12 Thanksgiving Literacy Activities for Preschoolers
Thanksgiving literacy activities can involve much more than learning letters. Preschoolers also build important early literacy skills through listening and speaking, vocabulary, rhyming and sound awareness, storytelling and early writing.
Here are some simple ideas to practise these skills through stories, games and conversation.
Thanksgiving Stories and Read-Alouds
These Thanksgiving picture books are sweet stories about gratitude, kindness and celebrating the holiday. I’ve included a read-aloud video for each story below.
1. I Am Thankful
This simple story by Sonali Fry is a lovely introduction to the theme of gratitude, with familiar examples of everyday things children can be thankful for.
2. Taylor the Thankful Turkey
Taylor the Thankful Turkey by Sonica Ellis is about a turkey who visits all his neighbours to thank them and bring them a gift from his garden. His kindness inspires others to follow in his footsteps.
3. Thankful Fur You!
Cannoli and the other dogs are worried that their owners might cancel Thanksgiving, so they decide to be extra good and show just how thankful they are.
4. Who Will Bring the Turkey?
In Who Will Bring the Turkey? by Julia Inserro, Mouse volunteers to bring the turkey to this year's Thanksgiving meal, but Turkey does not want to be chased and caught. Instead, he is invited to attend the meal as a guest!
Oral Language, Vocabulary and Listening
Build listening skills, memory and vocabulary with these ideas.
5. Thankful Circle
After reading I Am Thankful, sit in a circle and take turns completing the sentence, “I am thankful for…”
Children might name a person, pet, favourite activity, food or something else that is important to them. This simple activity encourages children to put their thoughts into words and listen to the ideas of others.
6. Thankful Memory Game
Turn the thankful circle into an auditory memory game. The first person says, “I am thankful for my dog.”
The next person repeats the first item and adds another: “I am thankful for my dog and my grandma.” The third person repeats both and adds a new item.
Continue around the circle, with each child repeating the growing list before adding something new. For younger preschoolers, keep the list short or start a new round when it becomes too difficult.
7. Our Thanksgiving Table
Play a category game to build vocabulary and improve memory. The category is “Our Thanksgiving Table”.
Go around the group – or go back and forth with your child – and invite each person to add one type of food they would like to see on their Thanksgiving table. Each word can only be used once, and if someone repeats a food, they must think of an alternative.
Rhyming and Sound Awareness
Play games and sing songs and rhymes to build sound awareness.
8. Silly Rhymes
Say a silly sentence with one word that does not make sense. Ask children to listen for the rhyme and replace the silly word with the correct one.
For example:
- We baked a pumpkin fly. → pie
- Put your food on the gate. → plate
- The turkey ate some horn. → corn
- We made a chocolate rake. → cake
Once children understand the game, encourage them to make up their own silly rhyming sentences.
9. Syllable Clapping
Say a Thanksgiving word slowly and clap once for each syllable. Then invite the children to clap the word with you.
Try words such as:
- pie – 1 clap
- turkey – 2 claps
- pumpkin – 2 claps
- family – 3 claps
- cranberry – 3 claps
- celebration – 4 claps
Once children get the idea, let them suggest Thanksgiving words and work out together how many syllables each one has.
10. Five Little Turkeys Fingerplay
Teach your children this rhyming fingerplay by Mrs Greymorning.
Lyrics:
Five little turkeys standing by the door
One waddled off, and then there were four
Four little turkeys underneath a tree
One waddled off, and then there were three
Three little turkeys wondering what to do
One waddled off and then there were two
Two little turkeys in the noonday sun
One waddled off and then there was one
One little turkey had better run away
For soon it will be Thanksgiving Day!
For more, see these 12 Thanksgiving songs and fingerplays for preschoolers.
Early Writing and Print
11. Thankful Drawing and Writing
Invite children to draw a picture of something they are thankful for.
Younger children can tell you about their picture while you write down their words. Older preschoolers can add their own marks, letters or words, depending on their stage of writing development.
You could also display the pictures together to make a simple class gratitude wall or book.
12. Thanksgiving Shopping List
Set up a pretend Thanksgiving grocery shop with play food, empty food packages or picture cards.
First, decide together what you need for your Thanksgiving meal. Invite children to make a shopping list by drawing the foods, copying simple words or attempting their own writing.
Then give them a basket or bag and let them “shop” for the items on their list, checking each one off as they find it.
For younger preschoolers, use picture lists or let them dictate the items while you write them down.
I hope these Thanksgiving literacy activities give you some simple ways to build language, listening, rhyming and early writing skills through the theme.
For more ideas, see the full collection of Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers.
For more ideas, explore these Thanksgiving literacy activities for preschoolers, including listening games, vocabulary, rhyming, storytelling and early print skills.
