There are many things to celebrate and recognize about Thanksgiving—delicious food, family gatherings, and a complicated history, to name a few! Check out our list of recommended resources for teaching about Thanksgiving here. Another way to spark a conversation is with this collection of Thanksgiving poems for kids of all ages. Oh, and we heard poetry goes great with pumpkin pie, so enjoy a slice (or two)!
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Thanksgiving Poems for Elementary School
1. Thanksgiving Day (“Over the river and through the wood”) by Lydia Maria Child
“To grandfather’s house we go.”
2. Five Little Turkeys by Unknown
“… standing at the door. One waddled off, and then there were four.”
3. Time for Turkey by Lori Soard
“… gobble, gobble. It’s time for pumpkins orange and fat.”
4. Thank You, Thanksgiving by Kenn Nesbitt
“We’re glad that you’re here.”
5. Thankful by Laura Phelps
“I am thankful for my family
I am thankful for my friends …”
6. Albuquerque Turkey by Unknown
“Albuquerque is a turkey
And he’s feathered and he’s fine …”
7. A Thanksgiving Dinner by Maude M. Grant
“Take a turkey, stuff it fat …”
8. All in a Word by Aileen Fisher
“T for time to be together, turkey, talk and tangy weather …”
9. I’m Thankful for Turkey by Kenn Nesbitt
“I’m thankful for yams. I’m thankful for cranberries …”
10. Dear Mr. Turkey by Michele Meleen
“I love the way you gobble.”
Thanksgiving Poems for Middle and High School
11. Thanksgiving by Edgar Guest
“Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice …”
12. Fourth Thursday of November by Patricia L. Cisco
“… flurries and leaves in wispy winds, as our mother’s long day begins.”
13. To All My Friends by May Yang
“That I could be this human at this time
breathing, looking, seeing, smelling …”
14. King for a Day by Jo McNally
“I’m resting here quite regally …”
15. Home by Bruce Weigl
“I didn’t know I was grateful
for such late-autumn
bent-up cornfields …”
16. The Harvest Moon by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Deserted, on the curtained window-panes …”
17. Butter by Elizabeth Alexander
“My mother loves butter more than I do …”
18. The Traveling Onion by Naomi Shihab Nye
“When I think how far the onion has traveled
just to enter my stew today …”
19. She Was Fed Turtle Soup by Lois Red Elk
“The willows were turning green, slips of leafs pointing to one another in a slow tempo …”
20. The morns are meeker than they were by Emily Dickinson
“The berry’s cheek is plumper …”
21. The Dream of Knife, Fork, and Spoon by Kimiko Hahn
“I can’t recall where to set the knife and spoon.
I can’t recall which side to place the napkin
or which bread plate belongs to me.”
22. Thanksgiving by Bill Volkov
“The wind pushes down the road, a warm breeze.”
23. Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo
“The world begins at a kitchen table.”
24. The Bean Eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks
“They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.”
25. After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost
“The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.”
