ALT-1 Teaching Children about Thanksgiving
The important aspect of teaching children about Thanksgiving is that it helps them to set moral standards and to appreciate the things in life which are often taken for granted. Thanksgiving is a reminder that there are people in the world who have less to be thankful for, and that indeed the blessings that children have are greater than they may suppose. It's important to begin to teach them early in their lives, and the best ways are by showing them a little of what's out in the world, and letting them learn the art of being content with their lot. It is, after all, the small things that everyone should appreciate, and children are very fast to catch on once they understand the principle.
Games for Thanksgiving.
A great game for young children begins with prayer time, and is reinforced every day when the children wake up in the lead up to Thanksgiving. A prayer time, ask each child to think of something good about their lives compared with others. What happened in their day? What makes them happy? In the morning, upon waking, encourage each child to reinforce that happy feeling by saying “I'm happy because …....” and letting them fill in the blanks.
It becomes a game and a family tradition, but for toddlers it's a great learning curve. If parents join in and use simple examples, they begin to see that there is a lot in the world to be thankful about. Add to this, as they get a little older, prayers for people who aren't as well off, or who have broken families and no mommy or daddy to share Thanksgiving with, or something they can relate to. In this day and age, there are so many kids without parents that chances are, they will know many within their school class.
Making things for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving dinner takes a lot of arrangement. The kids will know that the family are gathering together to create memories. Get each child to make something to place on the dinner table as a center piece. They love to participate and will be proud of their contribution to the Thanksgiving celebration. Get them to come up with ideas. Perhaps place names for everyone in the family is a good and simple idea for children. This reinforces the idea of the celebration, and thus helps it to become something they recognize from an early age.
The gathering of the family.
Show by example that Thanksgiving is a time for people to gather together and all help out with the celebration. Then get them to talk with friends about how they celebrate Thanksgiving. In the evenings which run up to Thanksgiving, compare all the stories, and tell stories about kids who don't have much to celebrate. Older kids can be encouraged to help out in a local shelter, even if only in the daytime hours. It really does make them appreciate the gathering of their family for the family get together, and also shows them the misfortune of others.
Learning about Thanksgivings in the past.
After the Thanksgiving dinner, gather the family members together to talk about what Thanksgiving means to them. Story telling is how people pass knowledge the best when it comes to teaching children something new. These stories can include how Thanksgivings used to be celebrated years ago, and perhaps bringing out the family album and recounting stories from grandma and grandpa, and even delving into history in story form helps them gain an understanding.
Holding hands around the table.
During that prayer before the Thanksgiving dinner, pause for a while and let each family member add their vote of thanks, going around the table, and one at a time telling what that family member is thankful for. It's a very moving experience for a child, and although they may be young and at an age where they are more interested in the turkey, what it does is help them to understand the way people think in a positive way. It reinforces positivity in a wonderful way, and if in some of the thanks, the children are acknowledged, they will recognize how pleasurable it is to be part of something which sees the cup as half full instead of half empty.
Thanksgiving for the family is about togetherness, but it's about more than that. It's about an appraisal of what people are and how they think. Each thanks said around the table will be heard by children. The examples can be humble or huge, but the impact is the same. The child glows with pride as he hears his family members happily affirming something positive. This is what helps children to look at their values, and to use those values as they grow up into responsible adults. It isn't about possessions. It isn't about wealth. It's about attitude, and positive attitude and thanks go a very long way toward making a child have a better understanding.
