Thanksgiving is the holiday that sneaks up on everyone. You were just getting around to taking down your Halloween décor when BAM-it’s the middle of November. But not to fear-these Enjoyably Simple Thanksgiving Ideas are sure to keep your students engaged with little time and cost to you!
1) Morning Meeting Lessons
Before launching into fun Thanksgiving activities-it’s important to discuss the true history of Thanksgiving and the topic of Gratitude with our students. This creates meaningful discussions and helps our students become aware of what actually happened between the Native Americans and Pilgrims. Beyond this, it will help students empathize with others and use their knowledge to create a better future.
I highly recommend discussing the topic of Gratitude via Morning Meeting slides, books, and activities. All of these can be found included in the set below!
In addition to the resource above, I recommend teaching about the history of Thanksgiving via the following resources. These will be perfect to discuss during Social Studies or as an extension to Morning Meeting.
2. Thanksgiving by BrainPop Jr.
2) Your Teacher is Thankful For…
The next idea has easily become one of my favorite Thanksgiving school traditions! First, simply brainstorm what you appreciate about each of your students, then research some adjectives to make each statement unique, and finally write them out on a slide or anchor chart.
This is such an easy way to recognize and show gratitude for each student! Furthermore-these words may stick with some students for life. Such a big impact for such a little activity!
In the past, I put up our chart before students came in for the day and watched as they excitedly noticed after walking in. This year, I’m planning to reveal and read our chart in morning meeting! Fingers crossed I don’t tear up!
Thanks to Julie Salcido for the original idea.
3) Art Hub for Kids
As mentioned in my previous Halloween Article, I pull out this free resource year round, and its always a hit! Art for Kids Hub is a channel designed to teach kids how to complete a drawing step by step. They take complex designs and make them easy and fun to follow!
In my room, we’ll be using Art for Kids Hub as a party station activity! Currently, I’m still deciding if they will draw the roasted turkey or cartoon turkey.
Additionally, Art for Kids Hub has hundreds of videos fit for all occasions! I personally like to use one at every holiday party because kids love them so much. You can view their page of amazing videos here.
4) Turkey Doodles
Undoubtedly, this a activity is worth your $2.00! Students exercise their creativity by drawing various black doodles in each section of their turkey. Pair with sunglasses and a brightly colored background for a totally trendy, hipster effect! The product is sold on TPT by Tales From a Very Busy Teacher.
Furthermore-they just look so darn cute on display! Perfect for the hallway or for families to hang on their refrigerator. In addition to this, they would also make a great station for a class party.
Personally, I like doing one art project earlier in the week and a second during the party. The Turkey Doodle and Art Hub videos are great combination for this!
5) Save the Turkey Digital Math Escape Game
If your students are like mine, they love any chance to use technology. In particular, when its in game form! Insert a fun Digital Escape Game with a Thanksgiving theme, and you have instant engagement!
Specifically designed for 1st-3rd grade, the “Save the Turkey” Math Escape Game on Google Forms is the ideal game for Thanksgiving week. Students will enjoy helping Trina the Turkey escape the farm so she doesn’t become the Thanksgiving meal! Additionally, this Escape Game includes a math focus (three games included to suit 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade math skills.) Pairing engaging activities with academic practice is a huge win-win this game delivers!
6) Mayflower Munch
Another great Thanksgiving activity is expressing gratitude to support staff in the building. Making Mayflower Munch is a wonderful way to do that! Mayflower Munch is a trail mix snack made with a variety of foods that represent reminders of Thanksgiving.
Candy Corn and Corn Chex-Represents the corn the pilgrims grew with help from the Wampanoag.
Dried Cranberries-Represents the Northeast where cranberries grow and Pilgrims lived.
Pretzel Sticks: Represent the logs used to build houses.
M&Ms: The M stands for Mayflower
First, gather up the items shown and mix together in a large bowl. Then use gloves to put handfuls of the mix in cellophane bags. After that, teach students what each part of the mix represents. Next, pick a support staff member in the school (I like to think of those that might get overlooked, or may not be accustomed to getting gifts as often) and create thank you cards for them. Here are the FREE thankful notes I use! Finally, deliver the cards and explain what each part of the mix means. Personally, I think its most fun when various students explain parts of the mix.
7) Novel Effect
As mentioned in my Halloween article, reading books with Novel Effect is an amazing way to spice up your themed read aloud time! This is a free app that listens to you as you read, providing fitting background noises and sound effects to match the book! I can tell you from experience, it gives read alouds a whole new layer of magic! You can see the app in action with the text above Creepy Carrots here.
Novel Effect is a free app, giving every user 5 free book experiences monthly! Further, for those who want to use the app more often, subscriptions are available as well. Likewise, you do not have to pay a penny for the 5 reads a month (or give out your credit card information!) I would highly encourage all educators to give this one a try! Your students will LOVE IT!
Below are a few read alouds that are perfect for Thanksgiving week.*Note, I do have a yearly subscription (discounted to $3.99 a month for teachers!) so some of these books may be premium only (I can’t tell because I have access to them all!)
- Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey (my favorite!)
- Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
- Turkey Trouble by Lee Harper
- There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey by Lucille Colandro
Additionally, some teachers have said their phone volume was not loud enough for using in the classroom. Therefore, pairing your phone with a speaker to make the sound effects more audible is something to consider. I use the “audio boost” feature in the app to amplify the sound as well. Test things out in your room alone before using with your class to see what works best!
8) Shopping for Thanksgiving Dinner
To conclude, I had to mention this darling activity fitting for math stations or a whole group math warm up. And the best part? It’s a freebie on TPT!
In this activity, students are “given” $25 to spend on Thanksgiving dinner. Various Thanksgiving foods are provided with costs connected to each. The students must buy at least 5 items with their money and cannot overspend! Students cut out each item they wish to buy and glue it to their shopping bag. Skill questions are also provided to use if time allows. Younger students may need to work with counters or fake money to solve.
Without a doubt, this simple task will be a hit in your room! Students love sharing which foods they like and getting to make the choice with their “money.” You could even allow students to add in other foods not mentioned by drawing and researching their cost.
Bonus Ideas!
Although the eight above are my top recommendations for Thanksgiving Week, I also want to link a few extra ideas I’ll be using with my students! There are just too many great things out there to enjoy with your class. Click on the links below to learn more about them. 😉
- How to Cook a Turkey Freebie
- Thanksgiving Graphing Freebie
- Thanksgiving Word Work Freebie
- ABC Thanksgiving Order Freebie
- Thanksgiving Bingo Freebie
- Fix the Thanksgiving Sentence Freebie
- Thanksgiving Skittle Greeting-Email Freebie from Planning Playtime
So there you have it! Eight (and more!) simple, but ever so fun, idea to enjoy with your students before Thanksgiving! I hope you pick a few to try!
Other posts you might enjoy:
Hello! Can you tell me where to find “The Truth About Thanksgiving Slideshow” you refer to in this post?
Yes! It is linked in the post if you click on it. 🙂 You can find it here! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Social-Studies-The-Truth-About-Thanksgiving-5025272?st=455c8be0d16d5f9341cd885093006ebd