Are you planning a Thanksgiving theme to do with your preschooler this year? These fabulous autumn activities are a great place to start.
Why Teach about Thanksgiving
Encourages Gratitude
The perfect time to teach about gratitude is Thanksgiving- a holiday centered around being thankful.
When shows, activities, and books emphasize thankfulness, they encourage little ones to be thankful.
Teaches Sharing and Kindness
The story of the first Thanksgiving relies heavily on sharing and kindness, which are also skills that preschoolers learn in preschool. Thus, it’s a perfect tie into preschool learning.
Cultural Awareness
American culture has placed importance on Thanksgiving. Help littles understand the holiday and its traditions.
Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to open a conversation about cultural differences and acceptance.
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Encourages Family Connections
Spending time with family and loved ones is encouraged during Thanksgiving. Reinforcing family bonds and traditions and helping others, Thanksgiving offers many opportunities for kids to show how thankful they are to their families.
Fun and Learning
There are many things kids can do in preparation for Thanksgiving that are fun and encourage learning.
From making a pie with Grandma to setting a table, littles can be involved in many ways.
Thanksgiving Book List
Books make the perfect addition to a themed unit (or week). Our list of Thanksgiving books is the perfect place to start when picking out books for a Thanksgiving theme.
Thanksgiving Theme Activities
Thankful Tree
Similar to our family tree, but add things your little one is thankful for.
Grateful Banner
Create a grateful banner as a project for your preschooler, or try it as a family activity. Have each person fill out a few leaves, sharing what they are grateful for. Assemble them together, and you will have a beautiful family-grateful decoration.
Thanksgiving Craft: Printable Coloring Bookmark
Give little ones printable bookmarks to keep them busy while they wait for dinner to be finished.
Hand Turkey Craft
Made from construction paper (not paint), this Thanksgiving theme classic craft is much less messy. They are adorable to hang around as decorations. Then, they can be stored so you can remember just how little your preschooler’s hands were.
Letter T Craft: Turkey Activity
Working on the letter T during a Thanksgiving theme is a beautiful way to reinforce a letter while keeping the activities and craft fun and relevant.
Pumpkin Pie Playdough
Provide playdough in different colors, a rolling pin, and a pie tin (or something similar). Let your little one get their bake on by making a pumpkin pie.
Turkey Feather Counting Game
Create paper turkeys with a number written on each of the bellies. Give your little one a set of feathers and have them match the correct number of feathers to the turkey.`
Corn Painting
Use corn on the cob (before it is cooked) and roll it in a pile of paint. Then, roll the corn around on a long piece of paper.
If you can’t find/don’t want to use corn on the cob, try wrapping bubble wrap with the bubbles facing out around a cylinder to make DIY corn on the cob.
Turkey Trot
Children pretend to be turkeys and run, waddle, or flap their wings across the finish line. This can also be turned into a relay race or an obstacle course.
Cornucopia Sorting Activities
Gather plastic or paper fruit and vegetables into a basket. Have your little one sort the cornucopia contents into fruits and vegetables. They can also sort them by color, size, or shape.
Colander Turkey
Flip over a colander and add a paper cut out of a turkey to the front of it. Have your preschooler add feathers to decorate the turkey.
To make it a bit more challenging, have them roll a die and add that many feathers.
Themed Ideas about Thanksgiving
Having another person’s ideas can be beneficial when planning a themed unit. Hopefully, you were able to grab a few ideas to add to your plans for a Thanksgiving theme.