Celebrate Thanksgiving in your daycare center by reading age appropriate stories that focus on the symbols of Thanksgiving and by implementing Thanksgiving themed activities.

Consider the following reading lists and resources for free Thanksgiving worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets for your child care center:

Reading List

Thanksgiving Board and Picture Books Baby-Age 3

Happy Thanksgiving, Emily by Claire Mauserel and Susan Calitri [Puffin, 2004]

Turkeys Never Gobble by Joan Holub and Jennifer Beck Harris [HarperFestival, 2002]

Happy Thanksgiving (Wee Board Book) by Wendy Cheyette Lewison [Grosset & Dunlap, 1993]

My First Thanksgiving Tomie dePaola [Grosset & Dunlap, 2008]

Turkey Time! by Kelly Asbury [Price Stern Sloan, 2000]

Corduroy’s Thanksgiving by Lisa McCue [Viking Juvenile, 2006]

Spot’s Thanksgiving by Eric Hill [Putnam Juvenile, 2003]

Hello Kitty: A Day of Thanks by Higashi Glaser [Abraham Brooks for Very Young Readers, 2005]

This is the Turkey by Abby Levine and Paige Billin-Frye [Albert Whitman & Company, 2000]

Thanksgiving Parade by Jodi Heulin and Kelly Asbury [Price Stern Sloan, 2000]

Five Silly Turkeys by Salina Yoon [Price Stern Sloan, 2005]

Thanksgiving Early Readers Ages 4-8

Turkey Trouble by Wendy Silvano and Lee Harper [Marshall Cavendish, 2009]

1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-Lisa and Robin Kramer [Albert Whitman, 1991]

Albert’s Thanksgiving by Leslie Tryon [Aladdin, 1998]

Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey by Teresa Bateman and Ellen Sasaski [Albert Whitman, 2008]

One is a Feast for a Mouse: a Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox and Jeffery Ebbeler [Holiday, 2008]

Run, Turkey, Run! By Diane Mayr and Laura Raider [Walker, 2007]

Thank You, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim [Clarion, 2003]

The Night before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing and Tammie Lyon [Grosset & Dunlap, 2001]

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland and Sonja Lamut [Grosset & Dunlap, 2000]

10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston and Richard F. Deas [Cartwheel, 2004]

Thanksgiving Parade Surprise by Cecile Schoberle and Kristina Stephenson [Little Simon, 2000]

Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern and Elroy Freem [Scholastic Paperbacks, 2003]

The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli and JoAnn Adinolfi [Square Fish, 2007]

The Story of the Pilgrims by H.L. Ross [Random House for Young Readers, 1995]

Free Thanksgiving Preschool Worksheets and Printables

There are many worksheets for fall that you can print out and use for your lesson plans and activities. Worksheets should include coloring pages like those on ABCTeach’s website, handwriting worksheets, and printable craft patterns.

The following websites provide free Thanksgiving printables:

ABCTEach: Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

First-Preschool: Free Printables for Thanksgiving

DLTK: Thanksgiving printables for preschoolers and worksheets for school aged children

Christian Preschool Printables: Thanksgiving Bible Crafts for Preschoolers

KidZone: Thanksgiving Math Activity Worksheets

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Reading List

Autumn Board Books and Picture Books (Baby – Age 3)

Dappled Apples by Jan Carr and Dorothy Donohue [Holiday House, 2001]

Leaf Baby: Baby Seasons Board Books by Mary Bridgid Barrett and Eve Chwast [Red Wagon Books, 1998]

Autumn by Gerda Muller [Floris Books, 1994]

Fall: Seasons Board Books by Chris L. Demarest [Red Wagon Books, 1996]

5 Little Pumpkins by Michael Scott [Hyperion Books, 2003]

One Fall Day by Molly Bang [Greenwillow books, 1994]

Pumpkin Baby by Jane Yollen and Susan Mitchell [Key Porter Books, 2009]

Acorns Everywhere by Kevin Sherry [Dial, 2009]

Early Readers Ages 4-8

Clifford’s First Autumn by Norman Bridwell [Cartwheel, 1997]

Why Do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro and Loretta Krupinski [Collins, 1994]

In November by Cynthia Rylant and Jill Kastner [Sandpiper, 2008]

Corn is Maize by Aliki [Collins, 1986]

We Gather Together by Wendy Pfeiffer and Linda Beck [Dutton Juvenile, 2006]

Autumn An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur and  Leslie Evans [Clarion Books, 1997]

When Autumn Comes by Robert Mass [Henry Holt & co., 1992]

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Elhert [Harcourt Children’s Books, 1991]

Fall (Four Seasons Series) by Nuria Roca [Barron’s Educational Series, 2004]

Arthur Jumps into Fall by Marc Brown [LB Kids, 2006]

Fall is Here by Elaine W. Good [Good Books, 1969]

Leaves by David Ezra Stein [Putnam Juvenile, 2007]

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper [Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005]

Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky [Putnam, 1996]

Free Autumn Preschool Worksheets and Printables
There are many worksheets for fall that you can print out and use for your lesson plans. Worksheets should include coloring pages, handwriting worksheets like those on First-Preschool’s website, and printable craft patterns. For older children, try DLTK’s autumn worksheets which are appropriate for school aged children.

The following websites provide free fall printables:
First- Preschool: Autumn Coloring Pages
DLTK:  Autumn activities for Kids
KidZone: Autumn Themed Resources
PrintActivities.com: Fall Activities
Apples for the Teacher: Autumn Coloring Book Pages

Autumn symbols and themes include leaves, pumpkins, corn, scarecrows, apples, wheat, harvest, cornucopia, sunflowers, trees, acorns, pinecones, and wreaths. Building lesson plans around these symbols help teach young children in daycare centers about autumn, fall, harvesting, and thanksgiving.

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Children’s books are usually categorized by genre and reading level. First books are divided into three categories: Fiction, folklore or poetry, nonfiction. Nonfiction books are books of information.  Folklore and poetry include folktales, mythology, tall tales, nursery rhymes, verse and epic literature.

Fiction books for children are then divided further into categories by reading level: Board books, picture books, easy readers, transitional books, and chapter books.  Infants and toddlers and preschoolers in child care centers are interested in board books, picture books, and easy readers.

Board Books

Board books are soft books for infants and young children with rounded edges. In addition picture books may have pop-up feature or flaps or a variety of textures for young children to explore.

Classic Board Books

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle [Puffin, 1994]

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd [HarperCollins, 2005]

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson [HarperFestival, 1993]

Picture Books

Picture books pair art with story. Some picture book pages may only have a few words while others may have a few paragraphs. Picture books are intended to convey ideas through art and to stir the imagination.  Picture books are usually 32 pages. To select exceptional picture books for your childcare center, choose picture books that integrate outstanding text and excellent illustrations.

Classic Picture Books

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter [Warne, 2002]

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle [Holt and Co., 2008]

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans [Viking, 2000]

Make way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey [Viking, 1965]

Harold and the Paper Crayon [HarperCollins, 1998]

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats [Puffin, 1976]

Polar Bear Express by Chris Van Allsburg [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade, 2009]

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak [HarperCollins, 1998]

Easy Readers: As children develop reading and comprehension skill they move on to easy readers. They help children build the skills of children are just beginning to learn to read. Easy readers marry exceptional pictures with simple sentences.

Classic Easy Reader books

Little Bear by Elsa Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak [HarperTrophy, 1978]

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss [Random House, 1957]

Frog and Toad are Friends Book and CD by Arnold Lobel [HarperCollins, 2005]

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant [Aladdin, 2006]

Bread and Jam for Francis by Russell and Lillian Hoban [HarperTrophy, 1993]

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Hanging Halloween Spiders

You will need: black tempera paint, medium Styrofoam balls, wide black pipe cleaners, plastic wiggly eyes, a needle, fishing line, and tape.

Directions: Paint Styrofoam balls with black paint. Let dry completely. Next cut the pipe cleaners in half and stick four pipe cleaners in each side of the Styrofoam balls. Then, glue two eyes on each spider. Thread needles with fishing line and spring fishing line through each spider. Then Hang spiders by the string by taping them to the ceiling.

Halloween Cognitive Activity

Bat Sorting

Bat sorting teaches young children both classification and counting. For this activity you will need to cut both large and small bats out of black construction paper. You can use a template or draw them freehand. You will also need two containers. Ask the children to sort bats the bats into large and small placing the small bats in one container and large bats in another. Next ask the children to count the total number of small bats and the total number of large bats. Ask them which number is larger.

Halloween Cooking Activity

Pumpkin Milkshakes

As a special holiday treat, try Pumpkin Milkshakes. In a blender, blend Âź pint of vanilla ice cream, Âź cup of milk, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of fresh pumpkin pureed. Pour into frosty glasses and top with fresh whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon. Children will have fun pouring ingredients into the blender and scooping whipped cream. You can also make your own fresh pumpkin puree with the children.

Halloween Circle Time Activity

5 Little Pumpkins Finger Play (similar to 5 Little Monkeys)

“Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;

The first one said, ‘Oh my it’s getting late.’

The second one said, ‘There are witches in the air.’

The third one said, ‘But I don’t care.’

The fourth one said, ‘I’m ready for some fun!’

The fifth one said, ‘Let’s run and run and run.’

‘Wooooooo’ went the wind,

And out went the lights.

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.”

Halloween Books for Preschoolers

Consider adding the following books to your child care resource center and reading them during your Halloween unit.

Halloween Treats:  A Touch-and-Feel Book by Tom Arma [Grosset and Dunlap, 2000]

Candy Corn by Kelly Asbury [Price Stern Sloan, 2001]

What is Halloween by Michelle Medlock Adams and Amy Wummer [Candy Cane Press, 2007]

Baby Strawberry’s First Halloween by SI Artists [Grosset and Dunlap, 2007]

It’s Halloween, Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillard [Modern Curriculum Press, 1980]

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I. Birth to 1 year
At this stage, you might even think that it is impossible to do anything that will affect the reading skills of your child. You may want to start at this early age of development to create a learning atmosphere for your child. Do read to your child constantly at this age. It is important that you show her the pictures in the books that you use. Observe how your child responds because you will know if she is interested in story telling time.

II. 1 to 3 years

At these ages, your children will be in a crucial stage when it comes to the learning process. This is when she will learn how to talk, making room to learn more language skills, especially reading. Statr teaching your child how to read the alphabet. Knowing the alphabet can really go a long way in your child’s development. You need to make sure that you have interaction when you tech your child how to read. When reading, do make gestures and facial expressions that they can associate with certain emotions. It is also recommended to read animal stories, and accompany it with matching animal sounds. Kids really love animal stories at this age.

You should read a lot and even make it a habit to read to your child. This is when you will be able to teach them. There are picture books that show pictures of words that children might associate with. You may start teaching them how to read words or even phrases.

III. 3 to 4 years

During preschool, your child will further her reading skills since they will start going to school now. They will spend most of their time interacting with other people. Most school activities will include their teacher reading to them storybooks, mostly fairy tales. You child may even have a favourite character and imitate them. You may start teaching them how to write and how to read more difficult words as well as sentences. You need to teach your child how to handle the books properly.

There are some signs and labels that your kid must be familiar with like stop signs, female and male signs and others that will be helpful when they are left in school without you. Most importantly, teach them how to ask if they are unsure of the signs that they are reading. Teach them phrases like “I love you” or “Thank you’. These are phrases which they can use in preschool when interacting with the teacher or fellow students.

IV. 5 years
At kindergarten, you may need to ask them if they want to read the lines or words for you. This can be great training for the kid so that they will not be afraid to learn. Allow them to read to you and actually listen to them. Explain to them that reading should be done left to right going down the page. Start playing reading games, giving a prize for every correct word that they read. Also, if they know the meaning or if they can give a word that starts with that letter, she will get a special prize. They may also work with familiarity with starting sounds as well as ending sounds. Kids love to associate things and find that this is an effective method, do allow them to discover their way of learning.

Subtly correct them if they make mistakes, but do not make them feel that they have done a big mistake. This will discourage them from reading in the future. Descriptive language is recommended when asking questions. You may make learning a fun experience by engaging in rhyming games. You can now match written words with spoken ones so that they may be able to comprehend phrases as well as sentences.

V. 6 years old

This is the culminating stage of the reading process. Sure enough, beyond the first-grade, children will still continue the reading process, but more or else, your child will have an idea on how to read properly. Rereading stories are what kids this age do best, they will reread their favourite stories to anyone, including you. You may want to incorporate a game where you predict what will happen, or asking questions about the story and they must find the answers in the book. Ask them to read aloud, and be proud of what they are reading. They will be confident that what they are doing is right and allow them to enjoy that freedom when they read to you. Yes, children love the idea that they are given a change to read a story with print, picture clues and memory. They will be able to associate stories with these elements. Let them learn new words by associating phonetics with similar words and you may even help them if they are having difficulty.

Ask them to identify new words just by looking at them and figuring out how to read them. You may throw in a little vocabulary so that they will know what those words are when they start to read them in a sentence. Besides from this, you need to teach them how to write sentences and how they feel. They need to learn punctuations, capitalizations and the right way of combining words to form meaning.

The developmental stage of your child is very crucial. You need to take each stage seriously as part of their learning process. Build interest in reading because this can really be a big part of your child’s development. There are so much that they can learn from reading so do not take this skill for granted

See: How to start a daycare center

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