With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s fun to think of something special to give our kids to celebrate the occasion. I enjoy giving my kids Thanksgiving books andBest Thanksgiving Children's Books books about thankfulness. Reading books together on thankfulness is a great way to encourage our kids to be thankful and get them excited about celebrating Thanksgiving. Here are a few books and even thankful calendars I recommend. Many  of the books can also be found on my website under the toddler/preschool resources tab.

AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLOSURE
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The following reviews are based solely on my opinion from having read through the content and gathered feedback from other like-minded moms.  Some of the age ranges were taken from the author’s description, while others are my own opinions based on the vocabulary level, amount of words used in the text, and observations from having used them with children. 

Preschool-Early Elementary:


Pumpkin Patch Blessings
By: Kim Washburn
Zonderkidz
Best for ages: 3-6

This sweet fall board book teaches little ones about the wonder of God’s creation in the fall and all the blessings He gives to us this time of year.


My Thanksgiving Prayer
By: Crystal Bowman
Zonderkidz
Best for ages: 2-6

This adorable book for the young is a Thanksgiving prayer to read with your young children on Thanksgiving day. The cute illustrations and rhyming text will help your children remember all the reasons they can be thankful this season and any time of year.


The Pumpkin Gospel: A Story of a New Start with God
By: Dr. Mary Manz Simon
B&H Kids; Illustrated Edition
Best for ages: 2-6

This is a sweet board book that relates the carving of the pumpkin to our new life with Jesus.  I love how the kids can carve the pumpkin while reading the story.  This gives them not just the visual but sensory experience to help them understand how God cleans our hearts and shines brightly within us!

God Gave Us Thankful Hearts
By: Lisa Tawn Bergren
Best for ages: 3-7

This popular book from the “God Gave Us” series shares the story of a pup who is sad because his friends are hibernating for the winter.  His mother teaches him how to be thankful by focusing on the wonderful blessings God has given him.


P Is for Pumpkin: God’s Harvest Alphabet
By: Kathy Jo Wargin
Zonderkidz
Best for ages: 3-6

This charming book takes little ones through the alphabet with signs of fall and reminders of God’s goodness throughout. This book would make a great fall gift for a young child!


What Is Thanksgiving?
By: Michelle Medlock Adams
Candy Cane Press
Best for ages: 3-7

This rhyming book is one of my favorites for younger kids to teach them God’s heart for Thanksgiving. Each page suggests different ideas of what thanksgiving is about, but by the end the conclusion is made that Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks to God who made all of it.


The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition (Parable Series)
By: Liz Curtis Higgs
Thomas Nelson
Best for ages: 3-8

This is a great read for children in the fall to help them understand their newness in Christ through an allegory of a pumpkin! The story is about a farmer who plants pumpkins and transforms an ordinary pumpkin into a glorious sight as a jack-o-lantern, just as the Lord cleans and transforms us, and gives us His light to shine brightly for Him.


VeggieTales: A Thankful Heart Is a Happy Heart, a Digital Pop-Up Book
B & H Kids Publishing
Best for ages: 3-7

This adorable book by Veggie Tales is about Madame Blue who learns a lesson about being thankful for what God has given for her. This fun story will help teach your kids a lesson about contentment and thankfulness. An app is available to turn this book into a digital pop-up as a bonus feature!


The Story of the Pilgrims (Pictureback(R))
By: Katharine Ross
Random House Books for Young Readers
Best for ages: 3-7

This book came highly recommended on Amazon and shares the story of the pilgrims as they come to America and their first Thanksgiving.


The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving
By: Ann Mcgovern
Scholastic Paperbacks
Best for ages: 4-8

This book also describes the Pilgrim’s trip to the new world and all the hardships they went through to get to the first Thanksgiving. I read this one with my kids to teach them about the first Thanksgiving, and they really enjoyed it.

Thankful Heart Calendar
Thankful Heart Calendar
By: Growing Kids for the Kingdom
Best for ages: 4-6

I created this calendar to help little ones understand what it means to be thankful.  If you want to study the character trait of thankfulness with your preschooler, this calendar would be a great resource!


Thankful Picture Printable
By: Growing Kids for the Kingdom
Best for ages: 3-7

This Thanksgiving themed printable encourages your children to thank God for different things by drawing a picture.

Older Elementary Resources:

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
By: Eric Metaxes
Best for ages: 6-10

This book is great read for elementary aged kids (and parents!) to learn more details about the first Thanksgiving.  It’s a fascinating story of Squanto’s life and how he was sold as a slave, but the miracle of God bringing him back to his country and using him to save the pilgrims during that first difficult winter in America.

Thankful Prayer Printable
By: Growing Kids for the Kingdom
Best for ages: 6-10
This Thanksgiving themed printable encourages your children to thank God for different things by drawing a picture.

Thanksgiving Gratitude Calendar
By: Mary- Joy With A Purpose Blog
Best for ages: 5-12

I found this gratitude calendar, and although it is from 2017, the ideas are great to SHOW gratitude over the holiday.  I plan to print this out and do many of these with the family as a way to demonstrate thankfulness to others!

Thanksgiving Bible Verse Calendar
By: Danika Cooley
Best for ages: 7-12

We are using this calendar to focus on having a thankful heart to God for the month.  I love giving my kids opportunities to look up verses, and I like how the topics help us realize all the amazing reasons we have to thank our God.  You can find more great resources for thanksgiving at Danika’s website: thinkingkidsblog.org

If you have other Christian books on a thankful heart that your family enjoys or would like to comment on any of these resources, I would love to hear from you. Please add your comments below!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy spending a little extra time snuggling with your children and reading books about this special holiday.

~Taylor