As I've mentioned before, our themes are just a vehicle to deliver content in a fun way. We play a lot of games and learn as as play. Some of the fun games we've played with our Thanksgiving theme reinforced our literacy skills, coordination and social skills.
Toss The Turkey
We made a turkey out of a paper lunch sack and clipped it to a chart stand. I would show a letter (or rhyming word, letter/sound recognition ~which ever concept we were working on with that group) and ask the child to identify it. If they were able to identify the concept correctly, everyone chanted "Toss the Turkey!" and the student gets to try to toss a beanbag at the turkey. (This could also work by hanging the paper plate from The Great Turkey Chase from the chart stand as well!)
Great Turkey Chase
I saw this on a couple of websites~not really sure who came up with this first. I taped a picture of a turkey to one small paper plate, and pictures of Pilgrims to another. We started passing the Turkey plate like we would playing "Hot Potato", but after the Turkey plate made it halfway around the circle, I added the Pilgrim plate. Pretty soon the kids are all cheering for either the turkey or the Pilgrims.
I try to impress upon the children that there wasn't a lot of toys (or time for fun) as a Pilgrim child. They made games with what they had. Sometimes it's hard for them to imagine a world without all the electronic devices and games they have access to. One of the games we play is rolling a hoop with a stick. this takes a lot of coordination, but it's always so much fun to watch them try!
We just love "Duck, Duck...Goose!" and change it up to fit most themes. "Turkey, Turkey....Dinner!" just seems appropriate, since you get put in the pot if you get caught!