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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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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