I love the holiday of Thanksgiving!
It’s a great family holiday and a great time to focus on something we should be doing every day of the year – Practicing gratitude.
I have written several posts about Thanksgiving books and activities and resources, but I wanted to write a fresh one because I’ve found some new things.
I made this document called Fun Ways to Homeschool through the Holidays in November last year that you can download and print out if you haven’t already.
And now for my favorite Thanksgiving Books and Resources:
Favorite Books
Picture Books
- Mousekin’s Thanksgiving – Edna Miller – look for this at a used bookstore – very expensive on Amazon!
- Cranberry Thanksgiving – Wende and Harry Devlin
- Thelonius Turkey Lives – Lynn Rowe Reed
- Thanksgiving Day at Our House – Nancy White Carlstrom
- It’s Thanksgiving – Jack Prelutsky
- The Relatives Came – Cynthia Rylant
- Boxes for Katje – Candace Fleming
- Thank You, Sarah – Laurie Halse Anderson
- Thanksgiving Mice – Bethany Roberts
- Thanksgiving Rules – Laurie Friedman
- Thanksgiving Treat – Catherine Stock
- Thanksgiving is For Giving Thanks – Margaret Sutherland
- The Story of the Pilgrims – Katharine Ross
- The Thanksgiving Story – Alice Dalgliesh
- A Turkey for Thanksgiving – Eve Bunting
- In November – Cynthia Rylant
- An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving – Louisa May Alcott illus. by James Bernardin
- Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving – Eric Metaxas
- Three Young Pilgrims – Cheryl Harness
- Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims – Clyde Robert Bulla
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BOOKS for Older Kids
1. Farmer Boy – Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. Thanksgiving: Heart-warming Stories for Children – with authors like Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery
Good History Series for Independent Reading or Read Aloud
- Dear America – A Journey to the New World – Remember Patience Whipple
2. My Name is America
3.Young American Voices
4. American Girls Series
5. Rush Revere – Rush Limbaugh
6. Gilbert Morris Series – The House of Winslow and The Appomattox Saga
7. Heroes of History – Published by YWAM
8.Childhood of Famous Americans
9. Between Two Flags – Lee Roddy
10. The Christian Heritage Series – Focus on the Family, Nancy N. Rue
11. Trailblazers – Dave and Neta Jackson
12. The American Adventure Series – Teri Ann Berg Olsen –
Great article about this series
13. Reel Kids Adventures – Dave Gustaveson
14. G.A. Henty
15. Hero Tales – Dave Jackson
Books about Gratitude
- Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco – 5-9 years old
- My First Gratitude Journal by Creative Journals for Kids – 5-9
- Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts 5-8
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – YA
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – YA
- The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor – 7-10
- The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera – 4-8
- What is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack – 6-8
- Thankful by Eileen Spinelli – 2-6
- White Bird by R.J. Palacio – 8-12 – A holocaust graphic novel
- Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming – 4-8
- The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Thomas Locker – 4-8
- An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
- Thankful by Elaine Vickers – 4-8
- Sincerely Emerson by Emerson Weber 4-8
- The Things I’m Grateful For by Arnie Lightning – 4-9 – Activities
Christian Books about Gratitude
- The Blessings Jar by Colleen Coble – 2-5
- I will Rejoice by Karma Wilson – 4-8
- Ronnie Wilson’s Gift by Francis Chan – 4-8
- I’m Thankful Each Day by P.K. Hallinan – 2-5
- The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado – 3-9
- Glory by Nancy White Carlstrom – 5-8
- Growing Grateful: Live Happy, Peaceful and Contented by Mary Kassian – Devotional for Mom
- Gratitude and Listening Prayer Journal by Penney Douglas – High School and up
Videos for Thanksgiving and American History
- Little House on the Prairie TV episode “Thanksgiving – A Harvest of Friends”
2. Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn
3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
6. The Thanksgiving that Almost Wasn’t (1970)
7. History of Thanksgiving for Kids
10. The REAL story of Thanksgiving – Rush Limbaugh (for older kids)
Historical Roots of Thanksgiving
Wallbuilders.com has lots of good historical documents like this one:
Thanksgiving Proclamation of the Continental Congress 1777
This is the text of the Continental Congress’ November 1, 1777 national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation; as printed in the Journals of Congress.
Poetry Tea Time
Thanksgiving Unit Studies
Amanda Bennett Thanksgiving Unit Study
White House Holidays – Thanksgiving
Pete the Cat Thanksgiving Lesson Plan
Monthly Activity Pack for November by 1+1+1=1
Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack by The Crafty Classroom
Notebooking
Thanksgiving Notebook Pages from A Journey Through Learning
Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages from Productive Homeschooling (FREE)
Thanksgiving and Fall Notebook and Copywork Pages from Heritage Grove Academy
Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages and more from Notebooking Nook (FREE)
Lapbooks
Other Activities
Fun Things for Kids to do on Thanksgiving
Gratitude Journals
Benefits of Gratitude Journals
- Boost happiness
- Gain experience – kindness challenges, memory-making
- Enhance perspective
- Increase self-esteem
- Improve overall health
WriteShop.com – Gratitude Journal for Kids
NotConsumed.com – Gratitude Printable Pack
KoriClark.com – Gratitude Journal – Beautiful Design
Gratitude and Listening Prayer Journal by Penney Douglas – High School and up
Gratitude Journals on Amazon – 3 Min. Journals, 5 Min. Journals, Girls’ Gratitude Journals, Kids’ Gratitude Journals
Make a Gratitude Tree
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
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