New teachers are often overwhelmed with lesson planning and material creation to come up with many unique holiday lessons ideas. Here are some ideas that will take some of the work out of planning that can also tie into many different lessons including math, reading and science.
Simple Thanksgiving Activities for Preschool Children
Make a Turkey Leaf Craft by having children collect a variety of leaves of different shapes and colors. Organize the leaves on a piece of construction paper with the largest leaves down first, building up to smaller leaves to create the look of a turkey. Very small leaves can be used to create the turkey head.
Have preschoolers practice their patterns with simple Thanksgiving themed clipart. Print the pictures in black and white so that when the children are finished putting the patterns together in the right order, they can color the pictures.
Create a basic turkey shape out of various shapes that the children are learning about. Cut each shape out of construction paper and have the children put together their own turkeys, gluing each piece down. This craft can be modified for each child’s ability level based on how much help a child receives to put each shape in the correct place. Make a sample to show the children before they start.
Simple Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten Students
Make a stand-up turkey craft with your kindergarten students with construction paper and an empty can. Start by fixing brown construction paper all around the can, then cut out feathers to glue in the back of the can and a turkey head for the front. The turkey can be used as a pencil sharpener or as a table decoration for Thanksgiving dinner.
Leaf prints can be a fun activity for young children to complete around Thanksgiving time as well. Collect a variety of leaves and have students paint one side of the leaf and make a leaf print on a piece of paper. You can make a Happy Thanksgiving Banner for the classroom, covered with leaf prints or students can make individual Thanksgiving cards to take home.
Think outside the box to create fun Thanksgiving lessons. Print numbers on maple leaves for children to practice counting with and have pie to introduce the concept of fractions. Another source of information on Thanksgiving crafts and activities is the more experienced teachers in the building. New teachers should always collaborate with other teachers for great ideas and activities.
Related Information:
Thanksgiving Bulletin Board Ideas – Creative ideas to decorate the classroom for Thanksgiving.
Bulletin Board Ideas for Fall – Along the Thanksgiving theme, add fall decorations to the classroom.
Thanksgiving Activities for Teachers – Learn how to use shape books as well as more Thanksgiving bulletin board ideas.
Thanksgiving Books for Teachers – Choose these books to read aloud to you students or simply include in your classroom library.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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