This printable Thanksgiving emergent reader will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers this year! In this activity, kids will get to illustrate their very own Thanksgiving book to share with family over the holiday.
Related: Turkey Tracks Turkey Art
Do you enjoy making books with your students? It happens to be a favorite activity of mine!
That’s probably why I have so many free printable books all ready to go for you (and so many more I need to write about)!
There are just so many early literacy skills that the children can learn and practice by making their own little books.
Related: Thanksgiving Bulletin Board Ideas
Here are just a few of the things small emergent readers like this one can teach children:
- We read left to right, top to bottom
- The illustrations need to match the words
- Sight words
- Color words
- Concept of a word
- Letter-sound correspondence
Thanksgiving Emergent Reader
So of course I had to put one together for Thanksgiving!
It’s a very simple book called “Look at the Turkey,” but it’s always well-received by my students.
You can grab your own copy of the Thanksgiving emergent reader at the bottom of this post.
Save it to your computer and then print out enough copies for the kids in your class.
Related: Turkey Hat Craft for Kids
Next, put the turkey books together. Here’s a short video to show you how to assemble the readers:
Fold each page in half, ensuring that the print is facing out. Put the book together, with the bent parts of the papers on the right-hand side. Staple along the left-hand side.
How to Use the Thanksgiving Printable Book
Once the Thanksgiving emergent reader is put together, call the child over. Explain that she’ll be making a book about colorful turkeys called, “Look at the Turkey.”
Then read through each page with the child. Using the appropriate crayon, have the child underline the color word on each page.
For the last page, tell her she’ll get to design her own turkey.
Related: How to Make a Turkey Sensory Bottle
Have the child color in each turkey with the appropriate color.
For the last page of the Thanksgiving emergent reader, let the kiddo draw her own turkey.
Some of my students chose to free-draw their turkeys, while others traced their hands (or, in one case, my hand) to make into a turkey.
Related: Corn Mosaic Thanksgiving Art
More Ideas for Learning with a Turkey Emergent Reader
Here are just a few ways to extend and change up the learning:
- Reread the book with the child, and let her reread it herself as often as she’d like to.
- Make the repetitive sentences into a pocket chart. Keep the illustrations separate, but also in the pocket chart. Children can match the appropriate illustration to each sentence.
- Write the sentences on strips of paper, then cut apart the words. Kiddos can remake the sentences, with or without help.
- Have the kids go on a “color hunt” to locate items around the house or classroom that match the different colored turkeys.
- Turn the book pages into turkey color mats. Then pair the mats with play dough.
Let me know if you try this Thanksgiving emergent reader with your students! I’d love to hear what they think.
If your students enjoy this book, they might also enjoy Fantastic Fun and Learning’s Thanksgiving 5 Senses Easy Reader.
And be sure to check out even more turkey activities to try with the kids.
Simplify Your Thanksgiving Planning
Save time planning with resources from Preschool Teacher 101. You’ll find a variety of preschool lesson plans, early math and STEM activities, and early literacy ideas.
Bonus – they’re all done for you!
Click on the pictures below for some products you might like. Be sure to look into the membership options for even more savings.
Turkey Books for Kids
In case you’re looking for more turkey books for your students, here are a few suggestions to get you started (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
Free Thanksgiving Printable Book
This Thanksgiving printable reader is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, enter your information in the form below. You’ll get an email with the turkey book links shortly!
Not a member? No worries! Enter your information in the form below to join us. You’ll get the Thanksgiving emergent reader emailed to you as a welcome gift.
If you can’t see the form above, you can access it through this link.
Originally published November 2015.
I love printable books! Thanks so much, I can’t wait to have my daughter do this activity!
Yay, Katie! Let me know how your daughter likes it! 🙂
Help! I can’t figure out how to put together your Emerging Reader books without cutting them all into fourths. What am I missing???
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! Here’s what I do – place the printed page face down on a table. Grab the right-hand side and bring it over to the left-hand side. Press down on the fold. The pictures should be facing out now. Then staple all of the folded pages together along the unfolded sides.:)
I love these books for my students.
I am so happy to hear that, Carol!! Thank you. 🙂
Thanks so much! The kids will love this turkey book.
So happy to hear that, Heather! Let me know what they think. 🙂
The kids made the turkey book yesterday. They were thrilled when we got to the hand tracing. Thanks again!
So happy to hear that, Heather!!
Hi! I am trying to print your free book, Look At the Turkey, but it will not let me. What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
Sorry to hear you’re running into trouble, Amy. I’m not sure where in the process you’re having difficulty though. If you’ve downloaded it to your computer, opened it in the most up-to-date version of Adobe Reader, and tried to print but it won’t . . . that’s likely an issue with your printer or printer connection. You can find more help on the printables help page, but most problems are solved by (A) Ensuring you download it to your computer (don’t print from the web preview), and (B) open the document in the most up-to-date version of Adobe Reader. Hope that helps! If not, feel free to email me.
I am unable to access the link for the turkey book
Hi Dena, I’ve just updated everything today so I’d suggest trying again. You can click on this link to access it!
Thanks!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Trying to find this book is a joke. I continue to get sent to a different place! Just send the book!
Sorry to hear you are having trouble. There’s a large form at the bottom of the post, as well as a very clear explanation of what to do and what will happen. My information shows that you were sent the email AND clicked the link to download the book. I can understand being frustrated, but being rude about receiving a free book (that I spent time to make and share) really isn’t okay.
I really like the simplicity as it allows the children to focus on words while the coloring
enforces motor skills. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words, Kathy!! This is a favorite – the kids always get a kick out of changing the turkeys’ colors!
I still have not received the free Turkey emergent reader after several email submissions. How long does it take to receive?
Hi Alissa, Often the emails show up within 15 minutes, but sometimes it can take a few hours (and very rarely up to 24 hours). It’s showing that 3 emails have been sent to you. Sometimes email service providers hide incoming emails if they’re unknown. You can solve this by adding mc @ fun-a-day.com (but with no spaces) to your contact list. You can also search your email inbox for that email address.
Hi. Love the turkey book and your ideas, but I cannot find where to download it and save it.
Thanks.
Hey Karen, thanks for the kind words! Scroll to the bottom of the post. There’s a form under the heading “Free Thanksgiving Printable Book” that you enter your information to have the download links sent to your email. I hope that helps!
I’m on the email
List and receive lots of emails, however where are the links to download the activities? I haven’t been able to find a Si gel one, as each clickable link, either leads to an add or another page. It’s very frustrating.
Hey Heather, sorry to hear that you’re frustrated. I don’t see your email address in the email list, but I know some people use multiple emails (I know I do). In each individual post about the individual books, I explain that you can get access to the freebies at the bottom of the posts. I checked, and I do say that in the turkey emergent reader post too. When you scroll to the bottom of the post, there’s a large form that asks you to enter your email (if you’re an email community member) to have the download link sent to your inbox. Hope that helps!