Thanksgiving for kids is a time for family fun, but many teachers may wonder what they can do to bring Thanksgiving into their classrooms. Thanksgiving activities for toddlers and preschoolers are a great way to teach valuable lessons to your students this holiday season. Many Thanksgiving games for kids also help them learn much more than how to be thankful.
Here are a few of our favorite Thanksgiving activities!
Friendship (Thanksgiving) Soup
Book: GIANT Encyclopedia of Preschool Activities for 3-Year-Olds
Area: Social-Emotional
Age: 3 through 4 Years Old
Interaction: Large Group
Materials:
- Variety of vegetables
- Chopping knife (adult only)
- Plastic knives
- Large cooking pot
- Stove
Instructions:
1. This is a good soup to make around Thanksgiving and share it with friends and other teachers.
2. Talk about the first Thanksgiving with the children and discuss how the Native Americans and Pilgrims shared food with each other.
3. Explain that they will be making soup to share with their friends.
4. Ask each child to bring in a vegetable. It is a good idea to hang up a list of suggestions outside your room (such as onion, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen corn, frozen peas, celery, large can of stewed tomatoes, and so on).
5. Use a chopping knife to cut all the vegetables into chunks. Ask the children to use plastic knives to cut the vegetable chunks into smaller chunks. Talk about the smell, color, and texture of each vegetable.
6. Put all of the vegetables into a large pot on a stove. Add a little water, salt, and pepper and cook it for about 45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft.
7. As the children are eating it, talk about friendship and sharing.
Thanksgiving Wreath
Book: GIANT Encyclopedia of Preschool Activities for 3-Year-Olds
Area: Fine Motor
Age: 3 through 4 Years Old
Interaction: Large Group
Materials:
- Construction paper in autumn colors
- Scissors
- Heavy cardboard
- Glue
- Pinecones
- Assortment of nuts
- Ribbon, optional Thin wire
Instructions:
1. Beforehand, cut out leaves in a variety of sizes and colors from construction paper.
2. Cut out a large circle (about the size of a large salad bowl) from heavy cardboard.
3. Cut out a smaller circle (about the size of a saucer) from the center of the large circle.
4. Encourage the children to glue paper leaves, pinecones, and nuts to the cardboard to make a Thanksgiving wreath.
5. If desired, add ribbon.
6. Make a hook using a thin piece of wire and attach it to the back of the wreath. Hang the wreath on a door or wall. More to do Art: With the children, make great smelling “pumpkin pies.” Give the children small paper plates and ask them to paint them orange. Then encourage them to sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon onto the wet paint. This will make a nice centerpiece on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving Counting
Book: GIANT Encyclopedia of Learning Center Activities for Children 3 to 6
Area: Cognitive
Age: 3 through 4 Years Old
Interaction: Small Group
Materials:
- Plastic or paper Thanksgiving dessert plates
- Clean milk caps
- Thanksgiving theme stickers
- Permanent marker
- Craft glue
Instructions:
1. Number each plate 0 to 10, or to whatever number is appropriate for the children in your class.
2. Put one sticker on the inside of each milk cap. Use craft glue to keep them in place, if needed.
3. Ask the children to put the correct amount of milk caps onto each numbered plate.
4. Use these materials for a variety of math activities, depending on the ages and developmental level of the children.
