Thanksgiving Songs for Children

There are plenty of songs and carols to celebrate Christmas with, but Thanksgiving is another story. Here are a few Thanksgiving songs to teach your children in the car on the way to Thanksgiving dinner or as you wait for the turkey to finish cooking.

"Over the River and Through the Woods" was written by Lydia Marie Child in 1844 to celebrate her holiday visits to her grandparent's home. The lyrics are easily adapted to Christmas when the Thanksgiving season is over.

Over the river and through the woods
To Grandmother's house we go
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.
***
Over the river and through the woods
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose
As over the ground we go.

***
Over the river, and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
***

Over the river and through the woods
And through the barnyard gate
We seem to go extremely slow
It is so hard to wait!
***
Over the river and through the woods
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hooray for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hooray for the pumpkin pie!

I learned the following song in elementary school and taught it to my cousins. We loved to sing it as we waited for the turkey to be carved. The song is sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"

Turkey Dinner, Turkey Dinner
Gather Round, Gather Round
Who will get the drumstick?
Yummy Yummy drumstick
All sit down, all sit down.
Cornbread, muffins,
Chestnuts, stuffing,
Pudding pie ten feet high.
We were all much thinner, before we ate our dinner!
Me, oh, my! Me, oh, my!

The following simple song is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Hello, little turkey. How are you? (Clap, clap)

Hello, little turkey. How are you? (Clap, clap)

Oh, wobble, wobble, wobble

And gobble, gobble, gobble.

Hello, little turkey. How are you? (Clap, clap)

Kids will love the joke at the end of this rhyme, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot."

I'm a little turkey (point to self)
Short and Fat (Squat down, and hold arms out)
Thanksgiving Day is coming
Now what do you think of that ? (Hold hand out in a questioning pose)
I'd better run as fast as I can (Pretend to run)
Or your mommy will roast me in a pan!

(Jog around, flapping arms, and say gobble, gobble, gobble!)