Thanksgiving Printables and Activities for Elementary Students
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it is time to focus on family and giving thanks for all the positive things in our lives. Looking for fun ways to engage elementary students this holiday? These Thanksgiving printables and activities for elementary students are a great way to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Free Thanksgiving Printables:
Thanksgiving Counting:
Improve counting skills and initial letter recognition with this colourful Thanksgiving printable worksheet. 
Thanksgiving I Spy:
I Spy activities are a great way to encourage concentration skills. This Thanksgiving I Spy activity promotes active concentration, counting and basic reading.
For this activity:
- First children count how many of each Thanksgiving pictures there are in the box.
- Reading the instructions at the bottom will tell them which colour to circle each picture.
- Then they need to write down the number of each picture on the page.
- Finally, as an extra challenge, they can match the words to the pictures in the bottom right hand box.
- This one page covers so many skills!
Thanksgiving Colour by Number:
Color by number requires basic hand-eye coordination skills, and specific concentration while children coordinate the number on the page with what color they actually need to use.
For this activity:
- Use this Thanksgiving Colour By Number printable to practise hand-eye coordination skills, concentration skills.
- Children learn to hold the marker, crayon, or coloured pencil while controlling its movement.
- There is a further reading challenge at the bottom to match the name and colour.
Thanksgiving Activities:
Thanksgiving Turkey Fingerprint Cards:
Celebrate the holiday by making handmade cards for family and friends. This easy Thanksgiving craft requires very few materials and is fun for little fingers!
Materials: white card folded in half, poster paint (red, yellow and brown), black marker
Directions:
- Start by writing a Thanksgiving message on the front of the card.
- Start the finger-painting with brown paint in an oval shape to form the body of the turkey.
- Once that is dry, form a semicircle of yellow paint above the brown oval to create the first layer of feathers.
- Once that is dry, form a semicircle of red paint above the yellow to create a second layer of feathers.
- Draw a face and feet onto the brown part of the turkey.
- Decorate inside and give to family and friends!
Thanksgiving Weaved Placemats
Make personalised placemats for all your guests and practise fine motor skills at the same time! If you laminate these placemats, they can be used for years to come.
Materials: coloured paper (brown, red, yellow, orange), ruler, pencil, scissors, glue, Thanksgiving themed name labels
Directions:
- Start by drawing lines on the brown coloured paper – starting 2cm from the edges and spacing out the lines by 3cm.
- Fold the paper in half, start cutting each line from the folded side and cut until 2cm from the edge.
- Cut strips of paper 3cm wide from the yellow, red and orange paper.
- Begin weaving these strips of paper into the brown paper, alternating colours.
- Glue the ends of the weaved pieces to the brown paper.
- Print Thanksgiving themed name labels and write the name of the guest.
- If possible, laminate the placemats and decorate your Thanksgiving table! I use the Scotch Thermal Laminator and it fast and easy to use.
Thanksgiving Books for Elementary Kids:
The Night Before Thanksgiving
Natasha Wing wrote this book in “Twas the Night Before Christmas” style, and has brought the excitement, hustle-bustle, and fun of Thanksgiving to life in the pages of this story. Rhyming sentences and colourful images feature food being prepared, families arriving, children playing and a dramatic ending will keep children listening to the end. This is a great read for children under 6 focusing on the fun of the holiday.
I am Thankful
I Am Thankful teach kids about coming together with our loved ones to give thanks for all that we have. This is an engaging, rhyming storybook that follows three different families as they celebrate the holiday with their own traditions, acts of kindness, and ways of giving back. Kids will learn how to be thankful for the world around them as they enjoy the colourful illustrations that show diverse families and exciting Thanksgiving adventures. This story will show young ones the meaning of giving and sharing.
Bear Says Thanks
Gratitude Games for Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving season always reminds me of the importance of gratitude in our own lives and in our children’s. Gratitude allows kids to have more self control, generosity, self worth and happiness. There are so many fun ways to encourage younger children to appreciate all that they have. Play the Gratitude Game! Place coloured sticks in a bag. Ask your child to choose one stick and according to the colour, they can express their own concept of gratitude in simple terms. Make sure that you take a turn as well, modelling gratitude is the best way to teach it!
Gratitude Trees
A gratitude tree is a great way to display the things you’re grateful for while creating a beautiful decoration. This activity can be done by children before Thanksgiving or it can be an activity that everyone at your Thanksgiving table can participate in. Create a tree trunk with brown coloured paper including a few different tree branches. Stick onto a wall near the dining table. Give children or each dinner guest a paper leaf and ask them to write something they’re thankful for on each leaf. This is a great activity to do at Thanksgiving but also throughout the year to remind children for all they have to be thankful.
Thanksgiving Printables and Activities for Kids
Encourage the concept of thankfulness and gratitude your children by discussing the meaning behind Thanksgiving. Hopefully these easy Thanksgiving printables and activities for elementary students will help to educate and encourage a sense of giving thanks in our little ones!
