Thanksgiving Books and Recipes to Share with the Kids

 

Image courtesy of Old Design Shop

 

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Tis the season to be thankful! It’s always time to be thankful, of course, but I love this time of year because many people take the time to remind themselves and share with others what they are thankful for.

This is a time to reconnect with my kids and discuss what we have to be thankful for. Instead of having a sit-down conversation, we share our thoughts while we’re in the kitchen baking and trying new recipes. And we read stories together. Stories that teach us about the challenges of others, the struggles of the past, and joy and understanding that comes from sharing in and learning from those challenges.

Like every other family, many of our days are full of our own kinds of challenges. And we spend time running, trying to keep up with the errands and chores and responsibilities we are committed to. In the middle of all the crazy, it’s easy to lose sight of what we want the real lessons of life to be.

Here are a few books and recipes to share with your kids during the Thanksgiving season:

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr: This isn’t a Thanksgiving book, but it’s a great chapter book to read as a family about a young man who walks a flock of turkeys from Missouri to Colorado to turn a profit. He runs into lots of adventure on the way and it’s based around the same time as Little House on the Prairie so it’s fun to hear about what life was like during that time.

 

Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende Devlin: This was one of my favorites growing up. A book about family, passing down traditions, and sharing kindness and joy with others. And I always looked forward to making the bread from the recipe that’s included.

 

 

Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen: This is a story about how a young immigrant girl learns about the traditions of Thanksgiving in America, and settles into a new land with her family.

 

 

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson: This is a story about how people almost forgot about Thanksgiving. But thanks to Sarah, Thanksgiving is a National holiday that we remember and celebrate every year.

 

The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell: Burning your Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be a terrible thing. This book shows how one families ruined dinner turns into a meaningful celebration full of new friends, sharing, kindness, and understanding.

 

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving: This story by Louisa May Alcott tells the story of Tilly, Prue, and their brothers and sisters taking over the Thanksgiving meal preparation. This is another great family read-aloud.

 

 

For more Thanksgiving books check out my post from last year here: https://dandelionmoms.com/2016/11/top-12-childrens-books-for-thanksgiving/.

Ready to get in the kitchen with your kids? Here are some easy fall recipes to get you started. We subscribe to Raddish and get a monthly box with recipes, activities, and a new tool to use in the kitchen. This month they shared their Thanksgiving playlist, a fun activity, and their applesauce recipe. Try it out here: https://www.raddishkids.com/pages/thanksgiving.

Another easy recipe for kids to make is the Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole recipe. It’s one of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes and we usually only have it on Thanksgiving. But it’s fun and easy for kids to make. The recipe here calls for soy sauce, but we’ve never added that, so you can choose to put it in or omit it. Either way, it’s delicious. Get the recipe here: https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/green-bean-casserole/.

And of course, kids love to help with dessert. What’s easier than pumpkin pie? Libby’s has a fantastic pumpkin pie recipe that’s easy for the kids to make that you can find here: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/.

 

Enjoy your holiday season and be sure to take some time to read and cook with your kids. You’ll make memories you’ll all remember for years to come. That’s a lot to be thankful for!

0