Ah, the kid's table... the spot where, if lucky, you might corral busy youngsters for a whopping seven minutes during Thanksgiving dinner. It's always just enough time for them to smear potatoes across their face, drop their plate on the floor, then materialize at the grownups' table just as you're getting seated.

But we can fix that!

Here are a few tips for setting a kid-friendly table that keeps kids put, and content, so you can enjoy your meal.

Start with Kid-Friendly Tableware
The last thing anyone wants to do during a festive meal is clean up broken glasses or dishes, so choose kid's dinnerware wisely. Plastic or disposable dinnerware is (or should be) acceptable for kids even in formal settings. One fun and attractive dinnerware option is Bambu disposable dinnerware, made of, you guessed it, bamboo. They even have sporks! Bambu is the year's hottest earth-friendly dinnerware item. Or consider using durable plastic dinnerware. Melamine dinnerware styles offer the look of better ceramics, while acrylic glasses add a festive touch, without the worry.

Pictured: Venetian Melamine Dinnerware and Pearlessence Acrylic Glasses

Capture Their Attention with the Unexpected
Make kids feel special with a creative placecard.  Here we've used mini pumpkins, which they can continue to decorate after the meal. Small toys or stuffed animals with kid's names or holding little name cards are good options too.

Take a Tip from Busy Restaurants
Cover the kid's table with kraft or butcher paper and let kids draw or decorate with stamps or stickers before and after the meal. Or buy some holiday-themed coloring books and assemble your own restaurant-style coloring placemats, complete with a small bundle of crayons for each child.

Turn the Kid's Table into the Craft Corner
If kids are old enough to use glue sticks, holiday-themed projects such as Indian headbands, turkeys, wreaths, or woven paper placemats can keep them happily occupied while you enjoy your meal. For smaller kids, pre-cut parts from construction paper, craft foam or felt so they just have to stick the pieces together. Our friends at The Family Corner have some great holiday project ideas, and many are perfect for young kids:

Happy Thanksgiving.. and if you have any great kid-corralin' ideas of your own, please share!