One of our favorite ways to celebrate various holidays is through books! Thanksgiving is a great one for books because there are so many wonderful books that look at Thanksgiving from various perspectives and topics. You can read books about the Pilgrims and Native Americans, books about the first Thanksgiving, books about gratitude, books about modern-day Thanksgiving, and fictional books that teach lessons about being thankful.
How to Use Books in Your Celebration
We use books in various ways, including having them set out as part of our seasonal decorations. This often sparks the interest of the children, and I find them reading the books that we have displayed. I can also pull from the display whenever we need a read-aloud for the family.
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For my kindergartner, we are using these books as part of his reading curriculum and doing various seasonal activities to expand upon them. For example, we might read a book about turkeys, make a turkey craft, and sing some turkey songs. Another week we may choose a book about pilgrims or gratitude. We will definitely spend a week on Cranberry Thanksgiving doing various activities that we find as well as using some of the ones from Five in a Row. (Stay tuned for a post specifically on Cranberry Thanksgiving soon.)
Thanksgiving Books for Older Students
For my older children, we enjoy finding chapter books or more detailed picture books that relate to the holidays and allowing that to be their reading assignment for the week. Thanksgiving on Thursday is a good choice for elementary students. You could also use Samuel Eaton’s Day for a compare and contrast with Tapenum’s Day or Sarah Morton’s Day.
Quality Time with Books
We also really enjoy spending time together enjoying a book and a snack. Sometimes a specific snack that relates to the book, and sometimes something as simple as a store-bought cookie and a glass of milk. For example, we make cranberry bread when we read Cranberry Thanksgiving. Baking together is always fun, but don’t let that be a stumbling block. Using a boxed mix can still make memories.
What are your favorite ways to incorporate books into your holiday celebrations? Any great Thanksgiving books that I should add to my list
Thanksgiving Book List:
The Very First Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
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Deals and Freebies
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Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)
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