Over 15 Preschool Thanksgiving Activities as Fun & Heartwarming as the Season Itself

Preschool Thanksgiving activities and centers give us the chance to teach the value of gratitude. Of course, gratitude along with some great crafts, math, and literacy activities! Accordingly, I fill the weeks before Thanksgiving, with turkeys, Pilgrims, and thankfulness. With this in mind here are a few ways to have fun, find a little gratitude, and learn through play this thankful season.

Preschool Thanksgiving Activities: Crafts

As you can see, When it comes to preschool Thanksgiving Activities, crafts are an especially fun way to learn about Thanksgiving. First, turkeys are adorable and there are so many different ways to make a turkey.  For example, coffee filter turkeys, turkey hats, pinecone turkeys, and more! Another thing I like to teach is the story of the first Thanksgiving, so of course we need to make the Mayflower…with our handprint!  Additionally, would it really be Thanksgiving without a handprint turkey? Maybe a turkey leg hat?  Ultimately, the possibilities for fun and learning with crafts are endless.

The Best Preschool/Pre-K Thanksgiving BulletinBoard

I want to bring the idea of thankfulness into the season right off the bat, therefore, I start by asking the kids what they are most thankful for.  Next, I write it on a large paper turkey feather they can decorate. Then, we take the turkey feathers to our bulletin board and add it to our class Thankfulness Turkey in the hallway.  We fill in the turkey’s beautiful tail feathers. As you can see, the bulletin board is adorable and becomes a source of some great conversations between the parents at pick-up time. It’s the best!

Preschool Thanksgiving Activities: Math

Preschool & Pre-K Thanksgiving Math Activities are a great way to balance out a season that can be full of crafts. For that reason, I have so many Thanksgiving math activities and centers that I love.  Be sure to find activities that bring in a variety of basic math skills.  For instance, numeral ID, shapes, counting, graphing, comparing, and writing practice. Holidays are a great time to review skills and do some informal assessments. All the above activities can be found in my Thanksgiving Lesson Plan.

Preschool Thanksgiving Activities: Literacy

When it comes to literacy activities, I have my favorites here as well. Just as with math activities, I like to review basic skills while adding a lot of unit vocabulary as we go. Name turkeys are a great activity to add to your unit. Name practice is so important, not to mention, you have another opportunity to make a turkey! With my Pre-K class I add rhyming practice, whereas I keep it very basic for my 3-4 year-olds. Of course, by adding Thanksgiving images and vocabulary to all your basic skills activities you will keep the season festive! There is always so much to learn and practice!

Preschool Thanksgiving Activities: Handprint Turkey Cards

It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a handprint turkey! These Thanksgiving cards are the cornerstone of my Thanksgiving unit. For that reason alone, I doubt that I will ever stop making them. For one thing…is there anything sweeter than a little kid’s handprint? First, I paint the palm and thumb off each child brown, then I choose 4 bright colors for their fingers to make the tail feathers. Next, when it dries the kids add an eye, and draw the feet, beak and waddle. Inside, I write a Thanksgiving message from each child, and they practice writing their names to sign off. As you can imagine, this is a keepsake to enjoy for years to come!

Find Book Suggestions and More Activities in my 5-day Lesson Plan

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!