit and can become a party favor,” says Garfield.
• Don’t forbid table toys. “Most kids are entertained by crayons at the table for only a short period of time,” says Betsy Brown Braun, author of “You’re Not the Boss of Me: Brat-Proofing Your 4- to 12-Year-Old Child” (HarperCollins). “A small toy won’t really entertain him, but it just might be the transitional object that is needed.”
• Keep it light. Dinner conversation, at least portions of it, should interest all ages. “It’s nice to hear the kids talk about what they’ve been up to all year,” says Garfield.
• Dismiss them. “Adjust your rules to the situation,” says Brown Braun.
