Lately you’ve been noticing that your child is being aloof. Also, his appetite is not like before and he’s not so sociable these days. Children have mood swings too. The good thing is that Thanksgiving is coming up, so you can take advantage of this occasion to get your child cheered up, and engaged in family affairs again.

Let him do the name tags. Give him a list of who’s coming and ask him to make a name tag for every one. He’s going to enjoy this task because he can use his crayons and he gets to work alone.

Get him to help around preparing dinner. The most important part of day is the feast itself. Plan the menu with your child. Ask him what kind of foods he’d like to be added on your usual Thanksgiving menu. He may suggest his favorite cookies, ice cream or cake. You may not exactly agree but give him at least one or two of his suggested meals. That should give him more reason to be excited about the dinner. Take him along to the grocery as well. He might enjoy hunting for the ingredients you put on the list.

When your guests start complimenting the dinner, share the limelight with your kid, by telling everyone he’s your little helper.

Ask him if he wants to be part of the program. If helping up has cheered him up to an extent, he just might agree to give a song number, a dance number, or a poetry reading. Depending on your child’s talent and hobby, performing in front of family will make him more at home and comfortable around relatives.

Delegate to him the task of handing out giveaways. The night usually ends with some favors. And goodbye time is when the last compliments will be given out so let your child receive all the last credits.

By being the star of Thanksgiving, your child is sure to have a renewed sense of family. Having his efforts acknowledged will give him confidence and pride.