5 Tips for Teaching Young Children About Thanksgiving

(Written with Marjorie Wild)

1.  ​Share the real story of the first Thanksgiving

When we share with children the story of the first Thanksgiving, we help them begin to understand an event in history and to learn about people who shaped our nation.  We must be careful to provide accurate and age-appropriate information.

For parents and teachers of young children, I highly recommend the children’s book, One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy.  Predictable text makes it fun to read and rich illustrations encourage children to “read the pictures."  Help kids notice what the children - and turkeys! - in the pictures are doing, as they work and play as children likely did in 1621. Much of what we know of the first Thanksgiving and the Wampanoag people who joined Pilgrim separatists for that first three-day gathering  is illustrated in Hennessy’s children’s book.  Also included is back matter that explains Thanksgiving facts as we know them.

As you plan Thanksgiving activities and participate in them with children, don’t teach anything that they will have to “unlearn.” If you plan to have a program or feast or to act out the first Thanksgiving, keep in mind that stereotypical images can be lasting and hurtful. Strive for accurate and respectful images and information.

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian website offers many resources about Thanksgiving, including:

• a professional development webinar entitled “Giving Thanks: Telling More Complete Narratives About the First Thanksgiving.”
• Children of the Morning Light (informational resource book - Wampanoag Tales) as told by Manitouquat
• 1621-A New Look at Thanksgiving (informational resource book - ​National Geographic)

2.  Help children appreciate Native American cultures

​“During National Native American Heritage month, we celebrate Indigenous peoples, past and present… and honor the profound impact Native Americans continue to have in shaping our nation.” (From a proclamation issued by President Biden, Oct 31, 2022)

Many early childhood classrooms center stories and activities within a Thanksgiving theme during November. For young children, these activities and images may be their earliest impressions of Native American culture. While dressing up and making Thanksgiving crafts have a long tradition in many learning programs, we teachers and caregivers should be aware of the accuracy of these early and lasting impressions. Let's update our teaching traditions if necessary, so that we are reflecting accurate and age-appropriate representations of Native Americans.

This month, and throughout the year, we can explore different Native American tribes.  Children enjoy learning where Indigenous people typically lived, and the many different housing, resources, and traditions of their cultures. Let's also help children learn to compare stories of life “a long time ago” with how and where we all live now.

Helpful resources: 

• PBS Kids for Parents suggests a list of 12 books to celebrate Native American heritage. These are family-friendly books about Native Americans that feature Native kids and families today.
• Check out the PBS television show, Molly of Denali. Stories in the series share Alaska Native values such as respecting all things, seeing connections, and living carefully.

3.  Enjoy open-ended Thanksgiving activities

-​Through conversation, storytelling, play and creativity, you will be providing age-appropriate information that will lay the groundwork for understanding the history and traditions of Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas:

• Cooking with kids (real and pretend) - think measuring, pouring, stirring. Make cornmeal play-dough.
• Housekeeping area (or home)- include setting a table, role-play greeting guests and inviting friends, name and prepare foods that may be eaten at this year’s Thanksgiving.  Teachers, be sure to include family customs of all your children!
• Outdoor games: foot races and rolling hoops or modern-day football
• Bead crafts: Create bracelets, necklaces; learn about wampum 
• Block area: include building materials to construct a Wampanoag style wetu or wigwam with connecting sticks or straws, cloth pieces for mats or coverings and building logs for the Pilgrim style homes
• Painting: handprint turkeys, make a Thanksgiving table mural, “basting” a cooked turkey shaped paper with brown paint that looks like gravy; finger-print paint corn and peas.  Remember to keep art experiences open-ended!
• Plant seeds and observe growth of corn or other “crops”
• Books and storytelling: Through various stories, compare the first Thanksgiving with how we celebrate Thanksgiving today. While talking about pictures in books, be aware to present accurate and respectful images as much as possible.
• Language and writing: Explore picture symbols that Native Americans used to record events. Tell a story using picture symbols. Create your own picture story!
• Fine motor: weaving paper strips or plastic craft string, sewing lacing cards

Comment to share with us your own Thanksgiving activity ideas!

4.  Encourage thankfulness each and every day

November is a time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for, but let's not stop there! Let's let that abundance fill every day! 

At Thanksgiving, we're grateful to gather and share traditions with others.  We  may devote the day to showing appreciation for the blessings of food and of the people in our lives we share the day with, whether family, friends, or our community. 

We can give abundant thanks for health and blessings throughout the entire year, too.  Let's all make the effort to share our gratitude with others by letting them know how much we appreciate their service, their attention to their job, or their presence in our lives. Let's make the most of the opportunities to acknowledge the good we have! 

We can also help our children cultivate their gratitude:

• At home or in the classroom, ask children to name the things or people that they are most happy to have. Their responses can put an innocent and sometimes humorous spin on gratitude. Whether they are thankful for grandma, the moon, or their favorite animated character, it is important to lay the foundation for the positivity of gratitude in their lives. At the same time, we are reminded of little things that we often overlook, like a beautiful moon, or the joy your children find in simple things.
• Think of the people and things you are grateful for and share these with your children at home and school. 
• Share with others your gratitude for their place in your life, even if it is a simple, “Thank you!”

​Here are some more tips from Child Mind Institute on "Raising Grateful Kids" (See the article for all 10 tips):

• Set an example - model showing appreciation for others, including your children
• Find fun ways to show gratitude - draw or take pictures, use gestures if words are hard
• Let children choose how to get involved in group projects that help others

By the way, we at ECS are grateful for all of you who are helping young children thrive - thank you!

5.  Let children know what will happen ahead of time

Being prepared helps ease children’s anxiety - and behavior - during the holiday season!

We all feel better - and behave better! - when we know what to expect!  Here are some ideas to help your children prepare for and understand the upcoming changes in daily routine:

• Include young children in family holiday planning. Some families may travel, others may cook; children may see family members that are not familiar to them. Talking with children about what will happen helps them 

During holiday travel and activities:

• Tell your children what to expect and how the day will unfold
• Practice hellos and goodbyes, and greeting family members
• Don’t force affection. Respect children's boundaries and guide friends and relatives to do so
• Provide car/travel activities appropriate for your children
• Travel with a favorite blanket or pillow for naps and comfort in unfamiliar places
• Having a comfort item may also help at times when your children may become overwhelmed in unfamiliar situations
• Provide an “out” if the holiday situation is too stimulating, like taking a walk or doing breathing exercises together
• Help your children make conversation with adults when appropriate, like “Tell Grandma about the bird’s nest we found!”
• Be mindful of your own level of stress. Provide your children with a model of calm, even when travel, family, and meal stress put you to the test!
• As your schedule allows, balance physical activities for kids to move and play, with downtime for quiet/resting
• Keep routines such as naps, bedtime and meals as close to normal as possible. Recognize when it is time for little ones to “wind down” for the day 

We at ECS wish you a calm time of holiday preparation!
Check out our blog posts on emotional support and mindfulness if you'd like some helpful calming strategies!

References & Resources

Hennessy, B.G. (1999). One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims.  New York:  Viking.
National Museum of the American Indian. (n.d.). Smithsonian. https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360.
A Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month. (Oct 31, 2022.)  The White House.  www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/10/31/a-proclamation-on-national-native-american-heritage-month-2022/
10 Tips for Raising Grateful Kids:  How to help kids show (and feel) appreciation.  (Sept 9, 2021).  Child Mind Institute.  childmind.org/article/10-tips-raising-grateful-kids/