Thanksgiving | Homeschooling on a Shoestring

Free lesson plans and activities for Thanksgiving

Native educators say Thanksgiving lessons can be accurate, respectful, and still fun—here’s how https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/native-educators-say-thanksgiving-lessons-can-be-accurate-respectful-and-still-fun-heres-how

Thankful Decor

Thanksgiving Tree 1
Make large tree to put on the wall. Add colored leaves and write whatever your family is thankful for on them. Start on November 1 and then read them on Thanksgiving Day. Save the leaves and look back over them. It also helps to see how much the children’s writing have changed. You could even put the past leaves in a scrapbook or notebook.

Thanksgiving Tree 2
Make a poster of a large oak tree, complete with colorful fall leaves. Write the words, “I am thankful for…” across the top. Use an instant camera to take pictures of your children and guests. Tape the photos up on the tree and have the person write what they are thankful for under their picture.

Thanksgiving Turkey
Before Thanksgiving, mail extended family construction paper turkey feathers and they can write one thing they are grateful for, and mail it back. Then hang a big construction paper turkey and attach all of the feathers before our big feast so you can all see just how much you have to be thankful for.

Tablecloth
Use a big white tablecloth and with fabric markers write what you are thankful for. Put this on the table Thanksgiving day.
Wall Hang a sheet of craft paper on the wall during November. Let children draw pictures, or write notes or Bible verses about things for which they are thankful. Invite your guests to add to the Wall of Thanksgiving whenever they drop by.

Art & Crafts

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
http://www.preschoolcoloringbook.com/color/cpthanksgiving.shtml
https://www.first-school.ws/theme/cp_h_thanksgiving.htm

Thanksgiving Crafts
Turkey Origami http://www.tammyyee.com/origamiturkey.html
Baker’s Clay Cornucopia http://www.make-stuff.com/projects/dough_cornucopia.html
Centerpiece Thankful Tree https://liagriffith.com/make-a-thankful-tree-for-your-celebration-centerpiece/
Paper Plate Turkey https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/thanksgiving/paper-plate-turkey.asp

Books

Franklin’s Thanksgiving by Paulette Bourgeois
Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
Thanksgiving The True Story by Penny Coleman
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp
1621 A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace

Field Trip

America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit made its first march down Woodward Avenue in 1924. Read about the parade history, download the coloring book and go see the parade! Parade Studio Tours info https://theparade.org/tours/

Virtual Tour Of Plimoth Plantation https://vimeo.com/plimoth
Make sure when teaching about Thanksgiving, that you teach respectfully taking caution not to use stereotypes. https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-thanksgiving-in-a-socially-responsible-way

Thanksgiving Story The Pilgrims Revisited https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/The-Thanksgiving-Story-The-Pilgrims-Revisited.shtml

Are you teaching the true Thanksgiving story or is the version you’re passing on to your students a blend of fact and myth
https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/Teach-the-Real-Story-of-the-First-Thanksgiving.shtml

Thanksgiving Myths
Colonial House Lesson Plan: Mythconceptions https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson1.html
Colonial House Mythconceptions Quiz https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson1_worksheet.html
Colonial House Mythconceptions Quiz Answer Key https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson1_answers.html

Vocabulary

Thanksgiving, Wampanoag, English, Separatists, Persecution, Feast, Colony or colonies. Harvest. Plymouth. Maize. Yams

Games

Thanksgiving Bingo https://www.dltk-kids.com/cards/bingo/
Thanksgiving Themed Math Grades 1-5 https://www.kidzone.ws/math/thanksgiving/#WORKSHEETS

Thanksgiving Bingo
You or your child can make Bingo cards using pictures of Thanksgiving (leaves, acorns, turkey, etc.) instead of letters and numbers. Draw the pictures, cut and paste from newspaper or magazines, or print from your computer. Cover the cards with clear laminate or Contac paper for durability. Let the children search for the items. When a child sees something that is the same as the picture, the child covers that square with a piece of tape or a sticker. When the card is completely covered, the child calls out “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Thanksgiving Day Game
The whole family will have fun with this game but preschoolers will be delighted. Stand together, where everybody can see everybody else. The first player says, “This year for Thanksgiving, I…” and fills in the blank. For example, “This year for Thanksgiving, I visited relatives,” then walks in place, as if traveling. The whole group does the movement. The second player says, for example, “This year for Thanksgiving, I set the table,” and makes the movements for setting a table, while still walking in place. The third person says something like, “…I put on my new shoes ” and motions as if putting on shoes, while still walking in place and motioning like making the table. See how many actions you can add.

Find the Turkey
This is a group game so you can play it with all of the relatives on Thanksgiving day. One person leaves the room, while a ‘turkey” is chosen from the rest of the group. Set a timer for three to four minutes, and bring the person back into the room. When the player comes back into the room, the person chosen as the turkey starts to make subtle turkey movements scratching the floor with the foot, wobbling the head, flapping the arms like wings. All players watch for the movement, and start doing it at the same time. The person who left the room and came back must figure out who is starting it to figure out who is the turkey. If he can figure it out before the timer goes off, he gets to chose the next player to have to leave the room. If he doesn’t figure it out, the turkey gets the next turn.

Worksheets

Crossword Puzzle http://www.sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/thankcr.htm
Thanksgiving Mazes http://www.busybeekidsprintables.com/Thanksgiving-Mazes.html
Worksheets https://www.abcteach.com/search/thanksgiving
Let’s Talk Turkey online quiz https://www.familyeducation.com/quizzes/thanksgiving-turkey/lets-talk-turkey-quiz