More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is a day we have designated to pause from our busy lives, gather with loved ones, and honor the human bonds which support us through a nourishing meal. In reality, most of us associate the day with travel stress, cooking stress, or managing the logistics of complex family relationships. Children and older adults can sometimes be left on the fringes of the activity when they are indeed the heart of this special day! Make this Thanksgiving a memorable one by connecting with each other in a time-honored way. A Thanksgiving Poem is a simple tradition that focuses on bringing children into conversations and activities instead of keeping them separated in another room or at a different dining table.
Long before television, iPads and Xboxes, families gathered for storytelling. This almost lost art was centered on an elder sharing a tale, sometimes in verse, with a descriptive setting and a cast of characters. Children would delight in the story and eagerly anticipate the vivid details. It developed active listening, imagination, focus, and attention span (skills from which modern children still benefit!).