Fall is upon us, and that means Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! I have rounded up some Thanksgiving theme preschool activities that will engage your students and increase a sense of gratitude in the classroom. These Thanksgiving activities for the classroom will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving activities for the classroom.

1. Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions

Would You Rather Questions are a great way to get your students thinking and talking! They allow students to think critically about their preferences, communicate them to the class, and then reevaluate after they have heard other responses and reasoning. Would You Rather Questions are a great resource to encourage students to practice sharing in front of the class in a fun and easy way. Why not create a list of Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions to get your students thinking and talking about all things Thanksgiving?

Some kids love to share while others don’t want to talk in front of the class, but Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions are a great way to encourage students to open up and share all that they love about this special holiday. There is no right or wrong answer, and the answer choice is narrowed down to two options. Students will simply pick the choice they prefer and share it with the class. Don’t forget to encourage your young learners to extend their answers by telling you why they chose that option.

There are so many ways to use Would You Rather Questions. They are easy to use in the classroom and make a great Thanksgiving activity for kindergarten and preschool students. 

Here are some fun ways to use Would You Rather Questions:

• Use them during morning group time/ morning meetings to get children warmed up and sharing ideas.
• Use them as a check-in question when children arrive.
• Use them as a way for parents and children to connect at drop-off in the morning.
• Use them as a tool to introduce graphing.
• Use them to connect with families – send one home on Fridays for the children to discuss with their families and come back to class on Monday to report what their different family members said
• Use them in small groups to help build class relationships

You will be surprised to know there are many benefits of using would you rather questions in your classroom. Check out my blog post to learn more ???????? The Benefits of Using Would You Rather Questions for Kids in the Classroom

2. Read books about what you are Thankful for on Thanksgiving

I love filling my class bookshelf with Thanksgiving books! Picture books are a great way to get children thinking and talking about Thanksgiving. Books about Thanksgiving and being thankful will naturally generate discussions around all we can be thankful for in our lives. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julia Markes

This book features rhyming text and beautiful illustrations to show all the great things about Thanksgiving. The best thing about Thanksgiving is that you get to share it with your family. 

• I am Thankful by Sheri Wall

I am Thankful is a wonderful book to share about the differing traditions on Thanksgiving. It shows three families and their traditions while being full of rhymes and excellent illustrations. Your little learners will love reading about the ways these families show kindness and thankfulness. 

• The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing

Read this book close to Thanksgiving to get your students excited for Thanksgiving! Read about a family that celebrates Thanksgiving with lots of food, family, and fun. 

• How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace

Oh no! There is a turkey loose in the school! Your preschool and kindergarten students will love reading about the chaos that follows the turkey through the school. Plus, use it as a great introduction to a STEM or STEAM project to create turkey traps! 

3. Activities that ask, “What are you thankful for on Thanksgiving?”

Being thankful activities give our students the opportunity to think about all the important people in their lives, all that they do, and how we can show gratitude towards them. Highlighting all the positives in their lives sets them up to be more positive thinkers in the future. Our children will become aware of the blessings in their lives and this gives them the opportunity to be thankful towards those special people. 

Questions to guide discussions:

• Invite the children to consider all the different areas of their lives. Who helps us? Who makes our lives better?
• Consider people in our home, our school, our community, who do so much for us. How do they contribute to our lives? How could we show gratitude for all they do?
• How about the things in our lives that make it so much better/ easier? What can we be thankful for there?
• What do you love about Thanksgiving?

It would be wonderful to record these answers and share them with families.

4. Being Thankful Crafts for Preschoolers

Creating craft is another fun way to encourage children to use their imaginations, think about Thanksgiving, and strengthen those fine motor skills. I love these Thanksgiving theme preschool activities and since I’m not super crafty, I turn to other brilliant teachers to guide me. Here are some great ideas:

• Popsicle Stick Turkeys

These popsicle stick turkeys by Life Beyond Laundry are so fun to make and don’t require a ton of materials. Add a strong for some cute little decorations to hang around the classroom. They would make a great Thanksgiving activity in kindergarten or preschool. 

• Turkey Treats

The Lolly Jane blog has some really great ideas for turkey treats that also are crafts! Your little learners will love using their fingers and imaginations to create turkey treats that they get to eat afterward! 

• Thankful Turkey Craft

This sweet thankful turkey craft is the perfect thing for creating being thankful crafts for preschoolers. Students will write what they are thankful for on the feathers and then glue them around a cute little turkey head. This will be great for a classroom display. 

• Thanksgiving Flip Book

Get your students drawing all the things they are thankful for with this Thanksgiving flipbook. I love sending it home to build a strong family connection with the activities we are doing in the classroom. 

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that these ideas inspire you to fill your classroom with gratitude! Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday and I love using Thanksgiving theme preschool activities to show my students how important it is to be thankful for what we have and how blessed we truly are. 

As a gift to you, I have included some gorgeous FREE Kindness Quote Posters. Click on the picture below ???????? to grab them now. Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

Want more ideas for you Preschool Room? Click on the Blog Posts below:

1. 7 Fun & Engaging Activities about Friendship for Preschool Classrooms
2. 5 Effective Conflict Resolution Activities that Absolutely Work
3. 5 Ways to Easily Fit Activities About Friendship into Your Day