🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

😌 Emotional Self-Regulation — Managing the feelings that arise during activities — frustration when something doesn't work, excitement, disappointment at the end — builds the self-regulation foundation that distinguishes emotionally ready kindergarteners.

🧠 Executive Function — Planning an activity, following multi-step directions, and seeing a project through to completion builds the executive function skills — working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control — that are the strongest predictors of school success.

🏃 Gross Motor Development — Large-movement activities develop the coordination, balance, and muscle strength that underpin physical confidence and school-readiness fitness.

🧩 Problem Solving — Working through a challenge — figuring out how pieces fit, how to balance a stack, or how to make something work — develops the perseverance and logical reasoning skills children use across every learning domain.

One of the things preschoolers can learn to do on Thanksgiving is show how grateful they are for the things they have. And what better way to learn by example than by having everyone in attendance show -- not necessarily just say -- how grateful they are on this harvest holiday.

What You Need

A large empty basket or box

Autumn-colored ribbons

Glue gun if necessary

Harvest style wrapping paper

An item -- whether it be a picture, toy, book, letter, song, etc. -- for which you are very grateful

What To Do

Step 1: Decorate the basket or box with the ribbons and wrapping paper. Keep a lid separate if necessary.

Step 2: Advise all of your dinner guests of your plans and ask them to bring a very special item with them to your house on Thanksgiving.

Step 3: Leave the covered basket or box by the front door and ask guests to put their item in in upon arrival. No peeking at what the others brought!

Step 4: Before dinner, in lieu of saying grace or after saying grace, have your preschooler help open the box at the table and have each person describe why they are thankful for that item. Make sure you have a box of tissue handy in case anyone gets really sentimental.

Step 5: Make sure everyone leaves with whatever item came with them.

More Thanksgiving Preschool Activities

Preparing The Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving centers around three things in most households -- family, food and football. And while all three can go together, the first two have a very common bond. Bringing the family together for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast is not only a great family activity, but also one that a preschooler can help out with as well.

Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

Similar to a traditional "I Spy" game or scavenger hunt, this holiday preschool activity allows one or more children to keep busy during a long festive day. No reading is involved, so the game is geared specifically toward younger children.

I'm Mary Beth P. Adomaitis, the Preschool Activities writer and associate editor for Preschoolrock.com. As a mom of a preschooler, I love hearing from other parents and teachers of preschoolers. If you have any preschool activity ideas, suggestions or questions, feel free to contact me.

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