Kids don’t really want to sit at the grown-up table. Give them their own space, some things to do with their hands and a reason to stay in their seats, and they’re usually happier there. On a kids’ table, the decorations and the entertainment can be the same thing.

All of this takes about 20 minutes to set up, plus a little craft time the day before.

The table

1. A kraft paper tablecloth. Cut a length from a roll of brown kraft paper (on Amazon) and tape it down. Put a cup of crayons (on Amazon) in the middle and write a prompt on the paper before anyone sits: “Draw your favorite Thanksgiving food.” It soaks up spills, and at the end of the night you roll it up and throw it away. One roll lasts several years.

2. Two layers for little ones. No kraft paper? Cut open brown grocery bags, or use butcher paper, which is a bit sturdier. With very small children, lay down two layers: peel off the messy top layer after dinner and there’s a clean one for drawing during dessert.

Crafts that become the decorations

3. Handprint turkey place cards. Trace each child’s hand on cardstock, cut it out and write their name on it. Do it the day before, not on Thanksgiving morning. Cover them in clear packing tape and gravy wipes right off, and you can bring them out again next year to see how small the hands were.

4. Pinecone turkeys. Send the kids out with a bag to collect pinecones, which uses up a good half hour of energy while you’re busiest in the kitchen. Then googly eyes, pipe cleaner legs and paper feather tails. Line the turkeys down the middle of the table.

5. Mini pumpkins with names. Small grocery store pumpkins, about a dollar each in November, with each child’s name written in metallic marker. They take them home afterward. Put out a few extra pumpkins and markers for decorating during dessert.

Dishes that survive

6. Nothing breakable. Melamine plates (on Amazon), sturdy plastic cups, and real cutlery for kids old enough. No ceramic, no glass. Melamine in fall colors like rust, mustard and forest green looks intentional, and it lives with your everyday dishes afterward.

7. Drinks on a separate table. A small pitcher of apple cider, cups with lids and straws (on Amazon), and a towel underneath, on a side table or counter. Kids get their own drinks, which they love, and the table stays dry. Lids and straws aren’t optional.

Let them set it

8. Hand over the box. Twenty minutes before dinner, give the oldest kid the box of supplies and let them set the table: paper, turkeys, crayons, pumpkins. It won’t look the way you’d do it, and that’s the point. Children who set the table are more likely to stay at it. Give them one rule, nothing goes on the floor, and leave the rest to them.