I get this question a lot, and I don’t have a perfect answer for it —because so much depends on your specific students, their families of origin, and how your area recognizes or does not recognize Thanksgiving. You may not even know there are issues with celebrating Thanksgiving in schools – or perhaps you disagree that there are. There is room for many views and for holding conflicting feelings at the same time. We all bring our own experiences with us, and our students do too. As teachers, we need to be especially sensitive to the fact that our experiences don’t always or even often mirror those of our students. So, I don’t have a perfect answer for you, but I will share some dos and don’ts I follow and have found helpful over the years regarding Thanksgiving.
This is not an exhaustive list of best practices for Thanksgiving in the early childhood classroom; rather, it’s teacher-to-teacher advice about how to be reflective about your practice, which is part of the unifying framework according to NAEYC.
DOs and DON’Ts For Teaching Preschoolers About Thanksgiving
Do
Acknowledge that this holiday exists and that some families celebrate it and others don’t.
This doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out lesson. Instead, I like using books like Our Favorite Day of the Year to highlight that every family celebrates different days. We want to teach here that differences are valued and honored.
Don’t
Make one, either celebrating or not celebrating Thanksgiving, more valid. Both are valid and deserve to be honored.
Do
If you are exploring thankfulness, focus on being thankful for things relevant to your students.
My class focuses on being thankful for farms, food, friends, and family. These are all relevant because we’ve just had a farm field trip and will learn more about food and family following it. We also have a feast together where every student brings their favorite food to share. It’s a true potluck! That’s what works for us. We do a lot of Harvest Farm ideas.
Don’t
Focus on the inaccurate history of Thanksgiving. Skip pilgrims, the Mayflower, and the false narrative many of us were taught as small children. Inaccuracies aside, history like this is very abstract for young children.
Do
Spend time acknowledging Indigenous people and culture(s)—especially local tribes. Try to be as specific to your area as possible.
Don’t
Make this the only time you include learning about Indigenous culture in your classroom. Make it a priority to learn more and include it in your curriculum where possible. I have found that including Indigenous books when we learn about specific animals throughout the year, environmentalism around Earth Day, and learning about family, community, and kindness during our social-emotional lessons is a good start in my class.
The bottom line is you have to teach the children in front of you, respecting their and their families’ identities and experiences. So, there is no perfect answer here, and like many of you, as I learn more and practice reflection in my pedagogy, I make changes. That’s the best part of teaching; we aren’t glued to only one way of doing things. As you may notice in my Thanksgiving craft ideas and book lists, I have updated them over the years as I have shifted views and learned more.
What about Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts at Preschool?
I get a lot of questions about turkey crafts. Are they appropriate? I wrestle with this from time to time, and for me, the answer is yes, for now. For my students, the turkey is a generic symbol of the holiday they see highlighted at this time of year. I try to connect it to farms and our learning, and I would be lying if I said I am not wrestling with this. I am sure some of you think it’s nuts that I am thinking this hard about turkeys, and some of you may be condemning me for including them because of their connection to a false and harmful narrative. That’s why I say for now… as always, it may not be the answer for you or your students.
I hope more than anything, this discussion about how I have decided to recognize Thanksgiving in my classroom helps you think more and reflect on Thanksgiving, even if it doesn’t give you any definite answers.
Now let me ask you, how are you choosing to recognize Thanksgiving or not recognize it in your classroom?