Do you remember the joy and wonder you experienced as a child during the holiday season? From Halloween straight through New Years, your days were probably full of songs, games, gifts, food and parties. As we get older, we start to feel some of that magic fade away. We rack up the bills buying gifts, baking supplies, tickets to holiday shows, and more. We stress ourselves to the limit making travel plans, planning parties and making sure that we get every minute filled with holiday fun to try to get back some of that joy we felt as kids. Does overbuying and overplanning really bring back the joy?
Celebrating The Night Before Thanksgiving
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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de 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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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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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.
