The Story of Thanksgiving for Kids (Free Printable)
A gentle story of Thanksgiving for kids, sharing the history of the first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoag people, and Pilgrims in an age-appropriate way young children can understand (with a free printable version available, too!).
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. For many families, it’s a time for family gatherings, feasting on traditional foods like turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce and even watching football games together.
But for kids—especially at a young age—it’s important to understand the story of Thanksgiving in a way that is both age-appropriate and respectful of different perspectives.
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Sharing the Story of Thanksgiving with Young Children
If you want to share the story of Thanksgiving for kids at a young age, focus on the values of kindness, cooperation and gratitude. You can also children’s literature or audio books that explain the story of the first Thanksgiving in a gentle, respectful way. PBS Kids and other educational programs offer age-appropriate resources that honor both native people and pilgrim settlers.
You can also share how American households make their own traditions, whether it’s baking together, making maple syrup treats, or starting a Thanksgiving celebration playing Thanksgiving family games or taking part in other fun Thanksgiving Day family activities, too.
Why The Way We Tell This Story Matters
Teaching the Thanksgiving history to children (especially younger children) isn’t about telling only one version. It’s about helping them understand that there are different perspectives and that we can honor indigenous people while also celebrating family gatherings and the holiday season.
By telling the story in a way that respects the original caretakers of the lands and acknowledges the challenges they faced, we pass on a richer, more truthful tradition to future generations.
The Story of Thanksgiving for Kids
Here’s a gentle retelling of the story of the first Thanksgiving designed for young children, blending history with compassion so they can understand how this holiday began and how it has evolved over time. If you scroll to the end of this post, I provide a free printable version of this story too!
A long time ago, in 1620, a group of English Protestants left their homes in England because of religious persecution. They wanted the freedom to practice their beliefs, so they set sail on a small ship called the Mayflower. After a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, they spotted land—Cape Cod in what we now know as Massachusetts Bay.
These travelers are called the Pilgrims. They were part of a larger English settlement and were hoping for a new life in what they called the New World.
When the Pilgrims landed near Plymouth Rock, they found that the land was already home to Native American tribes—the original caretakers of the lands. One of these nations was the Wampanoag people, who had lived in the area for thousands of years.
The Pilgrims were strangers here, and their first winter was very hard. They faced harsh conditions, a long drought, and illnesses they did not know how to treat.
Many did not survive. The native land was unfamiliar to them, and they didn’t know how to grow food here or identify poisonous plants. But the Wampanoag tribe, led by Chief Massasoit, became their new neighbors and eventually, their new friends.
The Wampanoag people taught the Pilgrims important skills they needed to live in North America. They showed them how to grow corn, where to fish and which plants could be used for medicine. The Pilgrims learned to tap maple trees for maple syrup and to hunt local animals. This positive interaction was essential for the Pilgrims’ survival.
One of the most famous helpers was a man named Tisquantum, or Squanto, who had learned English after being captured years earlier. He helped create a formal agreement between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag so they could live in peace.
After many months of hard work, the Pilgrims enjoyed a bountiful harvest in the fall of 1621. To celebrate, Governor William Bradford invited the Wampanoag nations to join them for a harvest feast. This three-day gathering included traditional foods from both groups: roasted meats, fish, corn, beans, squash and other foods native to the area.
This Thanksgiving feast wasn’t exactly like our Thanksgiving dinner today—there were no mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie yet!—but it was a great time to share food, build friendship and give thanks for the harvest.
The Real History and Different Perspectives
While this Thanksgiving story is often told as a happy friendship between the Pilgrims and native people, the full story of Native American history is more complicated. In the years after the story of the first Thanksgiving, many indigenous groups faced broken promises, loss of native land and hardships brought by European settlers.
Today, some people—including citizens of the Cherokee Nation and other indigenous people—use Thanksgiving Day as a time to share the real history and honor the resilience of native men, women, and future generations. This is an important part of the story for older kids to learn as they grow.
Thanksgiving Becomes a National Holiday
Thanksgiving wasn’t always a yearly national holiday. In fact, it wasn’t until President George Washington declared a national thanksgiving in 1789 that it was celebrated across the country.
Later, President Abraham Lincoln, encouraged by writer Sarah Josepha Hale, made Thanksgiving Day an annual holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. He wanted the people of the United States to pause and give thanks, even in hard times.
Since then, Thanksgiving has become a beloved holiday season tradition in American households from New York to California, celebrated in different ways but often with common traditions like a Thanksgiving feast, family gatherings, and helping others through food drives.
How Families Celebrate Thanksgiving Today
Today, families celebrate Turkey Day in different ways. Many enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with family members and friends, watch football games, or take part in holiday season parades. Some use the day to volunteer, collect donations, or talk about gratitude.
In homes across North America, you’re sure to find traditional foods like roast turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and even maple syrup desserts. Some families add their own cultural dishes to the table, showing how this common tradition has grown and changed over time.
Need some ideas? Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving activities:
- Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Toddlers
- Adorable Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Poem Printable
- Thanksgiving I am Thankful Turkey Headband Craft {Free Printable Template}
- 50 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions for Kids (Fun + Educational!)
Get Your Free Printable Copy of the Thanksgiving Story for Kids
Want a cute printable version of the above Thanksgiving story for kids? Just enter your details below, and we’ll send it directly to your inbox! You’ll receive READY-TO-PRINT DIGITAL files in a PDF format that you can print at home or in any local or online print shop! (No physical items will be sent to you).
I recommend printing the questions on plain white card stock for best results. You can also use regular paper. I also recommend saving the printable file to your computer before using.
The free printable Thanksgiving Story for Kids is free for you to use, but ONLY for personal use. Enter your email address below to get yours, and the printable PDF will be emailed to you immediately for instant download.
Final Thoughts on How to Tell the Thanksgiving Story to Kids
The story of Thanksgiving is more than just a harvest celebration or a turkey day. It’s a chance to talk about new friends, positive interactions and how people from different backgrounds can help one another.
It’s also a time to reflect on history, show gratitude for the bountiful harvest we enjoy today, and think about how we can make the world better for future generations.
This Thanksgiving holiday, as you gather around the table—whether you’re enjoying traditional foods, watching football games, or starting your own new year of traditions—take a moment to share the story of the first Thanksgiving with the children in your life to inspire kindness, gratitude and understanding.
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