As the book says, "Thanksgiving Is For Giving Thanks", so reinforce to your children that you are also thankful for them and how they enrich our lives. How many Blessings are you thankful for in your own life?
Art Activities
Books
Songs/Fingerplays
Center/Misc Ideas
Handprint Turkeys
You can either paint the children's hands or use a large round stamp pad to make turkey handprints. I like to use a different color for each finger with the thumb and palm brown.
Older children can use several of their handrprints as the feathers behind a turkey body & head pattern.
My First Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving Curious George
Our Thanksgiving
WHERE'S TOM TURKEY?
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
Where’s Tom Turkey, Where’s Tom Turkey?
There he is, there he is
Walking with a wobble
All he says is gobble,
Wobble, Wobble, Wobble.
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble,
And the 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
Ears of Corn or Indian Corn in Discovery Table
Bring in ears of corn or indian corn for the discovery table. Emphasize that this is food for farm animals not corn on the cob that people eat.
Thankful Placemats
If you have the children bring in a picture of their family ahead of time and you have pictures of the outside of your school building you can add both of these to the contact paper placement. You can also have pictures cut out from magazines for food they like, or places they like to go or even birds in the trees. Every child's can reflect what they are thankful for in their lives.
Thanksgiving Is For Giving Thanks
Thanks For Thanksgiving
IF YOU'RE THANKFUL AND YOU KNOW IT
Tune: If You're Happy And You Know It
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands.
Verses: Stomp your feet, Shout Hooray!
Quack, Quack, Gobble
Play the turkey varity of Duck, Duck, Goose.
Thumbprint Turkey Place Cards
Let the children make a thumbprint side turkey on a small place card that has their name and sits here. Fold it like a tent to sit by their plate at Thanksgiving dinner.
Cornicopia
Cut the opening of a cornicopia pattern so that the children can glue pictures of food or food diecuts into the opeining.
What Is Thanksgiving
The Night Before Thanksgiving
THANKSGIVING FEAST
Tune: Are You Sleeping?
We eat turkey, we eat turkey
Oh so good, oh so good
Always on Thanksgiving,
Always on Thanksgiving
Yum,yum,yum... yum,yum,yum
Verses: Cranberries, Pumpkin pie,
THANKSGIVING
Tune: Where is Thumbkin?
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
Here it comes, here it comes.
Turkey on the table, turkey on the table
Mmm-good, mmm-good.
Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffing,
Pumpkin pie, ten feet high.
We were so much thinner, before we came to dinner.
Me-oh-my, me-oh-my!
Favorite Thanksgiving Foods
In the kitchen area serve up some of your favorite foods that you enjoy eating for Thanksgiving.
Sack Turkey
Use a brown lunch sack and let the children scrunch up newspaper to fill it up. Glue feathers on the bottom of the sack and staple the scrunched top of the sack around a turkey head pattern. Have the children color it with markers.
Pinecone Turkey
If you have pine cones available, the kids can glue feathers into the back of the fatter part of the pinecones and a small head pattern to the front to make a cute table decoration.
A Turkey For Thanksgiving
Dora's Thanksgiving
A TURKEY IS A FUNNY BIRD
The turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
All he know is just one word,
Gobble, gobble, gobble.
Turkey Hunt
Bring in pictures of real turkeys and hide them around the room. Pretend to be pilgrims hunting for their meal.
Indian Corn Painting
For those children that don't mind getting messy, let them paint with the indian corn rolling it into red, orange or yellow paint and rolling it around on the paper.
Feather Painting
Have the kids use feathers for painting, brushing and twirling the paint on their paper.
Squanto And The First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving
LET'S BE THANKFUL
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Let's be thankful for this day
For our friends with whom we play
Let's be thankful; let's be glad
For our food and the things we have
Let's give thanks for you and me
And our home and family.
Gourds
Bring in a variety of gourds. Discuss their differences and some of the ways they have been used by Native Americans.