The celebration of Thanksgiving is based on saying thank you and sharing, and both of these are important not just for kindergarten readiness but life-long, too. No matter what’s planned for your day today, there will be opportunities to help your child with these two early social skills.
Sharing is not easy for young children and it takes time to learn. Babies and toddlers will often offer adults a toy or snack but continue to hold on. They have learned the action of offering but haven’t figured out the giving part. Older preschoolers may feel okay about sharing for a brief period of time but not for very long. As with other learning, kids need to see and hear how adults share. We can support them by recognizing their efforts.
Please and thank you are often called the magic words because they are so effective. Again, children pick this up from watching and listening to others. Encouragement and practice help, too.
For some fun, here’s a video of how to say turkey in sign language. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!