I have a “November” binder at work. It’s full of speech and language activities with an autumn and Thanksgiving theme. This time of year we always read “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie,” and learn vocabulary words like “entire,” “future,” and “murky.” We unscramble words that give us clues to the kind of music the pilgrims listened to (i.e. Plymouth Rock 😊). And we always play: “Would you rather?”

As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I see students with speech sound errors, but also those with language delays. Often kids with delayed language give the shortest answers possible when asked a question. One or two words is all they want to say to get their point across.

“Would you rather?” is my go-to activity for increasing sentence length and helping kids form complex sentences. It goes like this:

We read a question with two silly choices, like: Would you rather have turkey wings for arms or a jack-o-lantern for a head? Or, Would you rather eat a whole turkey or only mashed potatoes?

Sometimes the questions aren’t silly, but more educational and thought-provoking, like: Would you rather live in 1620s England or 1620s Massachusetts? Or, Would you rather be a pilgrim or a Native American?

Since this is speech-language therapy, there are three rules:

Answer using your good speech sounds.
Answer with a sentence. Start with “I would rather…”
Give the reason for your choice.

It’s that third one that really makes them think and explain. It adds so much meaning to the response. Without these rules, I’d get responses like “a jack-o-lantern head” or “turkey wings.”

Instead, I get: “I would rather have a jack-o-lantern head because I could still see, and turkey wings for arms would look weird.” Or, conversely, “I would rather have turkey wings for arms because then I could fly. Can turkeys fly?” This. of course, leads to a sidebar conversation on whether turkeys can fly.

This week, my students offered insightful, unique responses. It made me wonder: What if my thanksgivings this year were upgraded in a similar way.

You know the “thanksgivings” I’m talking about. Sometimes they’re said around the table before we sit down to our feast. With the preponderance of social media, the thanksgivings we read online have multiplied. The problem is my answers to the question: “What are you thankful for?” feel repetitive, terse and commonplace. Family. Friends. My church. Just like my students, I try to get away with a simple, one- or two-word response.

But what if my thanksgivings had rules like “Would you rather?”

Answer by telling what you’re thankful for.
Answer with a sentence. Start with “I am thankful for…”
Give the reason for your thankfulness.

Instead of my usual pithy answers, I’d say something like this:

I’m thankful for my family because they’ve filled up all the empty spaces in my life.
I’m thankful for my husband because he’s my best friend and he brings me coffee every morning.
I’m thankful for my kids because they make me laugh. A lot. And they aren’t afraid to say “I love you.”

I could go on and on about each of my kids, my parents, my siblings, my in-laws, and my nieces and nephews. I could talk about my friends, my job, my church, and my faith.

But just like I tell my students, everyone gets a turn. I’ve gone on long enough. Now it’s your turn.

I’m going to ask you a question. I hope you’ll play along with me.

What are you thankful for? See if you can follow the rules and upgrade your responses this year.

Even if you don’t share your gratefulness out loud, I encourage you to take some time this weekend to dwell on your thanksgivings. Consider the WHY. Name your reasons.

Then thank the Giver.

A Thanksgiving "Would you Rather?"