Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I was a picky eater growing up, so my love of the holiday had more to do with the traditions and the family time than the food. My mom loves to entertain, so Thanksgiving dinner has always been a big deal. To this day, certain smells in the kitchen remind me of all the preparations my parents make leading up to the meal. Today, I decided to gather some family activities that you can do on the night before Thanksgiving!
Terrific Thanksgiving Read-Alouds!
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday full of family, food, fun and thankfulness. There are so many great Thanksgiving books to entertain kids while teaching them about this holiday. I wrote about several Thanksgiving books this month, but there are so many more that I couldn’t get to yet! This is a list of even more awesome Thanksgiving books that I recommend adding to your collection. So curl up under some warm blankets, grab some yummy snacks (or leftovers) and enjoy some family reading time!
Ring in the Holidays with Family Read-Alouds!
There are so many amazing books to read during the holiday season. From Santa Claus to snowmen and dreidels to trees, there are so many wonderful stories to share with children and get them excited for the season! I could not possibly list all of the amazing books out there, but I have managed to compile a list of books that are personal favorites of mine that I am excited to share with my daughter for many years to come. (If your favorite is not here, don’t worry! Other holidays and traditions will definitely be recognized in posts to come).
Celebrate a Cranberry Thanksgiving!
Cranberries always make me think of the holidays. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are a part of lots of meals, decorations and traditions. I was excited when I found this book which gave me the opportunity to have some learning fun with them!
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Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende Devlin is a classic which has been shared among many generations. Maggie and her grandmother invite guests to Thanksgiving dinner every year, especially those who are poor or lonely. Grandmother doesn’t trust Maggie’s guest because she worries he will steal her famous cranberry bread recipe. However, when the recipe goes missing, Grandmother may be proven wrong! This classic story reminds us not to judge a book by it’s cover and to be gracious during the holiday season. It also provides an opportunity to enjoy a lot of cranberry fun!
Turkey Fun for Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it! I love all of the adorable turkey decorations around the holiday, and they inspired me to have some fun with today’s hilarious read aloud about a tricky little turkey who doesn’t want to be eaten.
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Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano is a hilarious story about a turkey who doesn’t want to be eaten for Thanksgiving dinner! He decides to disguise himself as other animals so he can hide from the farmer. The story is entertaining for all ages, and kids will surely enjoy Turkey’s funny costumes throughout the book. This book also presents an opportunity to have a lot of turkey fun just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday!
Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving!
Gratitude is something that I want to ensure I teach to my daughter. Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to start a tradition of gratitude and thankfulness. There are lots of great books to help teach kids about being grateful, and today I used two of them to inspire some learning fun!
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Fun with Franklin for Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, gratitude and delicious foods. My parents have always had an open door policy for our holiday meals, believing that anyone who doesn’t have a place to go has a place at our table. Today’s book is a great reminder about sharing what you have with others and creating new traditions.
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Plump and Perky Turkey Fun!
When it comes to getting a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, you probably just stop by your local grocery store or farm. For the people living in one little town, getting a turkey is much more difficult!
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A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman tells the story of Pete the turkey and the townspeople of Squawk Valley. The people in the town need to get a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner, so they decide to trick one into coming to town. They host a turkey themed arts and crafts festival to capture a vain turkey. Pete doesn’t want to be dinner though, and he may just outsmart the people of Squawk Valley! This story is an entertaining read aloud written in verse, and accompanied by colorful and fun illustrations. Kids will love reading about Pete again and again!
Overcoming the Election Negativity with Positive Books
This election has me very worried about the state of our country and the future we’re building for our children. As adults, we are supposed to be the role models, the positive influences and the good decision makers. Yet, the news is filled with people name-calling, interrupting, and making decisions that we would not accept from our children. It may seem oversimplified to think that we can fix all of our issues by working together and being respectful. However, I believe in the impact of positivity and respect. So, to overcome the negative attitudes that kids may be absorbing during this election, I decided to find positive books about America and citizenship. These books can remind kids and parents how America can be great while showing us how we can all help to make it a better place.
Great Books for Babies!
“Why should I start reading to my baby when she can’t even understand the story?”
There is a misconception that reading to kids only revolves around the story and their understanding of it. But there are so many important reasons to read to babies, starting with the fact that they will learn from the very beginning that books are awesome! My parents read to me on my very first night home from the hospital. It was a short story out of a collection of 1 minute fairy tales. I read out of the same book on my daughter’s first night home from the hospital as well. I have read to her every night since then, and at 2 years old, she already loves to be read to and to look at books on her own.