Time for Family & Friends

In The United States Thanksgiving tradition began in 1621 after the first harvest by the Pilgrims who came from England.  New York was the first state to celebrate Thanksgiving in 1817 and in 1863 it became an official holiday.

Thanksgiving is generally seen as a time to get together with loved ones, eat a ridiculously large amount of food, watch some football, and of course give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Many homes will be decorated with horns of plenty, dried corn, and other ’symbols’ of Thanksgiving.  Schoolchildren across America will ‘reenact’ Thanksgiving by dressing as either pilgrims or Wampanoag Indians.

Start a Thankful List with the children:

Have each child write a list of things he or she is thankful for and hang it on the refrigerator.  Keep adding to the list by asking the children at least once a day what they were thankful for that day. If the child is too young to write, have the child tell you what he/she is thankful for and you write it down.

This could be shared with the family at the Thanksgiving table!