by Rachel Wells
November is the month for turkeys, gratitude, and Thanksgiving fun. Be sure to set aside time for some of these awesome activities that are perfect for the season.
Thankful Chain
Have students work together to create a large classroom chain, or have students add one link a day to their own individual gratitude chains.
Thanksgiving BINGO
BINGO is easy to play, and always a favorite among students. Small themed erasers make perfect bingo chips too.
Find-a-Word in Thanksgiving
See how many words students can find using only the letters in the word Thanksgiving.
Question-a-Day Trivia
Write a trivia question on the board each day that your students can come in and read and discuss together. Don’t forget to share the answer later on!
- What year was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? (1621)
- When was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade? (November 27th, 1924)
- What part of the turkey do people try to break for good luck during Thanksgiving? (the wishbone)
- Which U.S. president officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday? (Abraham Lincoln)
Disguise a Turkey
Read the book Turkey Trouble and have students help a paper turkey hide from becoming Thanksgiving dinner! Will they turn them into a superhero, movie character, animal, household item, or something else?
Watch a Thanksgiving Movie
There are so many cute ones perfect for the season.
Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration
Craft a Handprint Turkey
There’s nothing quite as cute as a handprint turkey craft to remember how small your kids were each year.
Make Gratitude Cards for Others
Now is the perfect time to have students make gratitude cards to give out to family and friends.
Categories Game
Go in ABC order and have students think of Thanksgiving words to go with each letter. Work in small groups and see which group can come up with the most words.
Make Play Doh Turkeys
Gather up some Play Doh, googly eyes, feathers, and pipe cleaners and let your students craft some super fun 3D turkeys.
Thanksgiving Word Search
Try this fun, themed, printable wordsearch.
Tell Thanksgiving Jokes
Have a good laugh together with these Thanksgiving themed jokes.
Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?
A: He wanted people to think he was a chicken!
Q: What instrument does a turkey play?
A: The drumstick!
Q: What key has legs and can’t open doors?
A: A turkey!
Q: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
A: The outside!
Gratitude Candy Game
Grab a pack of skittles or M&M’s, a brown paper bag, and a color-coded thankful prompt list. Take turns reaching into the bag, pulling out a piece of candy, and using the list to finish the statement.
- Red candy = Name a person you are thankful for
- Yellow candy = Name a place you are thankful for
- Green candy = Name a thing you are thankful for
- Purple candy = Name a food you are thankful for
- Orange candy = Name something of your choice that you are thankful for
Play Pass the Turkey
Take a simple game like hot potato and add a fun Thanksgiving twist by passing a turkey stuffed toy instead.
Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions
Would you rather questions are always going to lead to fun conversations. Here’s a few to get you started:
- Would you rather have a turkey-shaped head or pumpkin-shaped feet?
- Would you rather have Thanksgiving dinner on a pirate ship or in a castle?
- Would you rather clean the house before Thanksgiving dinner or after?
- Would you rather have a week or Thanksgiving or a week of Christmas?
- Would you rather swim in a pool of gravy or a pool of cranberry sauce?
