Thanksgiving: Teacher Resources, Books, Posters, Games, Decorations...

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Teacher's Helper! Here we've found some great teacher resources for school or home, including links, posters, activities, and books...and put them in one place! We hope these ideas will be helpful!

The Story of Thanksgiving By Nancy Skarmeas / Ideals Publications Inc This little book tells the story of the first Thanksgiving--how the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower in search of religious freedom, how they landed at Plymouth Rock, and how the Native Americans taught them to plant and then joined them in a Thanksgiving feast. Parents can use the simple text and bright illustrations of this book to introduce a very young child to this holiday and to the history behind Thanksgiving. Recommended for ages 1 to 5.

Countdown To Thanksgiving By Jodi Huelin / Price Stern Sloan Count down to a specil day with family, friends, and fun! Share in one family's celebration while counting down from ten family members to one big Thanksgiving feast! Little gobblers will come back for seconds (and thirds) to read about the sights and smells of Turkey Day! Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Thanksgiving - Online Resources

Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids - Features harvest season Thanksgiving crafts: Thanksgiving paper crafts, Thanksgiving food crafts, harvest nature crafts and recycled materials crafts with a Thanksgiving theme.

Thanksgiving Books - Great selection of Thanksgiving theme books, activities and crafts for children.

Scholastic.com - First Thanksgiving - Learn about the voyage on the Mayflower and the Pilgrim's first year in America. Plus, more information for teachers.

Thanksgiving Crafts - Here you will find Thanksgiving theme kids crafts, games, puzzle, coloring pages, poems, songs and recipes.

Family Fun - Thanksgiving - Great kids crafts for Thanksgiving. Table markers and decorations, coloring pages, crafts, turkey cupcakes and other recipes.

Kids Domain - Crafts - Long list of Thanksgiving theme crafts. These are cute and easy for kids!

Mayflower History - Complete and accurate website about the Mayflower, Pilgrims and the early Plymouth Colony. Great resource site for teachers.

Pocahuntas - History of life of Pocohuntas.

Family Culture - The Harvest is celebrated in different ways by different cultures. This site explains the differences. Great site for parents and educators.

Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving theme web site reviews by Barbara J. Feldman of SurfNetKids.com.

Thanksgiving Games and Activities

175 Easy-to-Do Crafts: Thanksgiving By Essential Learning Products From turkeys, Pilgrims, cornucopias, and wreaths to greeting cards, games, jewelry, and holiday table accessories--everything you need to create a memorable Thanksgiving can be found in this fun filled craft book. Kids and grown ups will have hours of enjoyment making Turkey feet placemats, paper bag pilgrims, walnut mice racers, and many other inventive crafts that reflect the autumn season and this most bountiful of holidays. Easy to follow directions and full color photographs ensure success for young craft makers.

Thanksgiving Bookmark By Barker Creek Thanksgiving bookmark design, corn and a turkey in black and white, ready for little hands to color and decorate! Each 6" x 2.5" Gobble up a good book! bookmark is meant to be colored and embellished creatively. To/From space on back. Classroom pack of 30.

SurfNetKids.com:
Printable Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
Thanksgiving Word Search
Turkey Jigsaw Puzzle
Pumpkin Scrambler
Turkey Scrambler
Turkey Shoot
Thanksgiving Coloring Book
Thanksgiving Jokes

PreschoolEducation.com:
Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts
Thanksgiving Bulletin Boards
Thanksgiving Felt Boards
Thanksgiving Games
Thanksgiving Theme Incentives
Thanksgiving Music and Songs
Thanksgiving Kids Snacks

The Thanksgiving Feast

Have a Classroom Thanksgiving Feast with these great ideas for decorating, activities, crafts and recipes.

Thanksgiving Classroom Decorating Ideas

Decorate your classroom with these great Thanksgiving & Pilgrim Decorations.

Be Thankful, Pilgrim Turkey Flag, Small By Evergreen Enterprises Shaped Thanksgiving flag features one colorful turkey wearing his pilgrim costume and carrying a festive banner, Be Thankful. Bold color and detail on premium applique flag; message is readable from both sides; ideal for classroom, home, or church. 13" x 18".

Happy Thanksgiving Banner By Eureka Decorate your classroom with high-quality banner, featuring seasonal message Happy Thanksgiving. Harvest design with bountiful fruits and vegetables, Pilgrim boy and girl, turkey, and hay bales. 48" x 12"; sturdy paperboard.

Thanksgiving Posters

A Cornucopia is a traditional Thanksgiving theme!

Cornucopia Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

Posters are available in a variety of sizes and are great for teaching students and decorating classrooms.
View More Thanksgiving Posters >>

Thanksgiving Reading Suggestions

Ten Fat Turkeys By Tony Johnston & Richard F. Deas(Illustrator) / Scholastic Trade Ten fat turkeys are fooling around on top of a fence.then nine, then eight, as they try various tricks and fall off. After the fence itself breaks, it's time to find a new place to fool around! 32 pages, softcover. Ages 3-6.

The First Thanksgiving: A Lift-the-Flap Book, Boardbook By Nancy Davis / Little Simon A great interactive board book for kids to introduce them to the first Thanksgiving. Life up flaps on each page provide a surprise for children as they read through the book and learn about the Pilgrims and how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims adjust to living in a new land.

Thanks for Thanksgiving By Julie Markes & Doris Barrette / Trophy

T Is for Turkey By Tanya Stone & Gerald Kelley / Price Stern Sloan Celebrate Thanksgiving with each letter of the alphabet! As a school puts on a holiday play, the letters let us look at a favorite aspect of the holiday, a new perspective on old myths ("P is for Pilgrims / But those clothes are not right! / There were no silver buckles / And the colors were bright), and how Thanksgiving came to be celebrated as a holiday-while sharing in the spirit of the day! 24 pages, softcover. Ages 4-8.

The Littlest Pilgrim By Brandi Dougherty / Scholastic Trade Mini is the littlest pilgrim. She wants to help her family with their chores, but she's too little to be trusted with the responsibility, or she's so little they don't even hear her to begin with! But when she meets a little Wampanoag girl just like her, she realizes she's not too little to make friends. 32 pages, softcover.

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks, A Reading Railroad Book By Margaret Wummer & Amy Sutherland / Reading Rainbow Sure, Thanksgiving is about pilgrims and history--and turkey, of course!--but most importantly, it's a holiday all about everything that we are thankful for. Cheerful, colorful illustrations accompany the simple text in this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday that brings them all together. Recommended for ages 3 to 6.

Saying Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving By Virginia Kroll / ZonderKidz Saying Grace is a beautiful picture book that teaches 4- to 7-year-olds about the importance of showing gratitude for all God has done! They'll meet Grace, a young girl who experiences the hardships and blessings of belonging to a pioneer family. At Thanksgiving she discovers the value of prayer. Included special mealtime prayers. Illustrated by Timothy Ladwig. 40 pages, hardcover from Zonderkidz.

Today Is Thanksgiving! By P.K. Hallinan / Candy Cane Press Children and parents alike will delight in this cheerful book about Thanksgiving Day. From baking an apple pie to playing football on a crisp autumn morning to gathering around the table in gratitude, Today is Thanksgiving! presents the time-honored traditions of this American holiday. Its lively, rhyming text and colorful illustrations will encourages children to share in the spirits of thanks that surrounds this day. Recommended for ages 4 and under.

Thanksgiving Jingo By Gary Grimm & Associates Everybody loves to JINGO! Jingo is played just like bingo, but pictures replace numbers on the player's card. The Thanksgiving seasonal version of the game teaches interesting facts about the symbols, customs, and traditions of our culture. It also has 2 levels of play so that people of all ages and abilities can participate. Contains 30 player cards, clue cards, directions for play, and ideas for extension.

P Is for Pumpkin: God's Harvest Alphabet By Kathy Jo Wargin & YaWen Ariel Pang / Zondervan For God made the Earth--He made everything! He makes all the wonders each season will bring. He changes the colors on leaves big and small, red, brown and yellow to tell us it's Fall. Destined to become a family keepsake, this unique, jacketed hardcover celebrates the wonders of an entire season. With help from the alphabet, preschoolers journey through God's harvest blessings--in the process discovering just how much there is to be thankful for! The fun is infectious as they learn to appreciate autumn for its beauty and bounty, opportunities to celebrate with friends and family, and traditions like barn dances, corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and more. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

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