4 Fabulous Thanksgiving Centers & Activities!

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

We stumbled across these great activities put together by Sarah Cooley over at First Grader...at Last! and thought we'd pass them along in the event they'd be helpful in your own Thanksgiving lesson planning! Well planned and well executed, we found these activities inspiring!

Mayflower Story Bracelets

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

After learning about the first Thanksgiving, Sarah and her kiddos read this cute poem found on Dr. Jean's website and put together a bracelet craft to help them remember the story! Sarah used fun picture magnets to provide her kiddos with visual cues as she retold the story and they strung the colored beads on the pipe cleaner. We think this craft and poem are a great way to help your students remember an important part of our history!

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

Thankful "Plate Fulls"

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!
Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

Another cute craft that'll get your kiddos in the true holiday spirit, Sarah provided each of her students with a plastic plate and invited them to decorate it with the things they're thankful for! The project was completed at home (but you could certainly do it in the classroom!) and students used a combination of magazine clippings, pictures, illustrations, and words to 'fill their plates with blessings'!

[NOTE: These would make a most excellent holiday classroom display!]

Thanksgiving Interactive Class Book

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

A cute twist on the popular 'Turkeys in Disguise' activity, Sarah invited her students to come up with a creative place that a turkey might hide in order to escape being made into Thanksgiving dinner. Students wrote about and illustrated their idea, compiling them in a class lift-the-flap book - e.g. the flap features the hiding place and, when lifted, reveals the hiding turkey!

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

Shopping for Thanksgiving Dinner

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

Check out this fun Thanksgiving math activity! Sarah created a 'Thanksgiving Supermarket', displaying pictures of various Thanksgiving dinner staples and labeling each with a different price. Then, provided with an activity worksheet, students 'visited' the store and used their math skills to answer the questions.

Photo Source: First Grader...at Last!

For example;

  • What can you buy for 10 cents?
  • My favorite thing costs __________.
  • How much is the milk and the cool whip?
  • Etcetera!

How great are these activities!? We hope you found them as inspiring as we did!! For the full activity write-up, be sure to visit First Grader...at Last!