5 Thanksgiving Activities For Kids

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so start planning as you approach this big holiday.🦃

It's more than just a festive meal with turkey or pumpkin pie, gatherings with family, and a fun break from school!

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to reflect and celebrate all the things we are grateful for. You'll all agree with me that it's a fun holiday to discuss in the classroom because it encourages giving, sharing, and gathering together.

Good news! I'm going to share some OINKTASTIC activities if you're a teacher or a homeschool parent and you're looking to explore Thanksgiving theme activities with your pre-K to 1st grade students.

HOW TO TACKLE THANKSGIVING FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

Let's be real, it gets a little lost between Halloween and other holidays because Thanksgiving doesn't have as many costumes, candy, decors, or gifts.

How can you help young kids understand more about the holiday? Here are handy strategies to delve deeper into Thanksgiving that they can easily comprehend.

1. Shift to Gratefulness

Try to focus more on the idea of gratitude than just the history of the holiday to provide a balanced perspective on Thanksgiving.

Encourage pupils to consider what they are thankful for in their own lives rather than having them reenact the first Thanksgiving.

2. Teach about respecting differences

Even though some of America's early history is complicated, it also offers a special chance to reflect on our mistakes and create a better future.

Thanksgiving is a terrific opportunity to show kids how to value each other's differences. Every child has to learn this lesson, so making the most of the holiday is a fantastic strategy to ensure that it sticks in their minds.

3. Keep it simple but accurate

Without going into great detail, you can be straightforward about how the Pilgrims and Native Americans didn't get along and how they ran into conflict.

You may even set a challenge for your students to consider people in their own lives with whom they might disagree and to come up with solutions to resolve them. They will discover that despite the fact that people don't always get along, you cab overcome these conflicts and come together to support one another.

THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES AND IDEAS FOR YOUNG STUDENTS

Kids may think Thanksgiving as the start of the school vacation train, but there is much more to know about it.

If you need to think about ways to keep young kids learning about Thanksgiving while havng fun, you've come to the right place.

1. Read Together

Reading a book with a Thanksgiving theme is a great way to educate your young kids about the holiday. Kids can take turns reading or asking questions about the pictures.

Make use of the chance to discuss human connection and the significance of treating everyone with respect.

Here's a bundle that is perfect for kindergarten to first grade students.

2. Do Crafts That Teach Gratitude

Incorporating Thanksgiving crafts for kids in the classroom aren't just an activity, but an opportunity as well. It offers an opportunity to teach what it means to be thankful and express gratitude to those that do so much for them.

Once they're done, they can showcase them throughout the classroom or wrap them up as a gift for mom and dad.

Here are some arts and craft activities I can recommend from my store:

3. Complete Thanksgiving Activity Sheets

Check out activity sheets that boost your student's vocabulary, comprehension, logic, literacy, and other analytical skills that relate to Thanksgiving.

Children will enjoy learning with the printable thanksgiving worksheets listed below.

Here are a few places to start:

4. Play Games

Games are a fantastic method to learn anything in a challenging yet enjoyable way.

For example, you can play trivia with fun Thanksgiving facts or have a relay race in which children pass holiday-themed items like acorns, peas, and corn kernels to each other using chopsticks or do I spy: Thanksgiving Version.

5. Build a foundation of knowing and respecting Native people

Start by telling them the actual facts about Native and Indigenous people, both from the past and the present.

You can research and learn about the people who live or used to live on the land in your area or read books that help children come to know about Native people.

In return, this will encourage them to question misconceptions and learn the truth about the past in a way that inspires them to take action when they grow older.

So there you have it! Use these activities to drive Thanksgiving excitement. Which of these simple and fun Thanksgiving activities for your students will you try first?

As a teacher myself, it's such a fulfilling role when children can better comprehend the significance of Thanksgiving and how it relates to their daily lives by having its beginnings explained to them in interesting ways.

May you have a PIGARIFFIC time and I do hope you explore the activities mentioned above to make Thanksgiving extremely fun and educational for your students!

Until the next blog, take care and make the most of this season.🐷