Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, being with loved ones, and of course, eating delicious food. The season is full of wonderful traditions and important lessons. These are beautifully portrayed in so many wonderful children’s books. We have had a lot of Thanksgiving themed fun over the years, so I decided to gather up some of our best Thanksgiving activities for kids, and fun seasonal books to pair with them!

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Plump and Perky Turkey Fun

Work on fine motor skills with these colorful turkey activities inspired by the book A Plump and Perky Turkey written by Theresa Bateman and illustrated by Jeff Shelly. Kids will have lots of fun decorating their own turkeys. They can also practice fine motor skills with a variety of turkey themed activities.

Turkey Fun for Thanksgiving

The book Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano and Lee Harper inspires a variety of turkey themed activities including a feather counting game, turkey feather races, and easy turkey track artwork.

Terrific Turkey Books

Get ready for the holiday with this list of board books and picture books all about turkeys! From funny stories about turkeys who dress up, to sweet stories about friendship, this list has something for everyone!

Fun with Franklin for Thanksgiving

The popular turtle shares some important lessons about family, kindness, and holiday traditions in Franklin’s Thanksgiving by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. We paired this fun Thanksgiving book with dramatic play and yummy snacks. We also included a fun way to share your acts of kindness this holiday season!

Celebrating the Night Before Thanksgiving

Celebrate Thanksgiving Eve with The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing and Tammie Lyon! This fun book puts a spin on the classic Christmas poem. We brought it to life with lots of party prep activities. From baking a pie and setting the table, to playing with seasonal play dough, this post is full of last minute Thanksgiving activities to get you ready for the big day.

Celebrate a Cranberry Thanksgiving!

While turkey is usually the main focus of the Thanksgiving table, cranberries are also an important staple. The book Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin is a fun way to focus on the sweeter side of the holiday meal. We brought it to life with a variety of cranberry activities, including a fun science experiment and sensory experience.

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

Gratitude and thankfulness are an important part of the Thanksgiving season, and we used two great picture books to discuss these important concepts. Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, and Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes and Doris Barrette, are both fun books to read aloud. This post has lots of activities and traditions to help your family share what they are thankful for. You can also record your thoughts on gratitude to revisit year after year!

Terrific Thanksgiving Books for Your Family Bookshelf

If you are looking for great Thanksgiving books to share as a family, this list has a little bit of everything. From books about historical events to funny and sentimental stories, this list has something for everyone.

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