How to Talk to Children About Thanksgiving

The story of Thanksgiving in the United States is outdated and inappropriate. Natalie explains how to teach children about Thanksgiving without the sugar coated story of the pilgrims and American Indians. This video is for parents of children all ages. She breaks down how to talk to children from a values based approach, historical approach, and avoiding cultural appropriation.
00:00 How can I talk to my child about Thanksgiving?
03:03 Important background information- Thanksgiving over the years
05:39 Thanksgiving values- what values does Thanksgiving represent?
07:10 The NEW Thanksgiving Story- How can I tell me child the story of Thanksgiving?
11:05 Thanksgiving for young children- The portrayal of the natives and settlers
12:26 How do you talk to your kids about Thanksgiving?
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*** Helpful resources and sources for this video:
"Native educators say Thanksgiving lessons can be accurate, respectful, and still fun-here’s how" featuring Dr. Star Yellowfish: www.nea.org/advocating-for-ch...
The Harvest Study Guide by the National Museum of the American Indian: www.nea.org/sites/default/fil...
I Was Teaching a Lot of Misconceptions.’ The Way American Kids Are Learning About the 'First Thanksgiving' Is Changing: time.com/5725168/thanksgiving...
Four hundred years of Wampanoag history: www.mayflower400uk.org/educat....
Thumbnail: "The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe

[@user-ue7oe1bo3r]

I’ll never forget when I learned later in life that what I had learned earlier about Thanksgiving had been so whitewashed, I felt so betrayed and privileged! Thank you for giving some great ways to talk about Thanksgiving to my children.

[@PrimaryFocus]

You’re so welcome 🧡 thank you for watching and Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁🥧

[@angelasnyder1519]

Great information! I always enjoyed teaching my students about thanksgiving - the real story. Accurate history and social studies lessons are so, so important. An inaccurate and sugar coated story of the pilgrims and Native Americans only hurts society and our future. Thanks for sharing!

[@PrimaryFocus]

thank you! it's a tough history, but knowing our roots helps us improve as a country and not repeat history 🧡

[@samaraortiz6763]

Thank you for this. I tell my Kindergartners that it is a day to just say thanks to anyone who helps us and cares about us. I did teach the "story of Thanksgiving" a few years ago, but like many others; felt wrong because I know better. So instead we focus on creating opportunity for kindness and acceptance.We talk about being thankful and why. I ask parents to send in pictures of what they eat and to tell of any special activities. If they don't celebrate I ask them to share what they do during the 4 day holiday. I make a slideshow and we make connections with each other on what's the same, different and similar. It's actually more fun and meaningful.

[@PrimaryFocus]

I love that you took a values based approach instead of continuing to share a story that isn’t right. If you have access to brain pop or scholastic “let’s find out” they have some great resources for kindergartners to compare life then to now that would fit in nicely with your compare/contrast lesson. Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁🧡

[@MsRockstar013]

Thank you ❤

[@PrimaryFocus]

You’re so welcome! 🧡 if this was helpful I hope you share it with a friend 🍁

[@docrod2010]

Glad to see you are wearing your glasses (at least on occasion) given how you reacted when you got them.

[@PrimaryFocus]

Thanks! Yeah it’s tough with the glare to film videos in them, but they are great for editing

[@rodcarveth3010]

Good point about the glare. I only mentioned because when you got them, you were so shocked by how strong the glasses were and how you really needed them. But, yes, unless you pay extra for anti-reflective coating, it's hard to see your eyes. Great site and good content.@@PrimaryFocus

[@saracraun3270]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@PrimaryFocus]

You’re welcome! 🧡🧡🧡

[@Doc_Tar]

Having grown up through the 60s and 70s, I recall no discernable difference before and after 1976 in the way Thanksgiving was defined as a holiday or how it was celebrated. Though I remember the Thanksgiving of the Jonestown massacre being particularly somber, with video footage of bodies strewn around the People's Temple compound putting a real damper on things that year (1978).
It does seem that Thanksgiving in this part of the country was always a time for deer hunting and the kickoff to Christmas shopping. This meant the families that hunted deer held their kids out for three days while the public school went on an extended study hall phase waiting for everyone to return to the classroom after Thanksgiving. Those families that wanted to max Christmas shopping got their early start on Midnight of Black Friday.

[@PrimaryFocus]

Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts on bicentennial Thanksgiving. I’m curious what other people experienced and if there’s any weight to my theory. While I shared a lot of facts, the 1970s part is not fact- just my own inference.

[@tvstudentNL]

Yay!

[@PrimaryFocus]

thank you for watching! 😄

[@amyleighmason8580]

sharing this with all my parent friends!! 🦃🖤 great advice!

[@PrimaryFocus]

You’re welcome! Thank you for watching 😊

[@morrning_group]

Thank you for sharing this information😇, Please continue making more videos; I can see the dedication and effort you put into your content. You deserve more viewers and subscribers. Keep up the hard work, and consider enhancing the quality even further! Beauty 🥰

[@PrimaryFocus]

Wow thank you so much 🩷 I really appreciate that 🥰 thanks for watching and commenting- you made my day