Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten Teachers

Your students could make Pilgrim hats with paper.

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year. Teach your kindergartners the meaning of Thanksgiving with games that teach them about the history of the holiday as well as the spirit of its celebration. The popular symbols of Thanksgiving also provide inspiration for games and crafts.

I Am Thankful Tree

If you have a real or artificial tree in your classroom, spruce it up with a Thanksgiving theme. Cut out leaf shapes on red, yellow and orange pieces of construction paper, and help each student write down her name and one thing she is thankful for on each side. String a piece of ribbon or twine through a hole punched in the leaves, and hang them from the tree. On the day before the Thanksgiving school holiday, send the leaves home with the students to have for their family Thanksgiving celebration.

Native American and Pilgrim Crafts

Thanksgiving is rife with symbolism and culture you can incorporate into arts and crafts. Make Native American vests using paper grocery bags and have the students decorate them with Native American symbols. Copy some examples of symbols in the school library to give the students a place to start. Make tepees using construction paper and twigs from the school yard, and have the students draw on them. Make Pilgrim hats and collars using black and white construction paper. Let the students decide whether they want to be a Pilgrim or a Native American for the day.

Turkey Hunt

Hide a turkey stuffed animal somewhere in the classroom and send your class to look for it. The first person to find the turkey hides it for the next round of the game. For a longer-lasting game, print or draw lots of small turkeys on paper and tape them up and hide them around the classroom. Similar to an egg hunt, have the students collect as many turkeys as they can. Reward participation rather than a single winner.

Cranberry Spoon Race

Give half of the class one spoon and one real cranberry each. Have them place the cranberry inside the bowl of the spoon. Set up a starting line and a finish line for the race. Tell your students to walk quickly but not run from the starting line to the finish line without dropping the cranberry. The game will challenge their ability to control movement and balance the cranberry inside the spoon. If a student drops his cranberry, he should pick it up and start again. The nonracing half of the class should cheer on the racing students before the groups trade places.

References

• Twiggle Magazine: Thanksgiving Activities
• DLTK Kids: Teepee Craft
• Kinder Helper: Thanksgiving Games and Activities