Thanksgiving is coming up next week! As we approach any major holiday, we are often busy with preparations. And we often need our kids to be busy with something else, at least for a little while. So as you get ready for Thanksgiving, we’re happy to offer a hand. We’ve got 3 great Thanksgiving ideas for you at Signing Time.
Signs
Of course, we’re all about the Thanksgiving signs. That’s our best Thanksgiving idea for you! And we can’t talk about Thanksgiving signs without the sign for turkey!
Another good Thanksgiving dinner sign is the sign for potato and then we need to know the sign for dessert . You can find a bunch more food signs here in our Signing Time Dictionary.
Here is a short, free video about Thanksgiving signs to help you learn how to sign, “Happy Thanksgiving!” along with a couple other Thanksgiving signs.
And if you’re a football fan, it’s a great time to learn the sign for football!
Games and puzzles
Kids love games and puzzles. And these types of activities can help keep them busy while we’re working on Thanksgiving baking.
This is the perfect time to break out some puzzles that our kids are able to work on independently. Maybe even set up a special place to work on puzzles this week. And, a family puzzle is a great way for you to spend time together and take a break during a busy week.
Then there are games, which also are great for both family time and activity for our kids. It’s a good time to pull out a few favorites and let your kids enjoy playing them. And it’s a good way to keep them busy, especially as the weather keeps getting colder in some of our regions.
Thanksgiving Books
You know we love to help kids learn to read at My Signing Time, and learning to sign helps kids learn to read more easily. So next in our great Thanksgiving ideas for you is a round-up of some Thanksgiving books. These can be for you to enjoy together, or for your kids to page through on their own.
Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson – Bear throws a feast for his friends, but runs into a little problem
Five Silly Turkeys by Salina Yoon – a fun counting book with silly turkeys doing silly things
Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney – a Llama Llama Thanksgiving book
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland – thinking through all things we can be thankful for
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet – the story of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Turkey Trouble by Wendi J. Silvano – Turkey tries to not look like a turkey at Thanksgiving time
Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving by Kimberly and James Dean – Pete the Cat is in a Thanksgiving play
The Thankful Book by Todd Parr – a classic celebrating all we can be grateful for
How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace – a New York Times bestseller in the How to Catch series
The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli – different Thanksgiving celebrations in different families, but both are special and wonderful
Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit by Norman Bridwell – classic Clifford at Thanksgiving
Hopefully you can find a few of these at your library this week!
So there are our 3 great Thanksgiving ideas for you. And don’t forget that we always have fun, educational shows available at My Signing Time to help you and your kids during a busy week.