Welcome to the Storytime at Home series! Every other week, we share a list of book options tied to a kid-approved theme, a craft you can set up to go along with the theme, songs/rhymes you can do during storytime, and additional enrichment activities. All books are available at Richmond Public Library, and crafts will involve items you likely have at home already! Our hope is that we can make it easy for you to share stories with your little ones and create a little bit of library magic at home.
P.S. Love library storytimes? Take a look at all in-library storytime options here. There is a storytime for your child every morning at our various branches!
Okay, now to the fun stuff…
Today’s storytime theme is THANKSGIVING!
Thanksgiving season is here! We love this topic for reading with your children. It provides opportunities to discuss new foods, learn about gratitude, practice our best turkey gobbles, and learn about our country’s history. It also allows us to explore new and different cultures, traditions, and cuisines. Some Thanksgiving books also feature some wily antics and laugh-out-loud scenarios, making for a very entertaining bonding moment between you and your kiddos. Beyond the stories themselves, Thanksgiving lends itself well to extension activities like singing turkey songs, making turkey crafts, and cooking together to practice those early math skills like counting and measuring. The library has some wonderful books about Thanksgiving, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search ‘Thanksgiving’ in our catalog or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect book for you and your child.
Books
Reading to your kiddos turns them into confident thinkers. Making books a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to build children’s love of reading and learning. Storytimes also help build excitement around reading to support their literacy development.
Here are a few book options you can choose from for your Thanksgiving-themed storytime.
Preschool
- The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell
- A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
- Thanksgiving Day Thanks by Laura Elliott
- Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer
- At Our Table by Patrick Hulse
- A Very Stuffed Turkey by Katharine Kenah
- The 12 Days of Thanksgiving by Jenna Lettice
- Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
- When We Gather: A Cherokee Tribal Feast by Andrea Rogers
- Thanksgiving With Me by Margaret Willey
- Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
Toddler/Baby
- The Berenstain Bears: Thankful for Family by Stan and Jan Berenstain
- Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney
- Corduroy’s Thanksgiving by Don Freeman
- You’re My Pumpkin In My Pie by Laura Gehl
- Spot’s Thanksgiving by Eric Hill
- Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell
- Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
- This Is Thanksgiving by Harriey Ziefert
There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one!
Click here to see some of our favorite tips for bringing stories to life at home.
- Point at the pictures and ask your child what they see. Help build their vocabulary by pointing to pictures and saying the word aloud.
- Ask your child questions about the story: What do you think will happen next? How do you think this character is feeling?
- Read with expression and enthusiasm, and use different voices for different characters.
- Act out what’s happening in the story.
- As your child gets older, count objects in a book, discuss the different colors they see, point out shapes in the story, etc.
- Snuggle up and be patient. Reading is great bonding time for you and your child. Take your time walking them through the story. If your child wants to turn the page or be finished with reading, that’s OK too. You don’t have to read every word or even every page for reading with your little one to be beneficial for their development.
Songs and Rhymes
We love adding songs and rhymes to our storytimes. This is a great way to practice language with your child and support their physical (motor) development through movement.
Here are two songs and rhymes you can use for this themed storytime.
Sing and Move: If You’re A Turkey
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re a turkey and you know it, flap your wings!
If you’re a turkey and you know it, flap your wings!
If you’re a turkey and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you’re a turkey and you know it, flap your wings!
Additional Verses: wobble your head, shake your tail, say “Gobble, gobble,” do them all
Rhyme: A Funny Bird
Do actions in italics as you sing
A turkey is a funny bird
His head goes wobble wobble (wobble head)
But all he knows is just one word
Gobble, gobble, gobble!
Arts and Crafts
Adding a craft along with a book is a great way to continue allowing your child to learn, explore, and grow. Crafts are a nice supplement as they encourage motor development, creativity, self-confidence, and more.
In fact, art and craft activities:
- Build fine motor skills. Actions such as painting, coloring, gluing, and cutting develop small muscles in small hands and improve coordination skills as children learn to use both hands at the same time.
- Support early literacy. When children make art, they learn vocabulary and how to follow directions when getting verbal instructions from parents and caregivers. They also boost their communication skills via talking about their work!
- Teach early math concepts. Math skills are used frequently in arts and crafts. Kids learn about and recognize different shapes, count and sort art supplies, and even measure out materials.
- Encourage creativity. Art helps develop creativity, self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity.
- Boost self-esteem. Doing arts and crafts can give children a sense of achievement and allow them to take pride in their work, which builds confidence.
- Offer bonding time. Kids love spending quality time with parents and caregivers, and arts and crafts are a great opportunity for this.
Here is a craft activity you can do along with the Thanksgiving theme.
Corn Cob Painting Craft
Materials Needed
- Corn on the cob
- Paper Plate
- Paper
- Tempera/Washable Paint
Source: Pre-K Printable Fun
Directions
- Cut or snap corn cob in half.
- Pour a few paint colors onto paper plate.
- Roll and dip corn into paint.
- Roll and stamp corn cob onto paper to create fun patterns and textures.
Additional Enrichment Ideas
The fun doesn’t have to end at books, songs, and a craft. There are many ways to enrich a storytime with additional activities and lessons. Here are a few ideas for you and your child:
- Practice gratitude with a “thankful turkey” daily activity.
- Enjoy a delicious treat of nutter butter turkeys.
- Create Thanksgiving decor – like this ‘handy’ thanksgiving wreath – with your child.
- Create a Thanksgiving-themed sensory bin for your child to explore. Options like this cranberry water play or this corn and pinecone one are good.
- Do a Fall sink or float activity with your children to practice early science skills.
- Cook your favorite Thanksgiving foods with your child. Cooking together is great bonding as well as a prime opportunity to practice early math skills!
- Bring your child along as you shop for items to donate to a food bank.
We share these Storytime at Home posts twice a month, so be sure to check back soon for more. You can also search “#storytimeathome” to see all past posts.
Have a suggestion for the next theme we cover? Email Sarah at sarah.fenninger@rva.gov and let us know!
